Operational Excellence Manager

As Operational Excellence Manager, you will lead the cultural and operational transformation of our Carcaixent plant through the sustainable implementation of the Suntory Manufacturing Way (SMW).

Your mission will be to develop a continuous improvement culture that allows us to continue advancing in five fundamental dimensions: safety, quality, service, cost, and people development.

You will define the plant's SMW roadmap, drive improvement projects, and work cross-functionally with Production, Quality, Maintenance and Engineering, Human Resources, and Safety and Environment to integrate new ways of working throughout the organization.

This will be a position with strong influence: you will not have a direct team, but you will work coordinating an indirect team of around 10 people involved in operational excellence initiatives and projects.

🚀 Lead transformation through the Suntory Manufacturing Way

• Define and coordinate the plant's SMW roadmap.
• Implement and maintain the Suntory Manufacturing Way as a system to drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure a consistent implementation of its different pillars.
• Facilitate SMW maturity assessments and develop the associated improvement plans.
• Align operational excellence initiatives with the company's strategic objectives.

At Suntory, our purpose is simple yet powerful: to inspire the brilliance of life by creating enriching experiences for people, in harmony with nature.

As a global consumer goods company, we continue to move forward to build a more efficient, sustainable, and future-ready business. And our production plants play a fundamental role in that journey.

At our Carcaixent plant, we want to continue evolving our way of working through the Suntory Manufacturing Way (SMW), driving continuous improvement in safety, quality, service, cost, and people development.

If you are passionate about transforming the way organizations work, mobilizing people around a culture of continuous improvement, and turning day-to-day challenges into opportunities to move forward, we would love to meet you.

You have experience driving operational excellence and continuous improvement projects and you understand that sustainable transformation does not consist solely of implementing tools or methodologies: it requires ensuring that people are part of the change.

You like being close to the operation, understanding what is really happening in the plant, and working with different teams to question how we do things and find ways to do them better.

✅ Passionate about continuous improvement and operational excellence
✅ Experienced in leading transformation and cultural change projects
✅ With solid knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, TPM, and Kaizen methodologies
✅ Capable of mobilizing and influencing teams, even without a direct hierarchical relationship
✅ Result-oriented and comfortable working with KPIs
✅ With good communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
✅ Capable of turning problems into learning opportunities
✅ With initiative and a desire to build a culture where improving is part of everyday life

• Lead transformation initiatives focused on safety, quality, service, cost, and people development.
• Coordinate continuous improvement projects using methodologies such as Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Kaizen, and Visual Factory.
• Develop management systems that help the plant move toward operational excellence.
• Prioritize improvement initiatives and projects based on the plant's needs.
• Promote a mindset of constant challenge and the search for new ways of working.

• Train and develop teams in operational excellence methodologies and tools.
• Drive a culture in which people take initiative and actively participate in improvement.
• Help manage resistance to change during transformation processes.
• Foster an environment where problems are understood as opportunities to learn and improve.
• Coordinate and involve different teams in operational excellence projects.

• Monitor the main indicators related to operational excellence.
• Analyze project evolution and identify new improvement opportunities.
• Report progress and results to Plant Management.
• Use KPIs to evaluate the impact of initiatives and guide priorities.
• Balance the needs of safety, quality, service, cost, and people development in decision-making.

• Collaborate closely with Production, Quality, Maintenance and Engineering, Human Resources, and Safety and Environment.
• Ensure alignment between areas and the integration of improvement practices.
• Coordinate different transformation initiatives and projects simultaneously.
• Share and leverage best practices with other plants or regional units.
• Generate commitment toward continuous improvement at different levels of the organization.

🚀 Experience leading continuous improvement and cultural transformation projects
⚙️ Solid knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Kaizen, and operational excellence tools
👥 Ability to lead, mobilize, and involve different teams
🤝 Ability to influence and collaborate with multiple stakeholders and areas of the organization
📊 Result-oriented and ability to work with performance indicators
🔄 Continuous improvement mindset and ability to drive new ways of working
🗣️ Good communication skills and ability to support change processes

At Suntory, we recognize that diverse knowledge, perspectives, and backgrounds contribute to our collective success. We are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where all individuals can bring their whole selves to work every day, regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity, or differing abilities, age, or any other protected characteristic.

Our recruitment and selection processes are designed to highlight what Suntory offers as an employer while allowing candidates to share their unique skills and experiences. We understand that career trajectories vary, and if you believe your experience/background can benefit our team, we encourage you to apply. We endeavor to make our interview process as inclusive as possible and offer reasonable accommodations as needed. Together, we can cultivate a workplace where everyone can thrive and propel our mission of Growing for Good.