VP Operational Excellence

Refresco•Egypt Lake-Leto, FL

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Vice President of Operations North America, the Vice President of Operational Excellence is responsible for setting and leading the North American strategy for operational excellence, operational transformation, maintenance excellence, and operations workforce capability development. Responsible for driving operational performance, leading transformation initiatives, and ensuring alignment between business strategy and operational execution. This role blends leadership, process optimization, equipment reliability, and change management to improve efficiency, quality, and profitability across the organization.

Requirements

Strong understanding of maintenance, reliability, and asset management best practices
Proven ability to lead enterprise-wide transformation initiatives with measurable impact
Strong financial acumen, including cost optimization and ROI analysis
Advanced data analysis and performance management capabilities
Expertise in change management and organizational transformation
Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills
Ability to manage complex, multi-site operations and competing priorities
Demonstrated ability to diagnose business problems and prioritize the highest-impact opportunities
Proven track record building sustainable operating systems vs one-time improvements
Strong emotional intelligence with the ability to influence, coach, and drive behavior change across all levels
Ability to balance standardization and flexibility in a multi-site manufacturing environment
Experience embedding autonomous maintenance and operator ownership model
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field required; MBA preferred
15+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, operations, or transformation
Proven experience leading multi-site or regional operational excellence and transformation initiatives
Strong background in Lean, TPM, Continuous Improvement, and Maintenance Excellence
Experience in food & beverage, FMCG, or similar manufacturing environments preferred
Demonstrated success building high-performing teams and driving cultural transformation

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred

Responsibilities

Lead the development, deployment, and governance of the North American Operational Excellence and Transformation strategy aligned with corporate objectives
Establish and manage a multi-year transformation roadmap integrating Continuous Improvement, Maintenance Excellence, and Training initiatives
Drive enterprise-wide adoption of standardized systems, tools, and processes across all facilities
Partner with executive leadership to align transformation priorities with business strategy and financial goals
Provide strategic leadership and direction to the leaders of: Maintenance Excellence, Operational Excellence, Manufacturing Training
Ensure alignment and integration across functions to deliver end-end operational performance improvements
Build strong leadership capability and succession pipelines within each function
Ensure all improvement initiatives are grounded in clearly defined business problems and measurable outcomes
Differentiate strategies by plant maturity, capability, and performance gaps rather than applying uniform solutions across all sites
Lead structured problem-solving processes to identify root causes and prioritize high-impact opportunities
Balance standardization with flexibility to enable site-specific optimization
Drive a disciplined approach to initiative selection, focusing on value creation, speed, and sustainability
Build problem-solving capability at all levels, from plant leadership to frontline associates
Oversee and strengthen the Refresco Manufacturing System (RMS) ensuring consistent implementation across all sites and performance management is embedded in daily management systems
Champion Lean, TPM, and continuous improvement methodologies to drive safety, quality, delivery, and cost improvements
Ensure standardization of KPIs, tools, and processes to enable sustainable results and benchmarking across plants
Leverage Kaizen events, coaching and training to eliminate waste, improve flow, and run better through sustained process improvement
Move the organization from project-based improvement to habitual, leader-led continuous improvement
Oversee the North American Maintenance Excellence strategy and roadmap execution
Ensure implementation of best-in-class asset management, reliability, and maintenance practices to improve OEE and reduce downtime
Drive integration of predictive and preventive maintenance programs supported by CMMS/EAM systems
Align maintenance strategies with operational and financial performance targets
Drive a zero-breakdown mindset across all facilities, shifting from reactive to proactive and predictive maintenance
Champion Autonomous Maintenance (AM) as a core pillar of operational excellence, ensuring clear ownership at the line level
Ensure strong integration between maintenance, operations, and training to sustain equipment reliability improvements
Focus on long-term system health vs short-term fix
Establish enterprise-wide manufacturing training and capability-building strategies aligned with operational excellence priorities
Ensure deployment of standardized training systems and programs across all manufacturing sites
Partner with HR and operations leadership to accelerate time-to-competency and improve workforce effectiveness
Oversee development of technical training and continuous improvement capability programs
Shift training from compliance-based activity to capability-building systems that enable performance improvement
Ensure training is directly linked to operational outcomes, including reliability, efficiency, and quality
Standardize critical training frameworks while allowing flexibility for site-specific needs
Build clear pathways to accelerate employee time-to-competence and mastery
Conduct comprehensive evaluations of North American operations to identify inefficiencies and opportunities
Establish governance frameworks to prioritize, track, and execute transformation initiatives
Ensure clear accountability, milestones, and benefit realization across all major initiatives
Provide executive-level reporting on progress, risks, and outcomes
Drive disciplined program management and cross-functional alignment
Establish enterprise-wide KPIs and dashboards to monitor operational and transformation performance
Ensure data-driven decision-making across all levels of the organization
Leverage analytics to identify opportunities, track improvements, and sustain gains
Drive visibility and transparency of performance across all sites
Lead large-scale change management initiatives to embed a culture of operational excellence
Foster a high-performance, accountable, and continuous improvement culture
Drive leadership engagement and frontline adoption of new processes and standards
Build organizational capability through coaching, training, and mentorship