Manager, Operations

At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business‑to‑business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We are a company with a purpose, we believe in doing well by doing good and reinvesting in the communities we operate.

We have a long‑standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future. We are headquartered in Zurich, and have more than 12,000 passionate Employees working in more than 40 countries worldwide. We are very proud of who we are and what we do. And of course, we are always looking for talented people to help us have a positive impact on our industry and beyond!

The Operations Manager sets and monitors the plant's performance against balanced scorecard targets, adhering to standards in areas such as people, safety, food safety, quality, manufacturing efficiency, and productivity.

They ensure and nurture a culture of “Safety, Food safety First and Quality Always” mindset across their department, in line with the Barry Callebaut Go4

Zero objective (0 accidents, 0 defects, 0 delays, 0 impact). The Operations Manager has the responsibility to act and speak up when deviations cannot be solved locally (example: supplier quality)

The Operations Manager ensures compliance with all relevant regulations on a country, local, or global level, and constantly seeks improvements through lean principles and people capabilities development towards achieving best‑in‑class performance.

• Ensure the safety of all employees, be familiar with and implement all relevant regulations related to safety, food safety, environmental protection, and always ensure compliance - Monitoring and improving safety, food safety, and environmental performance.
• Work with the QA department to implement, execute, and maintain the quality management system.
• Lead, direct, and control the day‑to‑day operational activities of the factory to achieve the quality, operational, and financial objectives in the short and medium‑term in line with the overall master plan.
• Hire and develop people: providing learning, growth, building culture, and a strong cross‑functional collaborative approach.
• Be a leadership role model living Barry Callebaut values and practicing servant leadership
• Support the definition and execution of the budget; monitor the cost and effectiveness of production activities to optimize resources, prioritize spending, and achieve volume, quality, and manufacturing standards.
• Identify and implement process improvements, lean manufacturing initiatives, and new technologies to increase efficiency and reduce waste.
• Manage the infrastructure and assets of the operations areas and ensure the factory remains under hygienic conditions
• Maintenance and equipment management:
  Overseeing the maintenance and repair of equipment and machinery to minimize downtime and ensure smooth production processes.

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Engineering or a similar Technical field
• Knowledgeable in MS Office Suite, SAP Systems, and other applications used in manufacturing, e.g., scheduling, CMMS, MES, etc.
• Strong technical background supporting a continuous improvement work environment.
• Proven business and people management skills.
• Experience in leading operational teams and Union/Works Council context.
• Detailed knowledge of plant and manufacturing functional disciplines.
• Change Manager seeking Continuous improvement through lean principles and people capabilities development.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Knowledge of the latest quality and safety laws/regulations.
• Desirable experience working in fast‑paced and 24/7 environments.

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Environment that welcomes workplace flexibility.
• An atmosphere where diversity is embraced, and inclusivity is second nature. We call it #OneBC! Just ask our champions with the…