Senior Operations Site Leader

Description

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Operations Site Leader is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, compliance, and strategic execution of the manufacturing site. This role provides direction across all site operations, including Manufacturing, Engineering/Maintenance, Planning, Shipping, Warehousing, and EHS, to ensure safe, compliant, efficient, and high-performing site operations.

The Senior Operations Site Leader serves as the senior leader for the location and is accountable for achieving site goals related to safety, quality, service, cost, productivity, employee engagement, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. This position partners closely with functional, corporate and commercial leaders to align site execution with business priorities, customer expectations, and long-term operational strategy. Procurement and sourcing remain globally managed under the Global Supply Chain and Procurement Director.

Strong leadership in a matrixed organization and across all levels of the business and all functions will be essential to drive the Treatt culture forward.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties and tasks of the Senior Operations Site Leader will involve the following:

Site Leadership and Strategy

• Lead the overall site strategy and execution plan to support business objectives, operational performance, customer requirements and growth priorities
• Provide leadership and direction to site department heads, including Plant Management, Manufacturing, Quality/Regulatory, Engineering/Maintenance, Planning, Shipping and Warehousing, EHS and Continuous Improvement
• Ensure strong alignment across functions so that site priorities are clear, resources are effectively deployed and decisions support safety, quality, service and cost objectives
• Serve as the senior site representative and primary point of accountability for site performance, culture, communication and execution
• Drive standardization of business processes across the site, aligned with the wider Döhler Group
• Support the SAP roll-out for the site, driving readiness and adoption across all site functions
• Lead effectively within a matrixed organization to execute on milestones and move Treatt North America forward to increased success

Operational Performance

• Oversee site operations to ensure achievement of production, service, quality, safety, cost and productivity goals
• Partner with the Plant Manager and operational leaders to identify performance gaps, resolve issues and implement sustainable improvements
• Monitor key performance indicators and use data to drive decision-making and accountability, taking counter actions to bring performance back on track
• Ensure effective planning and execution of production schedules, capacity planning, labor utilization, material flow and operational readiness

Engineering, Maintenance and Asset Reliability

• Provide leadership and direction to Engineering and Maintenance, ensuring asset reliability, equipment uptime, preventive maintenance and technical support meet site performance requirements
• Own the site capital plan end to end, from identifying and justifying investment through approval, execution and post-implementation review, ensuring projects deliver the expected operational and financial return
• Apply sound technical and engineering judgment to process improvement, debottlenecking, capacity expansion, automation and the introduction of new equipment or processes
• Ensure engineering standards, process safety requirements and management of change are applied consistently to all site projects, modifications and new installations
• Balance short-term production demands against long-term asset health, ensuring maintenance and reliability are not deferred in ways that create future risk

Safety, Health and Environment

• Drive a continuously improving, safety-first culture so all our employees go home safely every day, with accountability for the HSE performance of the site
• Hold leaders accountable for safe work practices, risk reduction, incident prevention and timely corrective action
• Partner with EHS leadership to strengthen programs, improve safety performance and build employee ownership of safety expectations

Quality, Regulatory and Compliance

• Ensure the site operates in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, customer standards, company policies, food safety requirements, quality systems and audit expectations
• Support a strong quality and compliance culture, ensuring that production goals do not compromise product quality, regulatory obligations or customer trust
• Partner with Quality and Regulatory leaders to maintain inspection readiness, address audit findings and drive corrective and preventive actions
• Ensure work is performed in accordance with appropriate Standard Operating Procedures, policies and practices

Planning and Warehousing

• Lead site planning, shipping and warehousing to ensure effective scheduling, inventory management, material availability and reliable delivery performance, including OTIF
• Align site planning and logistics with the global supply chain strategy through a dotted line partnership with the Global Supply Chain and Procurement Director; procurement and sourcing remain globally managed
• Partner with the UK-based Chief Commercial Officer and commercial team to ensure operational capability, capacity and service levels meet customer needs
• Support cross-functional problem solving to address production constraints, supply disruptions and delivery risks
• Manage external relationships with local suppliers, service providers and regulatory partners, in coordination with global procurement

Continuous Improvement and Financial Performance

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve safety, quality, efficiency, yield, cost, reliability and service
• Lead or sponsor Lean, Six Sigma and operational excellence initiatives across the site
• Develop and manage site budgets, operational plans, capital priorities and cost improvement initiatives, aligned with our sustainability agenda
• Evaluate site performance trends and identify opportunities to improve processes, systems, equipment, labor efficiency and overall operating results

People Leadership and Culture

• Build, coach and develop a high-performing site leadership team
• Create a culture of accountability, collaboration, inclusion, engagement and performance
• Foster a ‘no blame’ culture to enable entrepreneurial, empowering decision making, with a ‘fail fast, learn fast’ mentality
• Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, employee relations, training and change management
• Communicate clearly and consistently with employees at all levels to reinforce priorities, expectations, progress and business context
• Act in the best interests of the Treatt Group at all times

Success Measures

• Safety performance and risk reduction
• Quality and regulatory compliance
• Delivery performance, including OTIF and schedule attainment
• Cost, productivity and budget performance
• Employee engagement and leadership capability
• Continuous improvement results, audit performance and inspection readiness

Requirements

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, Process or Industrial) or a related technical field required, reflecting the process manufacturing environment. MBA or advanced degree preferred
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive operations management experience in flavors, food ingredients or closely related regulated manufacturing environments
• Minimum of 5 years of people leadership experience, including leadership of managers or cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated experience leading site operations, plant performance, safety, quality, service, cost and continuous improvement initiatives
• Experience managing budgets, capital projects, cost improvement initiatives and operational performance metrics
• Technical or engineering grounding in a process manufacturing environment, with the ability to engage credibly with engineers and technical specialists on equipment, process design, reliability and capital investment decisions
• Experience overseeing an engineering or maintenance function, including preventive maintenance programs, asset reliability and plant capital planning
• Experience working in a global organization or matrixed reporting environment preferred
• GMP, Six Sigma and 5S implementation expertise required; formal Lean or Six Sigma certification preferred
• Advanced SAP or (ERP) user; experience contributing to or leading SAP or (ERP) rollouts strongly preferred

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Can do attitude, focused on delivery not title
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to plan and deliver multiple projects to clearly defined deadlines
• Entrepreneurial vision – a self-starter with a hands-on approach
• Ability to lead and influence a culturally diverse team
• Strong operational focus and strategic vision to see the wider picture
• Great interpersonal and relationship skills with the ability to lead, manage, motivate and influence teams and colleagues
• Solid working knowledge of budgeting, operations, supply chain and strategic planning
• Excellent understanding of financial data
• Strong planning skills across production scheduling, capacity and materials management
• Highly analytical, with strong communication skills to translate data into clear priorities and actions
• Strong understanding of regulated manufacturing environments, quality systems, food safety and GMP requirements, EHS expectations and operational controls
• Technical fluency in process manufacturing, with the ability to interpret process and reliability data, understand the unit operations and equipment that drive site performance and constructively challenge engineering and maintenance decisions
• Strong problem-solving and change management skills
• Capable of difficult decision making – utilizing all the appropriate information required, and sharing views with key stakeholders

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Environment: Fully on-site leadership role based at the Lakeland facility, with no home office arrangement. Office, lab and manufacturing environment, including shop floor exposure inside and outside production areas; potential exposure to hazardous chemicals
• Physical Factors: Sitting, walking, standing
• Travel: Occasional domestic travel with periodic overseas travel to the UK.