Key Skills
Job Description
Operations Lead Location: CHEP Tiel, Netherlands Type: Full Time, Permanent Lead a high-performing manufacturing operation and help drive safety, performance, and continuous improvement. CHEP is looking for an experienced Operations Lead to join our Tiel plant in the Netherlands. Reporting to the Plant Manager, you'll lead a team of 5 direct reports with overall responsibility for up to 85 employees across the operation, playing a key role in driving site performance, developing people, and delivering operational excellence. This is a highly visible leadership role where you'll act as the right hand to the Plant Manager, combining strong people leadership with operational expertise. You'll be responsible for driving a Zero Harm culture, improving operational performance, developing leadership capability within your team, and championing continuous improvement across the plant. If you're passionate about leading teams, improving manufacturing performance, and making a visible impact within a global organisation, we'd love to hear from you. What We're Looking For Proven leadership experience within a manufacturing, production, distribution, or operational environment. Experience leading and developing supervisors, team leaders, or frontline managers in a blue-collar environment. Strong understanding of production processes, quality standards, operational KPIs, and performance management. Experience driving continuous improvement initiatives and operational efficiency programmes. Strong Health & Safety background with experience leading Zero Harm, conducting investigations, and developing risk assessments. Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage employees, senior leaders, and key stakeholders. Strong problem-solving capability with a track record of identifying issues and implementing effective solutions. Fluent English language skills; Dutch, German, or other European languages would be advantageous. Key Responsibilities Lead daily manufacturing and operational activities through a team of 5 direct reports and up to 85 employees. Act as deputy to the Plant Manager and support the overall leadership and performance of the site. Drive operational performance through effective use of KPIs, data analysis, and performance management processes. Champion a Zero Harm culture through proactive safety leadership, investigations, risk assessments, and continuous improvement. Develop and coach leaders across the operation, building capability and supporting succession planning. Identify opportunities to improve productivity, quality, efficiency, and operational performance. Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, collaboration, and operational excellence. Ensure compliance with all Health & Safety, quality, and operational standards. What We're Looking For Qualifications Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. NEBOSH qualification or equivalent Health & Safety certification. Additional qualifications in Production Management, Lean Manufacturing, Quality Management, or Operational Excellence are advantageous. Why Join CHEP? Opportunity to play a key leadership role within a strategically important manufacturing operation. Significant influence over site performance, culture, safety, and continuous improvement. High visibility and close partnership with the Plant Manager and wider leadership team. Opportunity to lead and develop a large operational workforce. Career development opportunities within a global market-leading organisation.
Core Responsibilities
Lead daily manufacturing operations through five direct reports and a workforce of up to 85, supporting the Plant Manager as deputy and driving site performance. Champion safety, quality, continuous improvement, and workforce development while ensuring compliance with operational standards.
Requirements
Requires proven leadership experience in manufacturing, production, distribution, or operations, including developing frontline leaders and managing performance, quality, and safety. A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and a NEBOSH qualification or equivalent safety certification are specified; additional production, Lean, quality, or operational excellence qualifications are advantageous.
About CHEP
Industry: Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage
Company size: 10,001+ employees
CHEP helps move more goods to more people, in more places than any other organisation on earth. Its pallets, crates and containers form the invisible backbone of the global supply chain and the world’s biggest brands trust CHEP to help them transport their goods more efficiently, sustainably and safely. As pioneers of the sharing economy, CHEP created one of the world's most sustainable logistics businesses through the share and reuse of its platforms under a model known as ‘pooling’. CHEP primarily serves the fast-moving consumer goods (e.g. dry food, grocery, and health and personal care), fresh produce, beverage, retail and general manufacturing industries. CHEP employs approximately 13,000 people and believes in the power of collective intelligence through diversity, inclusion and teamwork. CHEP owns approximately 347 million pallets, crates and containers through a network of more than 750 service centres, supporting more than 500,000 customer touch-points for global brands such as Procter & Gamble, Sysco and Nestlé. CHEP is part of the Brambles Group and operates in approximately 60 countries with its largest operations in North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.chep.com.