Manufacturing Cluster Lead Taste

We are seeking a Manufacturing Lead to join our high-performing team and lead our Taste sites across Europe. This role is pivotal in connecting regional operational performance within our global footprint and ensuring flawless execution for our customers.   Through close partnership with our commercial and RDA colleagues and executing against a globally connected Taste strategy, this role will be accountable for driving a forward-looking manufacturing excellence programme and delivering flawless execution for our customers through focusing on our balanced scorecard performance across Safety, Quality, Service, Cost & Sustainability.

Travel will be required 40% + of the time, to regularly be onsite in the UK, France and Italy.

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

• Develop and execute a multi-year Integrated Operations strategy to meet current demand and future business growth
• Lead a high-performing team by attracting, developing, and retaining diverse talent, and providing growth opportunities across our network.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, continuous improvement and pride across our manufacturing footprint at all levels, focusing on Safety, Quality, Service, Cost, and Sustainability.
• Collaborate closely with our commercial organization to ensure growth plans and innovation pipelines are met by an effective and connected supply network.
• Leverage industry knowledge to identify value delivery levers and best practices, enabling sustainable growth and efficient capacity creation and asset utilisation.
• Partner with Engineering, Sustainability, and QSHE teams to drive our Sustainability 2030 ambition across all sites
• Ensure that the master schedule programme of work for the region incorporates action plans across reliability, debottlenecking and optimised capital spend planning
• Lead Taste manufacturing excellence programmes and initiatives, building continuous improvement capability through our organisation and ensuring that best practices are embedded in all manufacturing plans and programmes.
• Work proactively with our commercial teams in defining our connected business strategies and global capacity development plans for key Taste focus areas, leveraging our end-to-end global Taste network as applicable.
• Ensure that strong peer-to-peer functional relationships are in place with key customers strengthening our customer collaboration through sharing best practices and demonstrating value across innovation and delivery  
• Lead risk management and business continuity planning for the overall manufacturing footprint; accountable for effective financial oversight and performance management across all IO costs

• Bachelor's degree in food science, business management, or engineering discipline. An MBA or higher degree is highly beneficial.
• Proven experience of progressive manufacturing operational/management experience within the taste and flavour ingredient industry. Business unit, regional, or multi-site experience is essential. 
• Good appreciation of taste and flavour ingredient manufacturing processes, methods and process technologies.
• Significant experience in setting and executing strategy to achieve KPIs and sustainable growth, focusing on Safety, Quality, Service, Cost, and Sustainability.
• Robust financial and budgetary management.
• Delivery of capital projects and people led improvement programmes.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, relationship management, and exceptional influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Change agent, energized by making a difference and comfortable dealing with ambiguity.
• Executive presence, demonstrating gravitas, credibility, and winning trust.
• Strong evidence of talent management within a global organization and development of winning teams.
• Strategic mindset, seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
• Customer-centric, building strong relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Willing to travel upwards of 40% of the time to our sites across Europe.

With our growing reputation and unrivalled knowledge in clean label preservation, masking and taste capabilities this is an exciting opportunity for a senior operator who’s a passionate about driving customer led manufacturing excellence.

In return we can offer a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package as well as the opportunity for self-growth and career development within one of the world’s leading manufacturers of food and nutrition technology.

In Kerry we benefit from the knowledge of our colleagues who bring a diverse range of cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles, and experiences. One team fostering an inclusive culture that, above all, inspires food and nourishes life. One culture where everyone brings their unique perspectives and experiences to help make us better, together. We are committed to nurturing an environment of positivity and inclusiveness, where everyone can be at their best, both personally and professionally.

Our recruitment, selection and assessment process are based on the skills and competencies of the specific roles and based entirely on merit.  We are committed to and value Diversity and Inclusion in all recruitment processes within Kerry and do not discriminate based on gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, veteran status, marital status, or any other protected characteristic.