Director of Manufacturing Operations

• Contract: Permanent / CDI

Turner Lovell, specialist talent advisory experts across the energy sector, is supporting a global industrial technology leader through a major transformation of one of its key French manufacturing sites.

The business is entering an exciting new phase of growth, industrialising a new generation of products designed for rapidly expanding international markets, including the data centre sector.

This is not simply a role to manage an established factory.

The Operations Director will take ownership of a significant manufacturing transformation: moving new products from early production volumes into high-cadence series manufacturing, while continuing to deliver technically complex, engineered-to-order products from the same site.

You will build the organisation, processes and operating culture required to support a substantial increase in production volumes as new manufacturing equipment, production lines and testing capabilities come online.

The Role

As Operations Director, you will lead the site's manufacturing organisation and translate an ambitious industrial strategy into a scalable, high-performing production operation.

You will be responsible for establishing the manufacturing model required for rapid growth across people, processes, production planning, logistics, training and shift structures.

A major part of the challenge will be leading the cultural evolution of an established organisation from predominantly bespoke manufacturing towards a greater mix of repeatable, standardised and high-cadence production — without compromising the site's capability to deliver highly customised products.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the industrialisation, launch and production ramp-up of new product lines.
• Build a scalable manufacturing organisation capable of supporting significantly higher production volumes.
• Drive the evolution from predominantly engineered-to-order manufacturing towards a greater proportion of standardised series production.
• Establish robust production planning, standard work, shopfloor management and operational performance routines.
• Develop the workforce strategy required to support growth, including recruitment, training and competency development.
• Introduce additional production shifts progressively as manufacturing volumes increase.
• Lead the organisational and cultural change required to increase pace, repeatability and operational discipline.
• Maintain strong execution across existing customised and one-off manufacturing activities alongside the new production model.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Procurement and Product teams throughout industrialisation and ongoing production.
• Coordinate effectively across a regional and global matrix organisation, influencing stakeholders outside the direct reporting structure.
• Continue developing the site's Lean Manufacturing, HSE and 5S performance as production scales.
• Lead, coach and develop the wider manufacturing organisation while maintaining strong employee engagement throughout the transformation.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for an accomplished manufacturing leader who has already experienced a significant industrialisation programme, factory transformation or rapid production scale-up.

You are likely to bring:

• Significant leadership experience within Plant Management, Manufacturing or Operations.
• Demonstrable experience industrialising new products or production lines and rapidly scaling output.
• A strong background within series, repetitive or high-cadence manufacturing.
• Experience managing the transition from customised or engineered-to-order production towards greater standardisation would be highly valuable.
• Strong Lean Manufacturing, production planning and operational excellence expertise.
• Experience adapting workforce structures, skills and shift patterns during periods of significant growth.
• Proven change-management capability and the ability to bring established teams successfully through transformation.
• A leadership style that allows you to engage credibly on the shopfloor while operating effectively with senior and global stakeholders.
• Strong matrix leadership and stakeholder-management skills across Manufacturing, Engineering and Supply Chain.
• Experience within electrical equipment, electronics, industrial machinery, power conversion or another technically complex manufacturing environment would be advantageous.
• A good understanding of HSE and 5S principles.
• Fluency in both French and English.