Site Director - Manufacturing Operations

About Morgan Latif

Morgan Latif is a leadership search and development consultancy specializing in Medical and Dental Technology, Packaging, Consumer, and Industrial Technology sectors. We aim to blend traditional recruitment and coaching approaches with innovative technology to provide customized recruitment and development solutions for clients and candidates.

Position Overview

We are collaborating with a private equity-backed electronics and mechatronics manufacturer to recruit a Site Director for a vital manufacturing facility located in Germany. The site employs around 270 staff and achieves annual revenues close to €63 million. It operates within a low-volume, high-variety production model with a notable amount of manual assembly.

This leadership role reports directly to the Group leadership team and holds full accountability for all aspects of site performance, including site-level profit and loss ownership and management of all local departments. The position involves steering a significant operational transformation, requiring a pragmatic, commercially focused manufacturing leader who can improve operational systems, enhance organizational skills, and embed a lasting culture of continuous improvement.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the shift from batch manufacturing to single-piece flow production.
• Foster a culture emphasizing ownership, accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement across the manufacturing floor.
• Enhance productivity and customer delivery metrics such as cycle time, on-time deliveries, and OTIF.
• Develop and implement a robust site operating model grounded in daily structured management and SQDIP principles.
• Strengthen problem-solving capabilities through consistent application of methodologies like A3, 4-box, 5 Whys, and root cause analysis.
• Raise inventory turnover rates while improving delivery reliability and service quality.
• Introduce visual management systems, tiered accountability structures, and KPI-based performance routines.
• Increase labor efficiency, process stability, product quality, and overall operational effectiveness.
• Build leadership capacity within the site team to foster a high-performance culture.
• Lead all local divisions, including Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, HR, and Finance, with HR and Finance integrated within the wider Group framework.
• Collaborate closely with Group leadership and private equity investors to meet operational and financial goals.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum ten years of senior leadership experience managing manufacturing sites within discrete manufacturing sectors.
• Proven history of full site P&L accountability in complex manufacturing environments.
• Successful track record driving operational, cultural, and organizational transformations.
• Strong practical experience implementing Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement techniques.
• Expertise in establishing KPI-driven daily management systems like SQDIP or SQDCP.
• Extensive knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, flow production, visual management, and systematic problem-solving tools.
• Ability to apply Lean tools effectively to improve productivity, quality, inventory levels, lead times, and delivery performance.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder engagement skills across all levels.
• Credibility to engage confidently with employees from shop floor personnel to executives and investors.
• Hands-on leadership approach combined with strong commercial insight and strategic thinking.
• Fluency in both German and English languages mandatory.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is highly desirable.
• Applicants from high-volume, low-mix manufacturing backgrounds with strong Lean expertise who can adapt to complex, low-volume, high-mix environments are also welcome.

Additional Information

This opportunity allows the successful candidate to take full ownership of a major manufacturing facility in Germany. It provides a platform to deliver substantial, long-lasting improvements through operational excellence, cultural change, and disciplined operational execution.