Operational Excellence Leader

About the role

Roquette is a family‑owned global leader in plant‑based ingredients and a leading provider of pharmaceutical excipients, producing products from corn, wheat, potatoes and peas. The Operational Excellence Leader drives the deployment, governance, and continuous improvement of the E2E World Class Operations system across Roquette sites globally, ensuring operational excellence standards, routines, performance management, and capability building are consistently implemented to achieve SQCDPE objectives. The role is global in scope with significant international travel required and is based in Geneva, IL.

Responsibilities

• Lead the management and continuous improvement of E2E World Class Operations standards, processes, routines, and KPIs across all Roquette sites.
• Define and drive the global deployment roadmap for operational excellence standards and priorities.
• Assess site maturity and compliance with E2E WCO standards and implement corrective action plans where needed.
• Develop site capabilities through coaching, training, and on‑site support.
• Drive performance management systems, including site master plans and KPI governance.
• Provide Lean and Six Sigma training and coaching.
• Support multi‑site transformation initiatives and best‑practice sharing.
• Facilitate the global Operational Excellence community across Americas, Europe, and Asia.
• Coordinate cross‑functional stakeholders to sustain operational improvements.
• Monitor progress against SQCDPE objectives and promote a culture of continuous improvement.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.

Experience: 5‑8 years of experience in Operational Excellence, Lean, Continuous Improvement, or Industrial Operations; experience in production, maintenance, quality, or manufacturing environments; multi‑site transformation and deployment experience; international exposure with willingness to travel more than 50%.

Skills

• Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement
• Operational Excellence / World Class Operations systems
• Performance and KPI management
• Process standardization and deployment
• Project management and change management
• Data analysis and problem solving
• Cross‑functional stakeholder management and influence
• Leadership through influence without direct authority
• Ability to challenge constructively and drive accountability
• Strong communication, facilitation, and coaching skills
• Team collaboration and ability to mobilize multidisciplinary teams
• Systems thinking and change leadership

Pay

The current salary range for this role is estimated to be $130,000‑$160,000. In addition, this position may also be eligible to earn performance‑based incentive compensation. The specific compensation offered to a candidate will be influenced by a variety of factors including but not limited to skills, qualifications, experience, and location.