Senior Manufacturing Project & Innovation Leader (Site Initiative Execution Leader)

Danone•Mount Crawford, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

At Danone, Manufacturing the best products and supplying them to meet demand is a key driver for our plant teams. We are currently looking to hire a Site Initiative Execution Leader based in Mt. Crawford, Virginia! The Site Initiative Execution Leader Acts as the factory’s single point of contact for all innovation, renovation, productivity, and sourcing projects, providing technical and industrial leadership from early feasibility through execution and post launch review. The role bridges Operations, R&I/R&D, C&P, Finance, and Engineering to ensure projects are feasible, resourced, homologated, and executed in line with factory capabilities, while driving continuous improvement, standardization, and performance optimization.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related field, required.
10 + years of experience in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, or project execution roles, required.
Strong understanding of manufacturing operations and supply chain integration
Solid knowledge of project and initiative execution frameworks, including: InnoPro (Level 2) GSUM+ (Level 3) SHERPA / CAPEX governance (Level 2) Project Management methodology (Level 2)
Financial acumen with COGS fluency and understanding of cost drivers in manufacturing operations.
Knowledge of industrial trials, start-ups, and scale up processes.
Stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence and align cross functional teams.
People management skills, including direct leadership of Feasibility Managers and matrix teams.
Strong initiative and project execution skills, ensuring disciplined delivery from planning through implementation.
Proven ability to execute and manage industrial trials, including coordination, documentation, and outcome communication.
Excellent prioritization and organizational skills, managing multiple initiatives simultaneously in a dynamic environment.
Ability to lead in a fast paced, results driven environment, maintaining focus on delivery and business impact
Demonstrated capability to manage multiple priorities while meeting timelines and quality expectations.
Ability to translate technical, operational, and financial inputs into clear recommendations and decisions.
Capacity to drive results through others, fostering accountability and collaboration across functions.
High energy, resilience, and adaptability in managing change and operational complexity.
Must be mentally adaptable and flexible in dealing with a variety of people
Must be able to communicate providing verbal feedback in a professional manner

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or certification in Project Management, Operations Excellence, or Supply Chain, preferred.
Experience leading site level initiatives or innovation execution in a manufacturing environment, preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the site Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for all project stakeholders (Innovation, Renovation, Productivity, Sourcing), including iPRO, R&I/R&D, C&P, Operations, Quality, and Finance.
Provide technical and technological expertise to assess industrial pre feasibility during the define phase for all projects.
Assess and plan factory resources (CAPEX, OPEX), ensuring alignment with factory capabilities and homologation requirements.
Act as factory project leader, integrating engineering and operations resources through trials, start ups, and execution phases.
Lead and execute industrial trials for innovation, productivity, and quality projects, including industrial tests, new product start-ups, artwork, and specification validations.
Build and deliver feasibility assessments for project briefs, industrial test requests, and R&P specification changes, ensuring optimal fit with industrial capabilities.
Propose and support best technical and industrial recommendations to align R&P specifications with factory constraints and opportunities.
Own and lead the factory homologation process, including local stage gate governance and compliance with homologation standards.
Lead local duplication and simple productivity projects per RACI, ensuring learnings are captured and shared through the regional network.
Schedule, organize, and optimize industrial testing and start up activities to minimize disruption and maximize efficiency.
Generate and communicate project trial reports, outcomes, and key learnings to project teams and stakeholders.
Support post launch project reviews and contribute to defining and improving execution standards.
Identify and promote new innovation and productivity opportunities at site level.
Conduct performance monitoring and postmortem analyses, comparing estimates versus actuals (performance, losses, manufacturing costs).
Maintain strong understanding of the end-to-end factory value chain, particularly for materials and industrial processes
Other duties as assigned