Regional Head of Operations Excellence and Standardisation
A senior regional role responsible for shaping, driving, and embedding a consistent, measurable approach to continuous improvement across multiple facilities and product families. This leader represents IMEA in regional and global forums, translates global initiatives into locally feasible programs, equips on-site industrial engineering teams with the right tools and skills, and delivers large-scale process improvements
through standardisation and technology.
Role Summary:
Purpose: Ensure continuous improvement (CI) is delivered through a single, rigorous framework that produces provable, measurable outcomes and scalable standardisation across sites.
Key Responsibilities:
• Regional and Global Representation RepresentIMA in regional and global conversations; advocate for local needs and operational nuances when new operations excellence initiatives are designed and approved.
• Stakeholder Collaboration and Initiative Fit Work with area, regional and global stakeholders to review, refine, and adapt rollouts so initiatives are fit for purpose and feasible for local facilities.
• Capability Building for Industrial Engineering Teams Design and deliver tools, training, and coaching to equip on-site industrial engineers with the methods and skill sets needed to execute CI effectively.
• Standard CI Framework Ownership Define, maintain, and enforce a standard CI framework that requires a clear problem statement, root-cause analysis, hypothesis testing, and measurable success criteria.
• Governance and Compliance Ensure industrial engineers and local teams apply the agreed standards; run audits, reviews, and governance checkpoints to maintain consistency and quality.
• Scale Improvements with Technology Identify and prioritise opportunities for large-scale process improvements leveraging automation and technology, including AI, robotics, and digital analytics. Classification: Internal
• Standardisation Implementation Partner with local operations to implement and sustain standardised processes, work instructions, and performance metrics across sites.
• Change Management and Adoption Lead change management efforts to secure buy-in, measure adoption, and remove barriers to sustained improvement.
Required Experience and Qualifications
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Mechanical Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Technical Skills: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent; experience with CI methodologies (Lean, Kaizen, DMAIC); familiarity with automation, AI use cases, and digital transformation in operations.
• Stakeholder Management: Proven track record influencing regional and global stakeholders and translating strategy into operational plans.
• Language and Travel: Strong communication skills; willingness to travel regularly across the region.
Core Competencies and Behaviours:
• Strategic Thinking: Translate global strategy into practical, locally feasible initiatives.
• Coaching and Development: Build capability through training, mentoring, and hands-on support.
• Analytical Rigor: Use data to define problems, test hypotheses, and prove impact.
• Change Leadership : Drive adoption through clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and measurable milestones.
• Technical Curiosity: Evaluate and pilot automation and AI solutions that scale.
• Collaboration: Work effectively across functions — operations, engineering, IT, HR, and procurement.
Success Metrics and KPIs
• CI Project Delivery : Number of CI projects completed to standard per quarter; percentage meeting defined success criteria. Classification: Internal
• Standardisation Coverage: Percentage of sites with implemented standard processes and documented work instructions.
• Impact Measures: Aggregate cost savings, throughput improvements, quality gains attributable to CI and automation initiatives.
• Capability Development: Training hours…