Industrial Director (Global Manufacturing Environment)

Ireland based  with up to 50% travel

We are supporting a  global organisation operating within a highly engineered, technology-driven manufacturing environment to appoint an Industrial Director. This is a senior leadership role responsible for defining, shaping, and governing the industrial footprint, standards, and operational performance across a multi-site international network.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in driving industrial excellence across serial production, new product introduction, and advanced R&D programmes, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s broader product and technology strategy.

Role Overview

The Industrial Director will lead the end-to-end industrial network spanning industrialisation, production, and logistics. The role is accountable for ensuring operational consistency, optimised investment decisions, and world-class manufacturing performance across all sites within the perimeter.

A key focus will be the development and execution of an optimised industrial strategy, including footprint design, capacity planning, and the deployment of standardised manufacturing processes and systems globally.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Industrial Footprint

• Define, manage, and continuously optimise the industrial footprint in line with evolving market and product requirements
• Lead “make or buy” strategic decisions in collaboration with procurement functions
• Ensure alignment of all industrial elements of the medium-term strategic plan with overall business and product group direction
• Define allocation of programmes across global manufacturing sites
• Oversee capacity planning and constraint management using structured analytical tools

Operational Excellence & Industrial Standards

• Define, deploy, and enforce global industrial standards for processes, equipment, and manufacturing systems
• Drive standardisation between high-cost and low-cost production environments
• Challenge and optimise capital investment requests (CAPEX/IAR) ensuring cost efficiency and compliance
• Promote lean manufacturing principles and structured process design methodologies
• Lead deployment of next-generation “factory of the future” initiatives and digital manufacturing tools
• Participate in governance forums for industrialisation and project approval across development programmes

Performance, Governance & KPI Management

• Own and monitor key industrial KPIs including productivity, efficiency, delivery performance, cost, inventory, quality, and safety
• Ensure site-level budgeting and workforce planning align with performance targets
• Challenge and support sites in adopting best-practice methodologies to improve operational outcomes
• Ensure safety and ergonomics are embedded into all equipment and process design decisions

Leadership & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Lead and coordinate a global industrial network across manufacturing, logistics, and industrial engineering functions
• Facilitate collaboration between technical centres of excellence and operational sites
• Partner with product development, engineering, and supply chain functions to ensure manufacturability and scalability of new products
• Provide functional leadership to industrial teams involved in new product introduction programmes

 

Skills & Personal Attributes

Industrial & Operational Expertise

• Deep expertise in industrialisation across new product introduction, serial production, and advanced development environments
• Strong capability in industrial planning, scenario modelling, and long-term capacity strategy
• Proven ability to define, standardise, and deploy global manufacturing systems and processes

Leadership & Influence

• Strong cross-site leadership capability in complex, international manufacturing organisations
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across functions
• Experience developing high-performing teams and future leaders in industrial environments

Personal Attributes

• Resilient, accountable, and results-oriented with a strong sense of urgency
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate in fast-moving, complex environments
• Strong communicator with the ability to adapt style across diverse cultural and organisational contexts
• Decisive and resourceful, balancing operational execution with strategic thinking
• Comfortable leading change and driving transformation across multiple sites
• Strong commitment to building a culture of performance, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Collaborative, humble, and inquisitive approach to leadership

Qualifications & Experience

• Degree-qualified in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Management, or related discipline
• 15+ years’ experience in industrial operations and manufacturing within a global environment 
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a senior executive or equivalent leadership role
• Proven track record managing large-scale CAPEX budgets in excess of €50M
• Experience with end-to-end responsibility for industrial networks or multi-site operations

For further information on this Industrial Director role please contact Caroline Kingston on +353 868395531 or email caroline@hero.ie Check out all our open jobs on our HERO Recruitment website – https://www.hero.ie/.

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Data can only be transferred outside of the EEA based on standards contractual clauses, to a country for whom an adequacy decision has been given by the European Commission or where the express permission of the data subject has been given. You have supplied us with your personal data in the process of applying for a position. Our client company may have personnel outside of the EEA who will review your data. We will apply the appropriate criteria in respect of the data transfer depending on the location of those personnel.