Director, Global Process Excellence

Zurich, CH, 8005

About the role

We are currently hiring for a Global Process Excellence Director. Based in Zurich, this is a critical role in driving strategic initiatives across Barry Callebaut’s Global CSD functions, with a focus on delivering performance improvement and operational consistency, achieved through the development of robust processes and the enhancement of people capabilities across the organization.

This role leads and inspires the Global Process Excellence Team to design and implement end-to-end (“bean-to-finished product”) programs that aim to achieve Best-in-Class performance standards.

This role collaborates closely with key stakeholders, particularly within Operations Innovation & Strategy, Manufacturing Operations, and Customer Innovation & Technical Services to generate impactful ideas, align on implementation strategies, and execute initiatives that deliver step-change improvements in Safety, Quality, Service, and Productivity.

Additionally, the role contributes to the development of new technologies and capabilities for site-level process engineering teams, supports the Engineering & Technical Innovation Team, and provides expertise for strategic growth initiatives such as footprint optimization, M&A, and outsourcing projects.

Key responsibilities include:

• Identifies opportunities to drive process productivity and quality improvements that impact directly customers product quality, manufacturing costs, MUV and CAPEX avoidance
• Drives global process standardization and optimization for current processes
• Develops global and local process technology capabilities and process excellence program
• Develops, implements and monitor improvement metrics
• Provides technical support and specific capabilities to sites (day-to-day, line startup, NPI)
• Initiates, organizes and leads the Experts Communities Platforms to identify opportunities, develop new standard solutions, CBA’s (current best approaches) and manage companywide implementation accordingly
• Identify resources and capabilities gaps on sites and regional level and provide recommendation on program to close identified gaps
• Identify and provide support to plants/regions to build glide-path steps to achieve BIC results in the areas of asset performance (OEE, debottlenecking), MuV savings, Process Capabilities
• Support Manufacturing Sites in day-to-day problems solving when-as needed, support new lines start-up through CQV process and NPI process
• Consults new methods and technologies, technical innovations to support improvements on assets process capabilities across Cocoa, Chocolate/Compound technologies
• Roll out of new methods and technologies, supporting plants on implementation and adoption of new processes to increase consistently process capabilities at critical variables
• Supports strategic and growth initiatives, e.g. regional network footprint, M&A and Outsourcing/Partnership Projects
• Provide expertise to support SN and capacity optimization e.g. SKU’s line allocation, BCP, Run Strategies, etc.

About you

• University Degree in Engineering and/or MBA
• Minimum 10 years of operational experience (Production, Supply Chain, Maintenance) in an industrial and/or agri-food environment
• Experience working within multinational environments, demonstrating a strong ability to navigate complex organizational structures and cross-functional collaboration
• Deep expertise in product development, with a proven track record of applying statistical process validation techniques to ensure robust, scalable, and high-quality manufacturing outcomes
• A strong analytical mindset, combined with hands-on experience in process engineering and continuous improvement, enables this individual to drive innovation and operational excellence.
• Strong technical knowledge and understanding of food manufacturing processes and equipment
• Demonstrated practical experience in implementing change
• Exemplary leadership experience with the ability to motivate and inspire a spirit of collaboration
• Project management experience
• Fluent written and spoken English, knowledge of additional languages would be an asset

Job Segment: Supply Chain, Process Engineer, MBA, Supply, Manager, Operations, Engineering, Management