Job Opening: VP Operations / Head of Production (m/f/d) · Food Supplements · Bielefeld Area

There are heads of production who administer the status quo.

And there are those who make productions perform.

Perhaps you currently lead the production of a food supplements manufacturer or a food producer, whether baked goods, meat processing or beverages. You know the numbers not from the reporting, but from the shopfloor: OEE, on-time delivery, throughput times, changeover times. And you have already proven that these numbers get measurably better under your leadership.

Then this is the role where exactly that is expected. No corporate apparatus, no staff function: the entire production of a dynamically grown company with around 450 employees, directly under the management board, with a clear mandate to increase output, efficiency and delivery performance promptly and measurably. The order books are full: demand is growing faster than today's output. That is exactly your opportunity to make a visible impact.

The decisive question:

Have you ever made a large production measurably stronger?

If so, we should talk. Confidentially.

The Mandate

The entire production. One responsibility.

On behalf of one of Germany's most successful manufacturers of food supplements, we are filling the overall responsibility for production: VP Operations / Head of Production (m/f/d). The company has grown very dynamically to around 450 employees in recent years. At the site in the Bielefeld area, high-quality food supplements are produced for national and international customers, spread across several production sites within one industrial estate.

The technology spectrum is unusually broad: capsules and tablets, liquids, powders and bars, each with its own manufacturing and filling. The position reports directly to the management board and is being refilled as part of a succession plan.

Production is the most important pillar of further growth: incoming orders clearly exceed today's output. The expectation is therefore clearly stated: maximum performance, delivery capability and efficiency of the production, and an organisation that carries the growth ahead. A new ERP system with integrated production planning is currently going live, creating a modern data basis for this.

01Overall responsibility. Functional and disciplinary, for all production areas: manufacturing and filling of capsules, tablets, liquids, powders and bars, plus production standards and shift organisation in a three-shift operation.
02Significantly increase OEE. Identify productivity losses, raise machine availability, systematically reduce downtimes and establish KPI-driven production control.
03Improve delivery performance. Increase on-time delivery, reduce throughput times, systematically resolve bottlenecks and turn the strong order situation into output.
04Develop leadership. Directly manage, challenge and grow five area leads, look behind the numbers and stay close to the line. Create clear responsibilities, establish a performance culture, advance the shift organisation.
05Create capacity for growth. Identify capacity bottlenecks, establish scalable processes, analyse investment needs and align the organisation for further growth.
06Be present. Be visible on the shopfloor, form your own picture, listen to the people and at the same time conceptually advance the bigger picture.

The Mission

Take the production to the next level.

The new Head of Production is not being hired to administer the status quo. Wanted: a strong leader with pronounced execution power and high operational presence: someone who forms their own picture on the shopfloor, listens, questions, gets to the point, develops people, improves processes and creates production capacity for further growth. The dimension of the task:

450

employees in the company, production is its largest area

5

technologies: capsules, tablets, liquids, powders, bars

3

shifts: production runs in a continuous three-shift operation

1

reporting line: you report directly to the management board

Key facts of the mandate. We share company and location in a confidential conversation.

What you bring

Not an administrator. A doer.

Industry experience is mandatory. Production experience from food supplements or the food industry in its full breadth, explicitly including baked goods, meat processing or beverages. Without relevant production experience, consideration is not possible.
Leadership experience. At least 5 years in a comparable position, with real operational responsibility. A smaller organisation with direct leadership at the base counts as well; what matters are responsibility and results. Pure staff or project careers do not fit here.
Demonstrable achievements. Performance and productivity improvements that show up in numbers: OEE, output, on-time delivery, throughput times.
Metrics-driven management. Experience with production KPIs and KPI-based steering, gained in a regulated production environment.
Qualification. Degree in food technology, process engineering, production engineering, industrial engineering or comparable. Alternatively a technician or master craftsman with an exceptionally successful production career.
And the attitude to match. A pragmatic doer, visible on the shopfloor, who listens, questions and gets to the point. A decisive executor and driver of change who takes people along and motivates them. Fluent German is required for this role.

Frequently asked questions

Which industry background is required?

Production experience from food supplements or the food industry in its full breadth is mandatory, explicitly including baked goods, meat processing or beverages. The environment is food-GMP-certified food production. If you know a production line, can organise output and understand processes at the base, you bring what counts here. Without relevant production experience, consideration is not possible.

What is the mission of the first twelve months?

The new Head of Production is not being hired to administer the status quo. The mission has four chapters: significantly increase OEE, improve delivery performance, develop the leadership team and create capacity for further growth. Each chapter is measured against KPIs.

What kind of environment will you join?

A company that has grown exceptionally dynamically in recent years, to around 450 employees today, with full order books and a production that is the most important pillar of further growth. The culture is familial and entrepreneurial: short paths, a direct reporting line to the management board, and backing for people who take responsibility. A new ERP system with integrated production planning is currently going live, creating a modern data basis for production control.

Where exactly is the site located?

The site is located in the Bielefeld area in Ostwestfalen-Lippe, Germany, also within easy reach of Gütersloh, Paderborn and Detmold. We share the exact location and the name of the company in a confidential conversation, as with all our mandates. One thing is clear: this role demands presence. A production of this scale in a three-shift operation is led on site, not remotely.

Is the position attainable without a university degree?

Yes. A degree in food technology, process engineering, production engineering or industrial engineering is the standard route. An equivalent path is a career as a technician or master craftsman with an exceptionally successful production track record and demonstrable productivity improvements.

How does the application work?

A short message to kontakt@acolifesciences.de is enough, mentioning which position it concerns: VP Operations, Bielefeld area. Confidential and without obligation. If we approached you via LinkedIn, please reply directly to that message. We will get back to you promptly.

Contact · Confidential

Let's talk.

Without obligation, discreet, at eye level. Your first step stays between us.

Apply now →

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Please reply directly to that message. We will get back to you promptly.

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