Summary Description: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.
Essential Job Functions:Enterprise Operational Excellence & Transformation Leadership- 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
Leadership of Continuous Improvement, Maintenance Excellence & Training- Provide strategic leadership and direction to the leaders of:
- Maintenance Excellence
- Operational Excellence
- Manufacturing Training
- Ensure alignment and integration across functions to deliver end-to-end operational performance improvements
- Build strong leadership capability and succession pipelines within each function
Targeted Improvement & Problem-Solving Approach- 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
Operational Excellence System & Continuous Improvement- 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
Maintenance & Asset Reliability Excellence- 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
Workforce Capability & Training Strategy- 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
Transformation Program Governance & Execution- 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
Data, Metrics & Performance Management- 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
Change Leadership & Culture- 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
- Deep expertise in operational excellence, Lean, TPM, and continuous improvement methodologies
Required Skills:- 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
Competencies:- Leadership: Builds trust, inspires teams, and drives a clear and ambitious vision
- Strategic Thinking: Aligns operational initiatives with long-term business goals
- Execution Excellence: Delivers results through disciplined execution and accountability
- Change Leadership: Effectively drives and sustains organizational change
- Collaboration & Influence: Works across all levels of the organization to achieve results
- Continuous Improvement Mindset: Champions innovation, efficiency, and performance
- Situational Leadership: Adapts approach based on site maturity, capability, and business needs
- Emotional Intelligence: Builds trust, navigates resistance, and effectively influences the organization
- Problem Framing: Clearly defines problems before solutioning to ensure effort is focused on what matters most
Education and Experience:- 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
Travel Requirements:Frequent travel (up to 50%) across North American manufacturing facilities
Refresco Beverages US, Inc. offers competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, which include:
- Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
- Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts
- Life and AD&D Insurance
- Pet Insurance
- Legal Benefits
- 401(k) Savings Plan with Company Match
- 12 Paid Holidays, Vacation, and Paid Time Off
- Well-being Benefits
- Discount and Total Reward Programs
