Head of Investment and Operational Excellence

Head of Investment & Operational Excellence — BENEO & CropEnergies

Reporting to: COO BENEO & CropEnergies | Scope: 11 production sites across Europe

Head of Investment and Operational Excellence

About the role

As Head of Investment and Operational Excellence (m/f/d), you will define and execute the engineering and technical strategy across all BENEO and CropEnergies operations globally. You will play a key role in securing the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our manufacturing footprint by leading investment planning, asset optimization, operational excellence, digital transformation, and technological innovation. In partnership with the Boards, Südzucker Group functions, and local leadership teams, you will leverage synergies across businesses, establish best-in-class standards, and drive future growth through strategic investments and technology-enabled development.

Your key responsibilities

• Develop a long-term Asset Lifecycle Strategy and replacement roadmap to safeguard the technical integrity and reliability of high-value production assets while optimizing total cost of ownership
• Manage the integrated Technical Project Portfolio from ideation to implementation — on time, within budget, and in quality
• Steer the operational and technical aspects of product portfolio extensions for both food ingredients and bio-based chemicals, providing cost estimations and strategic guidance for growth projects
• Develop and implement the Südzucker Group Operatonal Excellence Program (Optimum) tailored to each site, focusing on increasing OEE, reducing manufacturing costs, and expanding production capacities
• Drive sustainability engineering initiatives (heat recovery, carbon reduction) to reduce the combined ecological footprint of BENEO and CropEnergies
• Lead the Corporate Maintenance Management community in budgets, criticality rankings, and systems (SAP-EAM), developing group-wide best practices
• Define and execute the group's digital and automation strategy , identifying opportunities for digital transformation across all sites
• Report CAPEX, KPIs, and project approval status to the Executive Boards , providing timely data for strategic decision-making
• Coach and develop engineering teams and project execution resources across the organization
• Standardize technical investment and optimization processes across BENEO and CropEnergies to leverage synergies and harmonize engineering standards

What we offer

• A group-level leadership role with genuine scope and impact across 11 European production sites within the Südzucker Group, one of Europe's leading food and agribusiness organizations
• A key seat at the table in shaping the technical and sustainability future of two well-established food and biotech businesses
• A competitive remuneration package in line with the seniority and responsibility of the role

What we are looking for

• Master's degree in Process Engineering, Food Technology, or Chemical Engineering
• At least 10 years of professional experience in the food, process, or (bio-)chemical industry
• Proven track record in managing large-scale capital investment projects and technical portfolios
• Strong understanding of operational excellence, maintenance management, and sustainability engineering
• Experience with digitalization and automation in industrial environments
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to coach and align multi-site, cross-functional teams
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and operational level within a large international group
• Fluent in English; additional languages are an asset