Business Process Owner Manufacturing & Quality
Our client is a leading international FMCG group specializing in premium chocolate and cocoa ingredients, partnering with some of the world's most recognized brands and retailers.
With a strong manufacturing footprint across Europe and North America, the company operates in more than 90 countries worldwide and is currently undertaking a major MES and ERP transformation program to support its continued growth and operational excellence.
The Opportunity
As Business Process Owner (BPO) Manufacturing & Quality, you will play a key role in defining, harmonizing, and governing Manufacturing and Quality processes across multiple production sites.
You will act as the link between Operations and the ERP/MES project team, ensuring that global standards, compliance requirements, and operational best practices are successfully embedded throughout the organization.
This is a highly visible international position offering significant exposure to senior stakeholders and large-scale transformation projects.
Key Responsibilities
Global Process Design & Standardization
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Define and implement global Manufacturing and Quality processes across all sites.
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Harmonize workflows, standards, and operating procedures.
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Ensure alignment with food industry regulations and best practices.
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Develop process documentation and governance frameworks.
ERP & MES Program Leadership
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Act as the business owner for Manufacturing and Quality processes within the ERP/MES transformation program.
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Validate business requirements, system configurations, and integrations.
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Ensure compliance with food safety standards, including HACCP, GMP, traceability, and allergen management.
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Support master data governance and migration activities (BOMs, routings, quality specifications, test plans, etc.).
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Collaborate closely with Supply Chain, Finance, Master Data, and IT teams.
Change Management & Deployment
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Develop training materials and support user adoption strategies.
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Coordinate and support deployment waves across manufacturing sites.
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Drive readiness assessments and change management activities.
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Lead and support local key users within Quality, Production, and Operations teams.
Continuous Improvement
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Monitor post-go-live performance and identify improvement opportunities.
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Develop KPI dashboards for manufacturing efficiency, quality performance, yield, waste reduction, and compliance.
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Maintain governance and ownership of process changes after implementation.
Required Experience
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Minimum 10 years of experience in Manufacturing, Quality, or Operations leadership roles.
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Experience within Food, FMCG, Ingredients, Chemicals, or related process industries.
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Strong understanding of HACCP, GMP, food safety, quality systems, and regulatory requirements.
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Proven experience participating in or leading ERP implementation projects (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle, Infor, or similar).
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Knowledge of MES systems, production performance monitoring, traceability, and quality testing processes.
Skills
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Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
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Ability to influence and drive change across international teams.
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Comfortable operating in a matrix environment.
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Strategic mindset combined with hands-on execution capabilities.
Languages
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English is mandatory.
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Spanish, French, or Dutch would be considered a strong advantage.
Reporting Line
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Reports directly to the Global Operational Excellence Director.
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Dotted-line reporting to the ERP/MES Program Management Office.
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Functional leadership of local Manufacturing and Quality Key Users.
Location: Madrid or Valencia (Spain) preferred
Alternative locations: Saint-Étienne (France), Lyon area (France), or Belgium
Travel: Approximately 50%+ international travel
