Director of Operations & Facilities Europe South, UK & Ireland Brenntag Specialties

Director of Operations & Facilities Europe South, UK & Ireland Brenntag Specialties

We are seeking a Director of Operations & Facilities to oversee and drive operational excellence within the Subregion “Europe South, U.K. & IRL” of Brenntag Specialties’ EMEA network.

The successful candidate would need to be located in either the UK, the Barcelona area, or Northern Italy.

This role requires a proven leader with extensive experience in operations management, QSHE leadership, process optimisation, and supply chain strategy.

The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in lean manufacturing, safety culture, and cost optimisation. Additionally, the candidate must have a strong track record of managing large, ideally multi-cultural teams, enhancing productivity, and leading cross-functional initiatives that align with strategic business objectives.

This role is critical to ensuring efficiency, resilience and continuous optimisation of our network of facilities and our supply chain operations.

Role & Responsibilities

Job Purpose and Function:

The Director of Operations & Facilities Europe South, U.K. & IRL Brenntag Specialties will create a team that is responsible for the operations of the sites and the overall performance of the Supply Chains within Europe South, U.K. & IRL.

This role focuses on driving continuous improvement, fostering a safety-first culture, and implementing innovative processes that reduce costs and improve overall facility and supply chain performance within its sites and its countries. This includes the responsibility to develop, monitor and improve the performance of external Logistics Service Providers. Hands-on leadership to optimise operations, ensure regulatory compliance, and elevate QSHE initiatives is important.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Operations

• Enhance production efficiency and throughput across multiple sites.
• Oversee capacity planning to optimise resource allocation across facilities.
• Standardise workflows, reduce variability, and improve operational consistency.
• Foster a result-driven culture of innovation management, encouraging new ideas and solutions.
• Enhance collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Safety, Health, and Environmental Compliance (QSHE)

• Champion safety-first operations.
• Develop and oversee initiatives to achieve zero-loss time incidents.
• Ensure compliance with local regulations.
• Integrate waste management and sustainability practices into daily operations.

Financial Management and Cost Optimisation

• Drive cost reduction strategies.
• Manage annual budgets, forecasts, and CAPEX projects.
• Implement inventory reduction programs.
• Identify opportunities for logistics savings.

Customer Satisfaction and Quality Control

• Ensure accuracy, compliance, and continuous customer satisfaction.
• Reduce production lead times and enhance on-time delivery rates.
• Ensure operational processes align with internal service level agreements (SLAs).

Team Development and Engagement

• Build and mentor a high-performing operations team.
• Drive employee engagement, foster a culture of accountability and continuous learning.
• Implement cross-functional teamwork practices to streamline communication and collaboration across supply chain, production, and QSHE teams.

Technology Integration and Process Innovation

• Spearhead the digital transformation of operations.
• Integrate data analytics and business intelligence into decision-making processes.
• Lead process automation initiatives.

Logistics Service Provider Management

• Identify Logistics Service Providers for services that potentially can be outsourced.
• Develop, monitor, and improve the performance of our Logistics Service Providers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Operations Management, or related field.
• Multiple years of leadership experience in multi-site operations, supply chain management, and facilities leadership, with QSHE expertise.
• Experience in driving lean manufacturing principles.
• Demonstrated success in reducing costs while improving throughput and delivery efficiency.
• Strong safety leadership, with maintaining zero-loss time incidents and fostering a safety-first culture.
• Experience in process-optimisation projects.
• Demonstrated success in stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.
• Proficiency in digital tools such as WMS, MRP systems, and business intelligence platforms.
• Proven ability to lead CAPEX projects.
• A solution-oriented personality that creates a strong team, supports the development of team members, and is eager to develop and learn in a supportive environment.

Brenntag provides equal employment opportunities to qualified applicants and employees of all backgrounds and identities to create a workplace where difference is valued because it forms a resilient and more innovative organisation. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, religion or belief, parental and family status, or any other protected characteristic. We welcome applications from women, men, and non-binary candidates of all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds.

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