Director, Operations Performance in Tamworth

As the Director, Operations Performance, you will report to and work directly with the VP Operations to strengthen execution discipline, performance visibility, and follow-through across the Operations function. This is a BAU operational performance role, not a transformation programme, project management, or finance role; however, it requires the structure, governance, cadence, and delivery discipline typically associated with a major transformation environment. Operating as a peer partner to Operational Directors and site leadership teams, the role ensures turnaround initiatives are clearly defined, actively progressed, measured against operational KPIs, and tracked through to financial impact. The role maintains the operating rhythm across daily, weekly, and monthly performance reviews, ensuring actions have owners, milestones, risks, dependencies, escalation routes, and measurable outcomes. Working closely with Operations, Finance, Planning, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, and Commercial teams, the role ensures improvement actions translate into production performance, cost reduction, margin improvement, working capital benefit, and sustainable cost-out from the business. It does not replace site, functional, Finance, or Operational Director accountability; rather, it creates the visibility, challenge, and follow-through required to ensure agreed actions are delivered and benefits are realised.

As a Director, Operations Performance at IPL Schoeller you will:

• Translate VP Operations priorities into practical execution plans with clear actions, owners, milestones, risks, dependencies, and performance measures across the 16-site remit.
• Drive the daily, weekly, and monthly operating rhythm, ensuring site and regional actions are followed up, blockers are removed, decisions are escalated, and delivery stays on track.
• Strengthen cross-functional collaboration across Operations, Finance, Planning, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, and Commercial teams so priorities, assumptions, risks, and decisions are aligned, accurate, and action-oriented.
• Own KPI tracking, operating reviews, variance analysis, corrective actions, and follow-through, ensuring reporting is consistent and operational teams can focus on delivery.
• Partner with Operational Directors, site leadership teams, Finance, and Operations to improve operational efficiency, capacity utilisation, productivity, labour efficiency, inventory, working capital, cost control, and recovery actions.
• Use operational, financial, planning, and site performance information to identify underperformance, quantify gaps, assess options, and support operational experts with a clear fact base for faster delivery decisions.
• Prepare clear, action-oriented updates for the VP Operations, Operational Directors, Finance, and Commercial teams so operational leaders can remain focused on execution.
• Track manufacturing budgets, operational forecasts, savings commitments, margin improvement, cash generation, and working capital actions, ensuring gaps are visible and recovery actions are agreed and delivered.
• Support quality, regulatory, compliance, restructuring, and planning actions by ensuring requirements, assumptions, commitments, ownership, and follow-through are clear and delivered.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, operations, engineering, finance, supply chain, or a related field; MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification an advantage.
• Project Management, PMP, operational excellence, or equivalent qualification an advantage.
• Minimum of 3-5 years' experience in manufacturing operations, business operations, operations performance management, supply chain, operational improvement, or cross-functional delivery roles.
• Hands‑on experience in multi‑site manufacturing environments, with strong understanding of operational performance drivers, lean manufacturing, productivity, labour efficiency, capacity, cost, inventory, working capital, and continuous improvement.
• Proven track record of delivering actions through complex cross‑functional operating rhythms, KPI frameworks, forecasts, business cases, and executive‑level performance reporting.
• Strong commercial, financial, analytical, and problem‑solving capability, with the ability to connect site‑level actions to profitability, cash flow, working capital, budgetary control, and value creation.
• Confident communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to challenge constructively, influence decisions, and partner with senior operational and functional leaders.
• Advanced proficiency with ERP systems, business intelligence, reporting, planning, cash tracking, and action tracking tools; knowledge of manufacturing compliance requirements an advantage.

On July 1, 2025, IPL Plastics merged with Schoeller Allibert to form IPL Schoeller (the 'company'). The Company's 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.4,100 employees across North America (1,600 employees) and Europe (2,500 employees.)