Director of Operations

Henkel; Mentor (OH); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Work-Life Balance

401k matching

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Henkel, a global leader in adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings, seeks an accomplished manufacturing leader for its Mentor, OH site. You will oversee operations across manufacturing, engineering, materials, and Lean initiatives to drive safety, quality, delivery, and profitability.

The role emphasizes developing talent, leading complex capital projects, and fostering a diverse, inclusive culture. A 10+ year track record and a bachelor’s degree are required, with Six Sigma a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent years’ experience in related field.
• Minimum 10 years of proven manufacturing leadership experience with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and overall plant performance.
• Strong business and financial acumen, including experience managing budgets, cost centers, capital investments, and P&L performance.
• Demonstrated success driving Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Project management expertise with a track record of leading complex operational, engineering and capital improvement projects.
• Exceptional people leadership skills with the ability to develop talent, build high-performing teams and foster accountability and engagement.
• Experience in chemical, specialty chemical, adhesives, sealants, or other process manufacturing environments preferred; Six Sigma certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing operations for sealants and adhesives at the Mentor site, ensuring alignment with Henkel’s strategic goals.
• Provide direct leadership across Manufacturing, Engineering, Materials Management, Lean, Safety, Health, and Environment.
• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and strategies to ensure operational efficiency, legal compliance, and financial performance.
• Manage budgets, capital planning, and resource allocation to balance strategic objectives with profitability.
• Drive continuous improvement through Lean culture, innovation, and quality system adherence.
• Audit performance and operations regularly to identify variances and ensure corrective actions.
• Foster leadership development, professional growth, and a culture of diversity, and inclusion.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Project management

People leadership

Financial acumen

Continuous Improvement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field

Job description

About this Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow.

This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings.

Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

What You´ll Do

• Lead manufacturing operations for sealants and adhesives at the Mentor site, ensuring alignment with Henkel’s strategic goals.


• Provide direct leadership across Manufacturing, Engineering, Materials Management, Lean, Safety, Health, and Environment.


• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and strategies to ensure operational efficiency, legal compliance, and financial performance.


• Manage budgets, capital planning, and resource allocation to balance strategic objectives with profitability.


• Drive continuous improvement through Lean culture, innovation, and quality system adherence.


• Audit performance and operations regularly to identify variances and ensure corrective actions.


• Foster leadership development, professional growth, and a culture of diversity, and inclusion.

What makes you a good fit

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or a related field required or equivalent years’ experience in related field.


• Minimum 10 years of proven manufacturing leadership experience with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and overall plant performance.


• Strong business and financial acumen, including experience managing budgets, cost centers, capital investments, and P&L performance.


• Demonstrated success driving Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and operational excellence initiatives that deliver measurable business results.


• Project management expertise with a track record of leading complex operational, engineering, and capital improvement projects.


• Exceptional people leadership skills with the ability to develop talent, build high-performing teams, and foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and entrepreneurial thinking.


• Experience in chemical, specialty chemical, adhesives, sealants, or other process manufacturing environments preferred; Six Sigma certification is a plus.

Some benefits of joining Henkel

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1


• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, and vacation buy / sell program


• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement


• Family Support: 12-week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships


• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

The salary range for this role is $150,000.00 and $200,000.00. This range represents the good‑faith minimum and maximum wages the Company reasonably expects to offer for this role at the time of posting. In addition to base salary, this position may be eligible for incentive pay or other forms of compensation, as applicable. The Company also offers a comprehensive benefits package as described above. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate’s skills, experience, education, training, and work location. This posting is intended to comply with all applicable state and local pay transparency laws.

Henkel does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Unsolicited referrals and resumes are considered Henkel property and therefore, Henkel will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited referral.

At Henkel, we come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe the uniqueness of all our employees is the power in us. Henkel is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.