Plant Manager in Berlin

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers.

Korn Ferry has partnered with one of our clients on their search for an experienced Plant Manager. Our client is an international company active in industrial technology and engineered systems. The role is based in the greater area of Berlin / Brandenburg in Germany.

Purpose of the Position

Our client is seeking an experienced, strategic leader to drive the manufacturing site's performance and development. The Plant Manager will hold full responsibility for site P&L, operational performance, production capacity, organizational capability, delivery reliability, and people development.

We are seeking a strong senior expert with strategic vision, sound judgment, and excellent planning capabilities. The successful candidate will combine the ability to set and execute the long-term direction with a pragmatic, hands-on leadership style, engaging effectively with employees, customers, suppliers, and works council representatives.

• Assume full leadership and P&L responsibility for the site.
• Collaborate across the global manufacturing network on capacity allocation, priorities and best-practice sharing.
• Establish and manage KPIs across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, people and sustainability.
• Drive Lean, operational excellence and continuous improvement throughout the plant.
• Lead site transformation, automation, digitalization and process optimization initiatives.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing leadership team and plant organization, including succession and workforce planning.
• Foster a strong culture of ownership, accountability, engagement and safety.
• Maintain constructive employee relations and works council collaboration, particularly during organizational and operational change.
• Deliver safe, reliable, cost-effective and high-quality plant operations.
• Develop and execute the site strategy and operational plan in line with global objectives.
• Manage capacity, production volumes, workforce, equipment and capital investment requirements.
• Ensure strong delivery performance, production flow and responsiveness to customer demand.
• Drive productivity, cost optimization, working capital and profitability improvements.
• Lead the site's contribution to S&OP, aligning demand, supply, capacity, inventory and financial plans.
• Represent the site with customers and key internal and external stakeholders, ensuring confidence in quality, delivery and manufacturing performance.

Your profile:

• Bachelor's or master's degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, business administration, supply chain, or a related field.
• Additional qualifications in Lean, Six Sigma, operational excellence, finance, or leadership are advantageous.
• Fluent German and English, with willingness to travel internationally.
• Extensive plant/site leadership experience within a complex industrial manufacturing environment, ideally with P&L responsibility.
• Proven success in leading large, multi-layered organizations and improving operational performance, productivity, cost, quality and delivery.
• Strong expertise in manufacturing operations, capacity planning, S&OP and resource allocation.
• Demonstrated experience in transformation, change management, Lean and continuous improvement.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, combined with a structured, KPI-driven management approach.
• Experienced in working with works councils, employee representatives and/or comparable labor relations structures.
• Confident in managing customers and key stakeholders within an international, multi-site organization.
• Strategic yet hands-on leader with strong communication, influencing, negotiation and decision-making skills.
• Able to build trust, develop teams and engage effectively from the shop floor to executive level.

Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We respect and celebrate each other's differences. We know that a diverse workforce enhances our success. We are conscious that having the freedom to be yourself is the basis of sustainable growth. To us, it doesn't matter where you were born, what you believe in, how old you are, what you look like, or who you love. We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds actually lift the company to new heights and increase our way of thinking for a better world of work. Join us, as there is a place for you here!

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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