Operational Excellence Leader

Our story
Epta Group, a multinational group specialized in international commercial refrigeration in the Retail, Ho.Re.Ca. and Food&Beverage.
We at the Epta Group are a dynamic and growing international company, delivering cutting-edge commercial refrigeration solutions that impact everyday life—from ensuring fresh food in supermarkets to keeping the perfect chill in your favorite café. Our global network includes manufacturing facilities, sales entities and service organizations —all working together to provide sustainable and innovative solutions. We support customers in their green transition and support them as a fully integrated provider, from the layout of the store to the aftersales support.
With over 8,000 employees, Epta fosters an environment of continuous development. We offer career growth, extensive training, and the opportunity to thrive in a company where every challenge is a chance to create value and inspire our people. Guided by our values, we are committed to professional excellence, sustainability, and innovation in every aspect of our work.
As a part of Epta Group, Epta Turkiye is continue to their manufacturing operations based in Avrupa Serbest Bolgesi / since 2007 and improving the production capacity and headcount.
In line with growing organisation in Turkiye, we are looking for new teammate as “Operational Excellence Leader”.

Role Purpose

Reporting to the Plant Management and working in close alignment with the Group Operational Excellence network, the Operational Excellence Leader will act as the key driver of productivity, cost competitiveness, and operational stability at plant level.

The role is responsible for deploying Lean Manufacturing and Maintenance Excellence practices in a structured and sustainable way, embedding a continuous improvement culture across the shopfloor, and delivering measurable business impact in terms of efficiency, reliability, quality, and cost.

This position plays a critical role in translating corporate OpEx standards into practical, value-adding routines within the plant while developing operational capabilities at all levels of the organization.
Key Responsibilities

Continuous Improvement & Lean Deployment

- Own and lead the plant Continuous Improvement roadmap, aligned with Group Operational Excellence priorities.

- Deploy Lean Manufacturing tools and methodologies (VSM, standard work, problem solving, kaizen events, flow optimization, takt time alignment).

- Identify process losses and improvement opportunities across production, logistics, and support functions.

- Ensure standardization and sustainability of improvements through visual management, standard work, and audits.

Maintenance Excellence & Reliability

- Drive Maintenance Excellence initiatives to improve equipment availability, reliability, and lifecycle cost.

- Implement and mature TPM pillars (autonomous maintenance, planned maintenance, focused improvement).

- Strengthen preventive and predictive maintenance discipline and breakdown analysis (RCFA).

- Develop and optimize spare parts strategies to balance uptime and working capital.

- Support OEE improvement through structured downtime and loss analysis.

Cost Reduction & Performance Improvement

- Identify, prioritize, and execute cost reduction initiatives with clear business cases and quantified benefits.

- Address key cost drivers including labor productivity, scrap and material waste, rework, downtime, and energy consumption.

- Track savings realization and ensure benefits are embedded into operating standards.

Performance Management & Capability Building

- Establish and sustain performance management routines (daily, weekly, and monthly reviews).

- Define and monitor KPIs related to safety, quality, delivery, cost, and morale.

- Coach and develop shopfloor leaders and cross-functional teams in CI and problem-solving capabilities.

- Promote ownership, accountability, and data-driven decision making at all levels.

Cross-Functional & Corporate Interface

- Act as a key business partner to Production, Logistics, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain to remove bottlenecks and stabilize processes.

- Serve as the primary plant interface with the Corporate Operational Excellence function.

- Ensure deployment, compliance, and reporting of Group standards, tools, and methodologies.

- Share best practices and benchmark results within the Group OpEx network.


Requirements

Experience & Technical Skills

- Minimum 5–10 years of experience in a manufacturing environment with demonstrated results in Lean / Continuous Improvement roles.

- Strong hands-on exposure to Maintenance Excellence, TPM, and reliability improvement practices.

- Proven ability to lead structured improvement programs with measurable financial and operational impact.

- Solid analytical capability: losses analysis, OEE and downtime drivers, efficiency modeling, cost and productivity metrics.

- Experience in KPI definition, tracking, and performance review systems.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

- Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence without direct authority.

- Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.

- Structured, disciplined, and results-oriented mindset with a strong “go-and-see” (Gemba) approach.

- Effective communication skills, capable of translating data into clear operational actions.

Education & Language

- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, or related field preferred).

- Lean / CI certifications (Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt, TPM, or equivalent) are an advantage.

- Fluent English (written and spoken)