VP Operational Excellence

Make a Difference in YOUR Career!

Our vision is both simple and ambitious: to put our drinks on every table.

We are the leading global independent beverage solutions provider. We serve a broad range of national and international retailers as well as Global National and Emerging (GNE) brands. Our products are distributed worldwide from our production sites in Europe North America and Australia. Although our own branding may not appear on the labels of the beverages we produce there is a good chance you are reading this while sipping one of our drinks.

Our ambition is to continually improve and its what keeps us at the top of our are are innovative. We seek out new challenges and conquer them. This is our company ethos but its our peoples too:Refresco is at the cutting edge of a fast-moving industry because we have passionate people pushing the boundaries of whats best.

Stop and think: how wouldYOUput our drinks on every table

Summary Description:

Reporting to the Vice President of Operations North America the Vice President of Operational Excellence is responsible for setting and leading the North American strategy for operational excellence operational transformation maintenance excellence and operations workforce capability development.

Responsible for driving operational performance leading transformation initiatives and ensuring alignment between business strategy and operational execution. This role blends leadership process optimization equipment reliability and change management to improve efficiency quality and profitability across the organization.

Essential Job Functions:

Enterprise Operational Excellence & Transformation Leadership

• Lead the development deployment and governance of the North American Operational Excellence and Transformation strategy aligned with corporate objectives
• Establish and manage a multi-year transformation roadmap integrating Continuous Improvement Maintenance Excellence and Training initiatives
• Drive enterprise-wide adoption of standardized systems tools and processes across all facilities
• Partner with executive leadership to align transformation priorities with business strategy and financial goals

Leadership of Continuous Improvement Maintenance Excellence & Training

• Provide strategic leadership and direction to the leaders of:
• Maintenance Excellence
• Operational Excellence
• Manufacturing Training
• Ensure alignment and integration across functions to deliver end-to-end operational performance improvements
• Build strong leadership capability and succession pipelines within each function

Targeted Improvement & Problem-Solving Approach

• Ensure all improvement initiatives are grounded in clearly defined business problems and measurable outcomes
• Differentiate strategies by plant maturity capability and performance gaps rather than applying uniform solutions across all sites
• Lead structured problem-solving processes to identify root causes and prioritize high-impact opportunities
• Balance standardization with flexibility to enable site-specific optimization
• Drive a disciplined approach to initiative selection focusing on value creation speed and sustainability
• Build problem-solving capability at all levels from plant leadership to frontline associates

Operational Excellence System & Continuous Improvement

• Oversee and strengthen the Refresco Manufacturing System (RMS) ensuring consistent implementation across all sites and performance management is embedded in daily management systems
• Champion Lean TPM and continuous improvement methodologies to drive safety quality delivery and cost improvements
• Ensure standardization of KPIs tools and processes to enable sustainable results and benchmarking across plants
• Leverage Kaizen events coaching and training to eliminate waste improve flow and run better through sustained process improvement
• Move the organization from project-based improvement to habitual leader-led continuous improvement

Maintenance & Asset Reliability Excellence

• Oversee the North American Maintenance Excellence strategy and roadmap execution
• Ensure implementation of best-in-class asset management reliability and maintenance practices to improve OEE and reduce downtime
• Drive integration of predictive and preventive maintenance programs supported by CMMS/EAM systems
• Align maintenance strategies with operational and financial performance targets
• Drive a zero-breakdown mindset across all facilities shifting from reactive to proactive and predictive maintenance
• Champion Autonomous Maintenance (AM) as a core pillar of operational excellence ensuring clear ownership at the line level
• Ensure strong integration between maintenance operations and training to sustain equipment reliability improvements
• Focus on long-term system health vs short-term fix

Workforce Capability & Training Strategy

• Establish enterprise-wide manufacturing training and capability-building strategies aligned with operational excellence priorities
• Ensure deployment of standardized training systems and programs across all manufacturing sites
• Partner with HR and operations leadership to accelerate time-to-competency and improve workforce effectiveness
• Oversee development of technical training and continuous improvement capability programs
• Shift training from compliance-based activity to capability-building systems that enable performance improvement
• Ensure training is directly linked to operational outcomes including reliability efficiency and quality
• Standardize critical training frameworks while allowing flexibility for site-specific needs
• Build clear pathways to accelerate employee time-to-competence and mastery

