Operations Manager in Leipheim

As Operations Manager, you are the operational leader of the Leipheim plant. You take full responsibility for safe, high-quality, productive and on-time manufacturing operations. Through a strong shopfloor presence, you ensure stable processes, the effective deployment of people and resources, and consistent compliance with safety, quality and production standards.

You lead and develop the Team Leaders, respond quickly to operational challenges and turn production data into clear priorities and practical actions. You report to the Group Production Director and work closely with the Operational Excellence Director and other group functions to implement standards and drive sustainable improvements across the site.

PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE & SHOPFLOOR LEADERSHIP

• Full ownership of the operational performance of the production site, including delivery reliability, productivity, capacity and resource deployment.
• Manage bottlenecks, disruptions and deviations quickly and pragmatically — with a clear head and a bias for action ensuring that customer orders are completed on time.
• Strong, visible presence on the shopfloor: leading and supporting Team Leaders, setting the tone for accountability and teamwork.
• Ensure that production standards, processes and work instructions are understood and consistently applied, and that workplaces and equipment remain organised and standardised.
• Monitor productivity, work in progress, scrap, capacity utilisation and delivery performance, and translate KPI data into concrete actions and consistent follow-up.

SAFETY & QUALITY

• Full accountability for occupational health and safety at the plant: statutory compliance, safety training, regular inspections and consistent follow-up on corrective actions.
• Build a genuine, sustainable safety culture — not just compliance on paper.
• Ensure compliance with product and process quality standards, analyse deviations and support complaint handling, corrective actions and structured root cause analyses.

PEOPLE — RECRUITING, DEVELOPING, LEADING

• Ensure that the production organisation has the people and skills required to achieve its objectives and contribute actively to recruitment and selection.
• Ensure structured onboarding and lead, coach and develop the Team Leaders into strong and autonomous operational leaders.
• Broaden employee qualifications and workforce flexibility to build a resilient production team able to respond to changing requirements and priorities.
• Communicate clearly and consistently at all levels and create a working environment built on ownership, collaboration, respect and accountability

WHO YOU ARE

You hold a technical degree, master craftsman qualification or equivalent — earned through study or hands-on experience. You have several years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment. But above all, you are someone who:

Leads from the shopfloor — visible, present, respected

Has sound knowledge of safety, quality and production standards

Has a hands-on, execution-first mentality

Holds people accountable with respect, clarity and consistency

Communicates clearly at every level of the organisation in English and German

Uses KPIs to identify priorities and improve performance

Thrives in a pragmatic, no-nonsense environment

WHAT YOU GET

A key leadership role with full operational accountability and a direct impact on the performance of our production site

The opportunity to shape production culture and build a high-performing team

A growing international organisation that invests in its people and its processes

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