VP Operational Excellence

Make a Difference in YOUR Career!

Our vision is both simple and ambitious: to put our drinks on every table.

We are the leading global independent beverage solutions provider. We serve a broad range of national and international retailers as well as Global, National and Emerging (GNE) brands. Our products are distributed worldwide from our production sites in Europe, North America, and Australia. Although our own branding may not appear on the labels of the beverages we produce, there is a good chance you are reading this while sipping one of our drinks.

Our ambition is to continually improve and it’s what keeps us at the top of our game. We are solutions-based. We are innovative. We seek out new challenges and conquer them. This is our company ethos, but it’s our people’s too: Refresco is at the cutting edge of a fast-moving industry because we have passionate people pushing the boundaries of what’s best.

Stop and think: how would YOU put our drinks on every table?

Summary Description

Reporting to the Vice President of Operations North America, the Vice President of Operational Excellence is responsible for setting and leading the North American strategy for operational excellence, operational transformation, maintenance excellence, and operations workforce capability development.

Responsible for driving operational performance, leading transformation initiatives, and ensuring alignment between business strategy and operational execution. This role blends leadership, process optimization, equipment reliability, and change management to improve efficiency, quality, and profitability across the organization.

Essential Job Functions

Enterprise Operational Excellence & Transformation Leadership

• Lead the development, deployment, and governance of the North American Operational Excellence and Transformation strategy aligned with corporate objectives
• Establish and manage a multi-year transformation roadmap integrating Continuous Improvement, Maintenance Excellence, and Training initiatives
• Drive enterprise-wide adoption of standardized systems, tools, and processes across all facilities
• Partner with executive leadership to align transformation priorities with business strategy and financial goals

Leadership of Continuous Improvement, Maintenance Excellence & Training

Provide strategic leadership and direction to the leaders of

Maintenance Excellence

Operational Excellence

Manufacturing Training

• Ensure alignment and integration across functions to deliver end-to-end operational performance improvements
• Build strong leadership capability and succession pipelines within each function

Targeted Improvement & Problem-Solving Approach

• Ensure all improvement initiatives are grounded in clearly defined business problems and measurable outcomes
• Differentiate strategies by plant maturity, capability, and performance gaps rather than applying uniform solutions across all sites
• Lead structured problem-solving processes to identify root causes and prioritize high-impact opportunities
• Balance standardization with flexibility to enable site-specific optimization
• Drive a disciplined approach to initiative selection, focusing on value creation, speed, and sustainability
• Build problem-solving capability at all levels, from plant leadership to frontline associates

Operational Excellence System & Continuous Improvement

Oversee and strengthen the Refresco Manufacturing System (RMS) ensuring consistent implementation across all sites and performance management is embedded in daily management systems

Champion Lean, TPM, and continuous improvement methodologies to drive safety, quality, delivery, and cost improvements

Ensure standardization of KPIs, tools, and processes to enable sustainable results and benchmarking across plants

Leverage Kaizen events, coaching and training to eliminate waste, improve flow, and run better through sustained process improvement

Move the organization from project-based improvement to habitual, leader-led continuous improvement

Maintenance & Asset Reliability Excellence

• Oversee the North American Maintenance Excellence strategy and roadmap execution
• Ensure implementation of best-in-class asset management, reliability, and maintenance practices to improve OEE and reduce downtime
• Drive integration of predictive and preventive maintenance programs supported by CMMS/EAM systems
• Align maintenance strategies with operational and financial performance targets
• Drive a zero-breakdown mindset across all facilities, shifting from reactive to proactive and predictive maintenance
• Champion Autonomous Maintenance (AM) as a core pillar of operational excellence, ensuring clear ownership at the line level
• Ensure strong integration between maintenance, operations, and training to sustain equipment reliability improvements
• Focus on long-term system health vs short-term fix

