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Head of Operations Excellence North EMEA

DS Smith.com

Office

Wellvägen (SWE), Sweden

Full Time

DS Smith is now hiring a Head of Operations Excellence for the North EMEA region.  

About The Role

We are looking for a Head of OpEx to lead operational excellence across multiple sites in North EMEA. This role combines sub-regional strategic oversight with hands-on collaboration at the country level, ensuring that local site teams are supported in delivering effective performance improvement initiatives. 
 
Working closely with site managers and country OpEx excellence managers, you will ensure that all sites have robust performance improvement roadmaps, conduct capability assessments, and implement gap closure plans. You will coach and guide teams in the application of OpEx tools, lead improvement events such as Kaizens and sprints, and support internal and third-party audit programs. 
 
You will translate divisional strategies into actionable sub-regional plans, oversee quality and operational performance metrics, and support zero-loss initiatives, best practice sharing, and continuous deployment of CI tools. 
 
Strong stakeholder engagement is critical to success. You will collaborate with site managers, technical excellence managers, and other key teams to ensure strategies are delivered effectively across both the sub-region and individual country operations, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. 
 

The right applicant is likely in a similar local role today, and ready to widen their area of responsibility to include the whole region.  

 
This role reports to Supply Chain & Operations Director North EMEA and can be based at either of our North EMEA sites. 

Qualifications

  • • Master’s degree in engineering or equivalent 
  • • Strong experience in manufacturing environments 
  • • Proven track record of both practical and theoretical knowledge in manufacturing 
  • • Knowledge of related areas such as product development and technical excellence 
  • • Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills 

This role requires excellent language skills, oral and written, in English as well as an additional Baltic or Nordic language. 

Fair recruitment in DS Smith  

Don’t meet every single requirement? At DS Smith, we are proud to recruit across a wide range of candidates. We are thriving for being a diverse workplace where everyone can realize their potential. We see equality and diversity as a strength. Thus, we hope that you will apply for the position even if you do not necessarily meet all the requirements.  
 

Application

For this role, you can be based anywhere within North EMEA 

Hiring Manager for this position is  

Dan Johannessen

Supply Chain & Operations Director, North EMEA

+45 721 49790

Dan.Johannessen@Dssmith.Com

If you have questions regarding the process or trouble applying, please reach out to us at nordic.recruitment@dssmith.com. 

You can easily apply by visiting www.dssmith.com/yournextmove and logging into Workday with your personal email address. If this is your first time logging into Workday, you will need to change/create a password. On Your Next Move, you will also find tips for those seeking an internal position – from how to optimize your CV to how best to prepare for an interview. 
If you have a DS Smith email address, instead log into Workday via Plexus (My Careers -> Job Portal) to apply.  

In this recruitment process, you may need to undergo work psychological tests.  

Start date as soon as possible. 

We look forward to receiving your application! 

Head of Operations Excellence North EMEA

Office

Wellvägen (SWE), Sweden

Full Time

October 17, 2025

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DS Smith