Director Operational Excellence📣 Job Ad

About the Role

Experts Group International is seeking a Director Operational Excellence to lead the function and relocate to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This full-time position requires a European professional with over 10 years of experience to drive significant improvements across the organization's manufacturing facilities.

Job Purpose and Scope

The Director Operational Excellence will be responsible for enhancing manufacturing performance, productivity, asset reliability, cost efficiency, and sustainable operations. This role involves driving initiatives in Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, performance management, process optimization, and digital manufacturing. Collaboration with Production, Maintenance, Quality, HSE, Supply Chain, Finance, and IT is crucial. The position supports management system effectiveness and ESG initiatives without direct ownership of day-to-day operational activities. Furthermore, this role will act as a culture leader, embedding data-driven decision-making, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the Operational Excellence strategy aligned with business objectives and performance targets.
• Establish improvement governance, prioritization frameworks, and standardized operational practices.
• Lead Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and other continuous improvement methodologies across manufacturing.
• Identify process inefficiencies, waste, and operational losses, coordinating corrective actions.
• Define, monitor, and report on key operational performance indicators (KPIs) such as OEE, yield, and manufacturing costs.
• Develop performance dashboards and conduct gap analyses to support decision-making.
• Evaluate manufacturing layouts and workflows to improve operational flow and throughput.
• Support maintenance excellence through reliability improvement initiatives.
• Lead manufacturing digital transformation initiatives, including MES and smart manufacturing technologies.
• Manage operational excellence and plant improvement projects from initiation to closure.
• Coordinate management system improvement initiatives and sustainability efforts focused on energy efficiency and waste reduction.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, operational discipline, and performance ownership.

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates must possess a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field. A Master's degree, MBA, or postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline is preferred. Professional certification in Lean Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, or Project Management is highly desirable.

The role requires 10+ years of experience in manufacturing, operational excellence, or process improvement, with at least 5 years in a leadership or senior specialist capacity. Demonstrated experience in OEE improvement, yield optimization, cost reduction, and project delivery is essential. Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments such as cable manufacturing, plastics, or heavy industry is advantageous. Familiarity with MES, ERP systems, Power BI, Minitab, Industry technologies, and predictive maintenance is also beneficial.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies, manufacturing systems, and process optimization.
• Expertise in Lean Six Sigma principles and tools (*, VSM, SMED, TPM).
• Proficiency in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA).
• Experience with performance management, KPI reporting, and OEE improvement.
• Skilled in project management and managing cross-functional initiatives.
• Familiarity with digital manufacturing technologies and Industry concepts.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Fluent in written and spoken English. Fluency in Arabic or another relevant regional language is a plus.