VP Quality and Innovation Europe

Who we are

On July 1 2025 IPL Plastics merged with Schoeller Allibert to form IPL Schoeller (the company). The Companys operations are split across North America (11 manufacturing plants) and Europe (16 manufacturing plants). The company is headquartered in Dublin Ireland.

IPL Schoeller is a leading manufacturer of sustainable rigid packaging solutions across a range of end market segments including returnable transit packaging consumer and industrial packaging environmental containers and agricultural packaging. The company employs c.4100 employees across North America (1600 employees) and Europe (2500 employees).

Sustainability is essential to the long-term success of our business. As a packaging company that develops plastic-based solutions for our customers it is imperative that we meet the customer needs while being mindful of our operational impacts and the need to preserve our planet. We are committed to running our business responsibly and in ways that drive environmental social and economic value for our stakeholders including shareholders customers employees and local communities

The role

The Vice President Quality and Innovation for Europe is a key strategic leadership role responsible for driving operational excellence fostering innovation and ensuring world class quality standards across the organisation. This role will lead enterprise-wide initiatives to optimise processes and embed a culture of continuous improvement and innovation across the eleven plants in the region. As a senior executive this role demands a rare combination of strategic insight operational and financial rigor and exceptional project leadership.

This position requires a strategic hands-on leader with deep manufacturing expertise and a proven track record in leading multi-site operations developing high-performing teams and delivering sustainable improvement. The VP will collaborate closely with Supply Chain R&D and Commercial teams to drive performance and build a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Key Technical Requirements

• Deliver end to end processes involving many stakeholders in product development pricing and tendering among others.
• Define and implement metrics/dashboard tracking the real performance of those processes.
• Define and implement and ISO strategy in the Division in areas such as quality H&S energy and environment.
• Design implement and manage an effective product innovation stage gate process including commercial feasibility studies product launches and financial post calculations.
• Implement and manage a cost-efficient quality organization taking into consideration current internal/external claim and cost rates.
• In collaboration with the Procurement organization implement a supplier scorecard and cost claim process.
• Systematically promote real collaboration between Procurement and Material Innovation agreeing common cost saving plan committed in the annual budget.
• Support shop-floor improvement participating in the CIP (e.g. weight and cycle time reduction tolerance management set-ups).
• Support Commercial Organization including presence at the customer premises stressing our technical capabilities.
• Develop and execute a forward-thinking strategy for quality process optimization and innovation that drives organizational growth and competitive advantage
• Act as a strategic advisor to executive leadership influencing decisions on operational excellence transformation and long-term business sustainability.
  
Quality Management

• Establish and enforce global quality standards frameworks and compliance programs to ensure consistency and regulatory adherence.
  
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement by leveraging data-driven insights benchmarking and best practices to elevate product and service quality.
  
Process Optimization

• Lead enterprise-wide transformation initiatives focused on process re-engineering to maximize efficiency scalability and cost-effectiveness.
  
• Implement advanced methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma and automation to eliminate waste reduce cycle times and enhance operational performance.
  
Innovation & Transformation

• Champion innovation by identifying emerging technologies trends and practices that deliver measurable business impact.
  
• Foster a culture of creativity and agility encouraging experimentation and rapid adoption of innovative solutions to accelerate transformation.
  
Governance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards through robust governance frameworks.
  
• Develop proactive risk management strategies to mitigate operational and quality-related risks across global operations.
  
Data & Analytics

• Leverage advanced analytics and predictive modelling to monitor performance identify trends and inform strategic decision-making.
  
• Define and track KPIs through dynamic dashboards to measure success drive accountability and enable real-time performance visibility.
  
Leadership & Collaboration

• Build and inspire a high-performing team dedicated to excellence innovation and continuous improvement.
  
Collaborate cross-functionally with business leaders to align initiatives with organizational priorities and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelors degree in business Engineering Operations Management or related field
• Advanced degree (MBA MS in Quality/Process Management) Preferred
• Extensive experience in quality management process optimisation and innovation in manufacturing within complex global organisations.
• Proven success in Private Equity backed environments with a strong orientation toward disciplined execution value realisation and performance acceleration.
  
• Proven track record of leading large-scale transformation initiatives and delivering measurable improvements in operational efficiency and quality

If you have the above experience and are looking for a role where you can make a real difference apply today to find out more!