Workforce Capability & Training Strategy

• Establish enterprise-wide manufacturing training and capability-building strategies aligned with operational excellence priorities
• Ensure deployment of standardized training systems and programs across all manufacturing sites
• Partner with HR and operations leadership to accelerate time-to-competency and improve workforce effectiveness
• Oversee development of technical training and continuous improvement capability programs
• Shift training from compliance-based activity to capability-building systems that enable performance improvement
• Ensure training is directly linked to operational outcomes, including reliability, efficiency, and quality
• Standardize critical training frameworks while allowing flexibility for site-specific needs
• Build clear pathways to accelerate employee time-to-competence and mastery

Transformation Program Governance & Execution

• Conduct comprehensive evaluations of North American operations to identify inefficiencies and opportunities
• Establish governance frameworks to prioritize, track, and execute transformation initiatives
• Ensure clear accountability, milestones, and benefit realization across all major initiatives
• Provide executive-level reporting on progress, risks, and outcomes
• Drive disciplined program management and cross-functional alignment

Data, Metrics & Performance Management

• Establish enterprise-wide KPIs and dashboards to monitor operational and transformation performance
• Ensure data-driven decision-making across all levels of the organization
• Leverage analytics to identify opportunities, track improvements, and sustain gains
• Drive visibility and transparency of performance across all sites

Change Leadership & Culture

• Lead large-scale change management initiatives to embed a culture of operational excellence
• Foster a high-performance, accountable, and continuous improvement culture
• Drive leadership engagement and frontline adoption of new processes and standards
• Build organizational capability through coaching, training, and mentorship
• Deep expertise in operational excellence, Lean, TPM, and continuous improvement methodologies

Required Skills

Strong understanding of maintenance, reliability, and asset management best practices

Proven ability to lead enterprise-wide transformation initiatives with measurable impact

Strong financial acumen, including cost optimization and ROI analysis

Advanced data analysis and performance management capabilities

Expertise in change management and organizational transformation

Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills

Ability to manage complex, multi-site operations and competing priorities

Demonstrated ability to diagnose business problems and prioritize the highest-impact opportunities Proven track record building sustainable operating systems vs one-time improvements

Strong emotional intelligence with the ability to influence, coach, and drive behavior change across all levels

Ability to balance standardization and flexibility in a multi-site manufacturing environment

Experience embedding autonomous maintenance and operator ownership model

Competencies

Leadership

Builds trust, inspires teams, and drives a clear and ambitious vision

Strategic Thinking

Aligns operational initiatives with long-term business goals

Execution Excellence

Delivers results through disciplined execution and accountability

Change Leadership

Effectively drives and sustains organizational change

Collaboration & Influence

Works across all levels of the organization to achieve results

Continuous Improvement Mindset

Champions innovation, efficiency, and performance

Situational Leadership

Adapts approach based on site maturity, capability, and business needs

Emotional Intelligence

Builds trust, navigates resistance, and effectively influences the organization

Problem Framing

Clearly defines problems before solutioning to ensure effort is focused on what matters most

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field required; MBA preferred
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, operations, or transformation
• Proven experience leading multi-site or regional operational excellence and transformation initiatives
• Strong background in Lean, TPM, Continuous Improvement, and Maintenance Excellence
• Experience in food & beverage, FMCG, or similar manufacturing environments preferred
• Demonstrated success building high-performing teams and driving cultural transformation

Travel Requirements

Frequent travel (up to 50%) across North American manufacturing facilities

A Career with Refresco

Refresco is passionate about empowering leaders who reflect our core values and live by our leadership behaviors. These behaviors encourage effective leadership within the business, and focus on leading courageously, empowering individuals, and driving company growth as one team. Joining our team as a people manager means you’ll be encouraged to evolve as a leader who prioritizes the success of both you and your team, to deliver results, whilst bringing your authentic self to work.

Refresco Beverages US, Inc. offers competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, which include

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts

Life and AD&D Insurance

Pet Insurance

Legal Benefits

401(k) Savings Plan with Company Match

12 Paid Holidays, Vacation, and Paid Time Off

Well-being Benefits

Discount and Total Reward Programs

Join Refresco TODAY and enjoy a rewarding CAREER!

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Refresco Beverages US, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, Veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law.