Operations Readiness Director

lego; Richmond (VA); Hybrid; USD 158,000 - 238,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family care leave

Insurance

Wellbeing programs

Colleague discount

Bonus

Hybrid work policy

Job summary

LEGO Group seeks a seasoned leader to drive the Start-Up of its Greenfield LVA factory, integrating automation and digital tools from Day 1 to ensure robust operations and global standardization.

You will translate global program achievements into local readiness, build capability, manage risk, and partner with R&D, suppliers, and external teams to deliver a fast, stable ramp-up across packing, molding and logistics.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading large-scale industrial or automation start-ups.
• Strong end-to-end operations and value chain understanding across manufacturing, quality, engineering, and supply chain.
• Ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity and fast-paced change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end Start-Up journey for the LVA Greenfield factory and ensure robust operations.
• Translate global program achievements into local readiness actions and create a unified delivery roadmap.
• Lead the Global Start-Up Management Framework and ensure operational ownership beyond sign-off.

Skills

Leadership

Automation start-ups

Industrial operations

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

MES

SCADA

Job description

Job Description

Are you ready to lead a groundbreaking factory start-up, driving innovation by integrating automated systems and sophisticated digital technologies at LEGO's newest site?

Lead the charge in revolutionizing manufacturing within LEGO's Greenfield LVA factory, where you'll drive groundbreaking automation, champion global standards, and ensure flawless operations from Day 1.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end Start-Up journey for the LVA Greenfield factory, ensuring robust and empowered operations.
• Translate global program achievements into local readiness actions, creating a unified delivery roadmap.
• Lead the Global Start-Up Management Framework , ensuring operational ownership beyond technical sign-off.
• Drive risk mitigation continuously, activating assessments and ensuring visibility throughout execution.
• Build organizational capability and readiness , including training plans and operational management systems.
• Establish performance acceleration routines to ensure fast, stable ramp-up of operations.
• Integrate automation and digital tools into operations, ensuring maturity and full lifecycle readiness.
• Ensure detailed DQP compliance , facilitating decision-making across R&D, suppliers, and partners.

Play Your Part in Our Team Succeeding

The Greenfield Automation Program is redefining the LEGO Group's future for automated Packing, Molding, and Logistics, setting standards for next-generation factories. As the first site for these innovations, LVA represents a significant achievement. Your leadership will ensure the site's readiness for a stable ramp-up, setting benchmarks for future deployments.

Do You Have What It Takes?

• Proven experience leading large-scale industrial or automation start-ups, ideally greenfield or new factory environments.
• Significant expertise in start-up of production lines, technology ramp-up, and operational readiness.
• Strong end-to-end operations and value chain understanding across manufacturing, quality, engineering, and supply chain.
• Experience embedding readiness frameworks such as CQV, DQP, FMEA, PDCA, and associated risk/quality tools.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity, and fast-paced change.
• Exceptional leadership presence with experience working and influencing global and local partners
• Strong capability-building leadership: competency models, training plans, uplifting capability, and readiness validation.
• Advanced education in engineering, manufacturing, operations, or similar, or equivalent experience, is highly desired

Nice To Have:

• Experience supporting multi-site or multi-technology ramp-ups.
• Familiarity with Lean, DfM, continuous improvement, or structured problem-solving frameworks.
• Understanding of digital manufacturing (MES, SCADA, data analytics, traceability, automation platforms).
• A global mentality with a passion for building diverse, high-performing teams.
• Energy, resilience, and growth-mindset orientation - adopting challenge as opportunity.
• A team-oriented, fun, and humbl e approach that reflects LEGO values: shared success, curiosity, creativity, and positivity.

Additional:

• Long-term, the selected candidate must be willing to relocate to other sites, globally, to support future LEGO growth
• Relocation will be provided
• Some international travel will be required

Compensation

The salary for this position has a range of $158,376.00 - $237,564.00 based on anticipated responsibilities, market benchmarks, and organizational constraints. The LEGO Group carefully considers a wide range of compensation factors, including but not limited to prior experience, skills, expertise, location, internal equity, and other considerations permitted by law. The comprehensive remuneration details, inclusive of benefits, will be communicated upon finalisation of the employment offer.

What's in it for you?

Here are some of what to expect:

• Family Care Leave - We offer enhanced paid leave options for those important times.
• Insurances - All colleagues are covered by our life and disability insurance which provides protection and peace of mind.
• Wellbeing - We want you to be your best self, so you'll have access to the Headspace App and lots of wellbeing initiatives and programs run by local teams where you are based
• Colleague Discount - We know you'll love to build so from day 1 you will qualify for our generous colleague discount.
• Bonus - We do our best work to succeed together. When goals are reached and if eligible, you'll be rewarded through our bonus scheme
• Your workplace - When you join the team you'll be assigned a primary workplace location i.e. one of our Offices, stores or factories. Our hybrid work policy means an average of