We are delighted to be supporting one of our clients as the seek to appoint a highly experienced Cluster Manufacturing Director to lead and optimize operations across eight food manufacturing sites in Europe. This pivotal role is responsible for driving operational excellence, ensuring compliance with the highest food safety standards, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.
As a key member of the regional leadership team, you will oversee manufacturing performance, align strategy with business objectives, and build capabilities that support sustainable growth across multiple sites.
Key Responsibilities
* Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for eight manufacturing plants across Europe.
* Drive performance in safety, quality, productivity, cost efficiency, and sustainability.
* Develop and implement a unified manufacturing strategy to achieve cluster-level goals.
* Ensure compliance with food safety, regulatory, and quality standards across all sites.
* Lead, coach, and inspire plant managers and their teams, building a strong culture of accountability, engagement, and excellence.
* Identify and implement lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives to maximize efficiency and minimize waste.
* Partner with supply chain, engineering, procurement, and commercial teams to optimize end-to-end performance.
* Manage capital investments and major transformation projects across sites.
* Represent the cluster in global and regional forums, aligning local execution with corporate strategy.
About You
* Proven track record in senior manufacturing leadership within the food industry or other highly regulated sectors.
* Experience managing multiple sites or a complex cluster of operations across different countries.
* Strong knowledge of food safety standards, regulatory frameworks, and operational excellence methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, TPM).
* Demonstrated success in change management and transformation at scale.
* Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to influence, develop, and motivate diverse teams.
* Excellent communication skills, fluent in English (additional European languages a plus).
* Willingness to travel extensively across the region.