Director Operational Excellence

Position Overview

We are seeking a seasoned and visionary Director of Operational Excellence to lead our commitment to manufacturing excellence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This pivotal role is designed for a European professional ready to relocate and drive transformative change across our manufacturing facilities. The successful candidate will be responsible for elevating operational performance, enhancing productivity, optimizing asset reliability, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement while ensuring sustainable and cost-efficient operations. This position requires a strategic leader who can collaborate seamlessly with cross-functional teams, including Production, Maintenance, Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (HSE), Supply Chain, Finance, and Information Technology (IT), to embed operational excellence as a core organizational competency.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Governance

• Develop and execute a comprehensive Operational Excellence strategy aligned with business objectives, manufacturing priorities, and performance targets to drive measurable improvements in productivity and cost efficiency.
• Establish and oversee governance frameworks for improvement initiatives, including prioritization, benefits tracking, and standardized operational practices across all manufacturing operations.
• Provide executive leadership with strategic insights on productivity opportunities, operational bottlenecks, cost-saving initiatives, and progress toward business transformation goals.
• Champion a data-driven decision-making culture, fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Continuous Improvement and Lean Deployment

• Lead and deploy Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies), and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) methodologies to eliminate waste, reduce inefficiencies, and enhance operational stability.
• Identify process inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and recurring operational losses, coordinating corrective actions with process owners to drive sustainable improvements.
• Facilitate root cause analysis (RCA), corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and process standardization to improve quality, efficiency, and productivity across manufacturing operations.

Performance Management and KPI Oversight

• Define, monitor, and report on key operational performance indicators, including Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), yield, scrap rates, on-time delivery, manufacturing costs, energy consumption, equipment availability, and improvement benefits.
• Develop and maintain performance dashboards and management reports to provide actionable insights for decision-making, in collaboration with Manufacturing, Planning, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and executive leadership.
• Conduct regular performance reviews to assess progress, identify gaps, and implement corrective measures to ensure alignment with organizational goals.

Process Optimization and Asset Performance

• Evaluate manufacturing layouts, workflows, process capability, and capacity constraints to identify debottlenecking opportunities and improve operational flow and throughput.
• Support maintenance excellence by driving preventive, predictive, and reliability improvement initiatives in partnership with the Maintenance function.
• Recommend enhancements to equipment utilization, asset reliability, production cycle times, and resource efficiency without direct oversight of day-to-day maintenance activities.

Digital Transformation and Project Delivery

• Spearhead manufacturing digital transformation initiatives, including the implementation of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), advanced analytics, smart manufacturing technologies, and predictive insights to enable data-driven operational performance monitoring.
• Manage operational excellence, plant improvement, automation, and capital investment projects from initiation through implementation and closure, ensuring adherence to scope, schedules, budgets, and risk management protocols.
• Monitor project milestones, resource allocation, and realization of business benefits to ensure successful delivery and ROI.

Management Systems, Sustainability, and Culture

• Coordinate management system improvement initiatives and audit follow-up activities to ensure compliance with industry standards and organizational policies.
• Support Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives by embedding sustainable practices into operational processes and driving initiatives that align with corporate sustainability goals.
• Act as a culture leader by fostering a mindset of continuous improvement, accountability, and operational excellence across all levels of the organization.

Qualifications and Experience

To excel in this role, candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field, with a minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in operational excellence, manufacturing leadership, or process improvement. A proven track record in Lean, Six Sigma (Black Belt or Master Black Belt preferred), and digital transformation is essential. Strong leadership, strategic thinking, and stakeholder management skills are critical, along with the ability to drive change in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. Experience in the manufacturing or industrial sector and familiarity with KSA’s regulatory and operational landscape are highly desirable.