Manager Operational Excellence & Process Optimization (Food) - (m/w/d) | Eastern Switzerland

Role brief

A manufacturing company in Eastern Switzerland is placing its operational performance on a new foundation – and is looking for the first person to build up and expand OPEX at the plant. The role is newly created and reports directly to C-level. Tasks What it's about You gain a precise picture of where performance and efficiency are lost in the plant – in production as well as in upstream and downstream areas – and derive a reliable roadmap from this. You drive improvement initiatives independently: from analysis through implementation to sustainable, measurable anchoring in day-to-day operations. As a link between production, engineering, quality and supply chain, you ensure that processes are thought through and improved across the entire chain, not in silos. You are a sparring partner for teams directly on the line: you stabilize processes, eliminate recurring disruptions and ensure reliable rhythm. You define the key performance indicators by which operational performance can be measured and shape them into a control instrument that makes decisions faster and fact-based. Through training, coaching and leading by example, you bring lean thinking and structured problem-solving into the organization – so that improvement does not remain your individual project, but becomes the organization's mindset. Qualifications What you bring A technical or business-technical background – such as a degree in engineering, industrial engineering or equivalent qualification. Several years of responsibility for Operational Excellence or continuous improvement in production – ideally in food manufacturing, alternatively in a similarly regulated environment such as pharma or FMCG. Lean, TPM and KVP are not vocabulary for you, but tools of the trade – a Six Sigma certification is welcome, a Black Belt is a clear plus. You manage by numbers, but you are at home on the shopfloor: you know the daily reality on the line and translate it into meaningful key performance indicators. You lead projects and change processes with confidence – even where you need to win people over to new ideas without direct line authority. Your working style is structured, analytical and solution-oriented, your nature is hands-on – you don't stay at your desk, but go where value creation happens. You communicate clearly, present convincingly and have the talent to win people over to change and take them along on the journey. [Auto-translated from German]