Director of Operations F&B NA - East

About Us:

Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavors, food, nutrition, and cosmetic ingredients. Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and producers of nutritional supplements and pet food.

Its sales of about € 5 billion in the 2025 fiscal year make Symrise a leading global provider. Headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, the Group is represented by more than 100 locations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Latin America.

Symrise works with its clients to develop new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that form an integral part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked as part of this process.

Symrise - always inspiring more…

About the role:

Position Summary

To provide strategic and operational leadership for all manufacturing activities to ensure safe, compliant, cost-effective, and high-quality production that meets our customer demand and supports enterprise growth objectives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

A) Manufacturing Excellence

Consistently achieve high levels of performance (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Inventory, People) by ensuring we:

• Drive to zero - Position our manufacturing sites to achieve zero LTA's and NLTA's

• Partner with EHS team to drive a culture of safe behavior and mindset.

• Quality - Continuously improve our RFT and External complaint rates

• Drive cost out of our manufacturing processes. Identify improvement opportunities through process or capital to maximize our OEE.

• Partner with our supply chain team to implement a robust S&OP (or SIOP) system to improve our inventory and working capital position.

• Improve delivery performance to exceed customer expectations. The starting point for all sites is 95%.

• Prepare for the challenges of an aging workforce by making our entry level roles more appealing through process improvements and technology.

B) Asset Care and Reliability

• Ensures an on-going capital plan to provide capacity, safety, regulatory compliance, and to maintain a reliable asset base.
• Optimize footprint to realize synergies between technologies.

C) Regulatory Compliance

• Maintains uniform and consistent adherence to regulatory standards, including: occupational safety, food safety, quality, and environmental requirements per our corporate standards, and the plants' locations.

D) Cross Functional Collaboration

• Assists in preparation of annual financial and operational budgets.
• Coordinates with Procurement, Sales, and Supply Chain to support development of robust S&OP process.
• Collaborates with R&D, Process Engineering, and Engineering to identify and implement innovative technologies and scale up process.
• Works closely with HR to effectively implement recruiting, compensation, engagement, and disciplinary measures.

About You:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Engineering, Agriculture, Biology or other relevant applied science.
• 5-7 years of experience of successfully leading a manufacturing facility (food processing experience desired; spray drying, liquid compounding, powder blending, and/or poultry experience are a plus).
• Demonstrated superior organizational skills with the ability prioritize competing demands in a complex environment to deliver results.
• Possess strong analytical skills: be adept at analyzing data to identify key trends and opportunities.
• Strong emotional intelligence.
• Ability to communicate effectively to all levels of the organization.
• Strategic thinking combined with a hands-on approach to resolving operational issues.
• Proven expertise in driving strategic initiatives that elevate company performance, scalability, and operational excellence.

What We Offer:

Become part of our open and transparent culture. It will give you the opportunity to flourish and to develop inspiring experiences that contribute to the health and well-being of consumers in 160 countries around the world. Putting our employees in focus fuels our strong company growth above market rates and makes us an excellent place to develop your career.

Come join us and embark on a fascinating journey with Symrise.

If you feel that you fit the above criteria, then please apply by using our online application system. Your application will be treated confidentially.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

Pay Transparency Disclosure: The expected gross salary for this position is USD $150000.00 - USD $180000.00. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and company performance.