ABOUT THIS POSITION

We are seeking a visionary and hands-on Global Head of Henkel Production System & Maintenance to lead the transformation and continuous evolution of our manufacturing operations across all sites worldwide. This leader will design, deploy, and sustain a best-in-class Production System rooted in Lean, Six Sigma, and other modern operational excellence principles. The focus will be on building a high-performance, people-centric culture of continuous improvement while driving systemic efficiency, quality, and safety.

REQUIRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS:

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• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field (Master’s preferred).

• Minimum of 10–15 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing and continuous improvement roles – ideally at global, regional and local level
• Manufacturing site leadership experience
• Proven success in designing and deploying a global production system or lean transformation program. Experience in successfully designing and deploying an operational excellence framework across global manufacturing operations is a big plus
• Deep expertise in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, and structured problem solving methodologies (e.g., A3, 5-Why, DMAIC).
• Experience with / leading Digital Manufacturing technologies deployment and their application in operational excellence.
• Strong change management and cross-cultural leadership skills; ability to influence at all levels.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with a hands-on, shop-floor orientation.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Lean, Six Sigma certifications
• Certifications such as CMRP (Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional) or PMP (Project Management Professional)

• Strategic leadership:
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• Define the vision, roadmap, and success criteria for the Henkel Production System, aligning with Henkel Adhesives Operations strategy and objectives

• Define the vision, roadmap, and success criteria for the Henkel Adhesives Maintenance strategy, aligning with Henkel Adhesives Operations strategy and objectives
• Lead and mentor the cross-regional Henkel Production System leadership team
• Lead and mentor global team of lean and maintenance experts, fostering a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Design and institutionalize a global Operational Excellence Framework that integrates Lean principles, Six Sigma, TPM, and other best practices and that includes cross-functional requirements
• Lead the global roll-out of the production system across manufacturing sites, tailoring implementation to local maturity levels while maintaining global consistency.
• Define and oversee structured deployment plans, capability and implementation assessments. Coach sites in developing roadmaps for gap closure and in increasing their maturity on their continuous improvement journey
• Ensure effective governance, KPI tracking, and regular reporting to executive leadership.
• Steer the implementation of our Maintenance excellence program across selected sites and coach the sites in achieving tangible results
• Culture of continuous improvement
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• Champion a continuous improvement culture grounded in equipment ownership, problem-solving, servant leadership and lived by everyone in the organization from shopfloor to top management across our E2E value chain

• Build and lead communities of practice to promote peer learning, knowledge sharing, and replication of best practices.
• Support leadership development and coaching to embed lean leadership behaviors.
• People Development
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• Develop and implement global Operator Skills Development programs, including structured learning plans, management of skills versatility per site area/ line

• Partner with HR and site leadership to integrate skill matrices and training plans into performance systems
• Develop Continuous Improvement training programs and roll them out cross-regionally aiming for skills development and tangible results achievement. Drive upskilling programs for our lean and maintenance community (training material, facilitation, external certifications)
• Define required lean skills framework for key lean roles, ensure assessment and calibration and define roadmap to close gaps
• Provide guidance on what best in class lean site blueprint (roles and responsibilities) looks like
• Focused improvements and value creation
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• Embed a Daily / Weekly/ Monthly Management System including tiered meetings, escalation routines, and visual performance tracking. Increase maturity and deploy digital tools to support its roll-out

• Support sites in defining and implementing standard work and workplace standardization (5S, visual management)
• Embed problem-solving capability at all levels, from frontline operators to site leadership and drive towards a culture in which Kaizen and structured problem solving are practiced daily by all employees. Drive the mindset that abnormalities are identified, addressed, and prevented at the source before they escalate into problems.
• Optimize material and information flow through value stream mapping, layout redesign, pull systems within manufacturing sites and including warehouses as well. Increase automation and guide the transition towards autonomous continuous production
• Drive simplification and waste elimination in manufacturing and adjacent support processes (e.g., maintenance, planning, quality).
• Equipment availability and reliability at optimal cost
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• Collaborate with the maintenance team to deploy autonomous maintenance practices at our sites

• Collaborate with the maintenance team to drive preventive maintenance practices, used of Computerized Maintenance Management System, structural loss elimination and spare parts optimization
• Digital Transformation:
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• Identify and deploy digital enablers (e.g., IoT, real-time dashboards, digital work instructions, connected worker platform) together with our digital team to support and scale the production system and to drive preventive and predictive maintenance practices

• Collaborate with Digital/IT teams to ensure smart technologies enhance visibility, decision-making, and standardization.
• Leverage data to drive predictive performance management, digital skills development, and site benchmarking
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management:
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• Collaborate with regional/site Henkel Production System teams, operations, maintenance, engineering, supply chain, quality and other functions to ensure alignment of Henkel Production System strategies with overall business objectives.

• Engage with senior leadership to provide updates on lean performance, risks, and capital projects related to asset management.