Transformation Program Governance & Execution

• Conduct comprehensive evaluations of North American operations to identify inefficiencies and opportunities
• Establish governance frameworks to prioritize track and execute transformation initiatives
• Ensure clear accountability milestones and benefit realization across all major initiatives
• Provide executive-level reporting on progress risks and outcomes
• Drive disciplined program management and cross-functional alignment

Data Metrics & Performance Management

• Establish enterprise-wide KPIs and dashboards to monitor operational and transformation performance
• Ensure data-driven decision-making across all levels of the organization
• Leverage analytics to identify opportunities track improvements and sustain gains
• Drive visibility and transparency of performance across all sites

Change Leadership & Culture

• Lead large-scale change management initiatives to embed a culture of operational excellence
• Foster a high-performance accountable and continuous improvement culture
• Drive leadership engagement and frontline adoption of new processes and standards
• Build organizational capability through coaching training and mentorship
• Deep expertise in operational excellence Lean TPM and continuous improvement methodologies

Required Skills:

• Strong understanding of maintenance reliability and asset management best practices
• Proven ability to lead enterprise-wide transformation initiatives with measurable impact
• Strong financial acumen including cost optimization and ROI analysis
• Advanced data analysis and performance management capabilities
• Expertise in change management and organizational transformation
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills
• Ability to manage complex multi-site operations and competing priorities
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose business problems and prioritize the highest-impact opportunities Proven track record building sustainable operating systems vs one-time improvements
• Strong emotional intelligence with the ability to influence coach and drive behavior change across all levels
• Ability to balance standardization and flexibility in a multi-site manufacturing environment
• Experience embedding autonomous maintenance and operator ownership model

Competencies:

• Leadership: Builds trust inspires teams and drives a clear and ambitious vision
• Strategic Thinking: Aligns operational initiatives with long-term business goals
• Execution Excellence: Delivers results through disciplined execution and accountability
• Change Leadership: Effectively drives and sustains organizational change
• Collaboration & Influence: Works across all levels of the organization to achieve results
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Champions innovation efficiency and performance
• Situational Leadership: Adapts approach based on site maturity capability and business needs
• Emotional Intelligence: Builds trust navigates resistance and effectively influences the organization
• Problem Framing: Clearly defines problems before solutioning to ensure effort is focused on what matters most

Education and Experience:

• Bachelors degree in Engineering Operations Business or related field required; MBA preferred
• 15 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations or transformation
• Proven experience leading multi-site or regional operational excellence and transformation initiatives
• Strong background in Lean TPM Continuous Improvement and Maintenance Excellence
• Experience in food & beverage FMCG or similar manufacturing environments preferred
• Demonstrated success building high-performing teams and driving cultural transformation

Travel Requirements:

Frequent travel (up to 50%) across North American manufacturing facilities

A Career with Refresco

Refresco is passionate about empowering leaders who reflect our core values and live by our leadership behaviors. These behaviors encourage effective leadership within the business and focus on leading courageously empowering individuals and driving company growth as one team. Joining our team as a people manager means youll be encouraged to evolve as a leader who prioritizes the success of both you and your team to deliver results whilst bringing your authentic self to work.

Refresco Beverages US Inc. offers competitive pay and comprehensive benefits which include:â

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insuranceââ
• Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life and AD&D Insuranceâ
• Pet Insurance
• Legal Benefits
• 401(k) Savings Plan with Company Matchâ
• 12 Paid Holidays Vacation and Paid Time Offââ
• Well-being Benefitsâ
• Discount and Total Reward Programs

Join Refresco TODAYâand enjoy a rewarding CAREER!ââ

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Refresco Beverages US Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color ancestry religion sex national origin sexual orientation age marital status disability gender identity gender expression Veteran status or any other classification protected by federal state or local law.â

Required Experience:

Exec