External Manufacturing Manager

At Beyond Meat, we started with simple questions. Why do you need an animal to create meat? Why can't you build meat directly from plants? Thus, we make plant-based meats that allow families to eat more, not less, of the traditional dishes they love while feeling great about the health, sustainability, and animal welfare benefits of plant protein. Our goal is to bring exciting change to the plate-and Beyond.

 

The External Manufacturing Manager EMEA has an overall responsibility to ensure that the external Beyond Meat manufacturing plants (TNP in Zoeterwoude (NL), Vossko in Osnabruck/Munster (Germany), other locations t.b.d.) delivers the requested amounts of products of agreed quality and service levels against targeted conversion costs. They will also track and report on co-manufacturing performance and KPIs. Furthermore, the External Manufacturing Manager EMEA is responsible for promoting and expanding a culture focused on continuous improvement in all aspects of manufacturing.

The External Manufacturing Manager has no direct reports and is a member of the EMEA Operations Management Team. In this role tehy cooperate on a peer level with the Supply Chain Manager, Sr. Project Engineering Manager, Purchasing Manager and Plant Manager Enschede.

Role Responsibilities

• Cooperates with and manages External Manufacturing plants to deliver required production and quality to meet sales needs, OTIF, to targeted COGS.
• Act as primary contact for Co-Manufacturing partners.
• Sets goals and manage KPIs for the External Manufacturing plants to improve operational efficiency and increased productivity
• Conducts regular performance reviews and follow-up action plans. Drives implementation of plan with Co-mans.
• Works with Co-mans, R&D, QA etc on projects to drive COGS/Quality improvements.
• Facilitate Co-mans to maintain a culture of employee engagement, continuous improvement and empowerment.
• Connect, cooperate and align with other EMEA functions (mainly Sales, Quality, R&D and the support functions Finance and HR; if needed: Marketing) in order to continuously improve and professionalize internal ways of working with a focus on customer satisfaction.
• Works with production management, R&D & QA of the External Manufacturing plants to:
• Set up optimal process specifications and settings
• Liaises with Supply Chain in the timely planning, ordering and supply of necessary raw materials
• Works with Co-mans, Engineering, Quality & R&D to resolves issues related to the production, machinery, processing and/or packaging operations Liaises with Supply Chain (internal &external) to ensure optimal production schedules based on product introduction, equipment efficiency, and materials supply.
• Provide visibility of capacity available v demand
• Work with Operations Management Team to provide long term capacity planning.
• Where necessary, develop new partnerships and capacity to support product launches and growth
• Support company goals through co-operation with External Manufacturing and US in execution of projects and trials as required.     

Experience & Qualifications

• Min. Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline (f.e. food technology)
• 7+ years production management role
• Experience of Co-manufacturing
• Proven ability to plan and manage operational processes for maximum efficiency and productivity
• Knowledge of Lean manufacturing
• Working knowledge of industry regulations and legislative guidelines
• Excellent influencing skills and strong interpersonal, communication and collaboration skills
• Food/beverage experience is strongly preferred, with plant-based experience a plus
• Language requirements: Dutch, English and German at native and/or business fluency level.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with financial budget and (business) operational plan development
• Proven ability to develop innovative solutions for increased productivity
• Masterful organizational, communication, and leadership skills, demonstrated by previous professional success
• Strong working knowledge of data analysis and performance metrics using business management software

Work Environment

• Location: Flexible within the Netherlands. Must be able to visit Zoeterwoude (NL), Amsterdam (NL), Den Haag (NL), Ochten (NL), Enschede (NL) and Osnabruck/Munster (Germany) on a frequent basis. Average of 3 days/week at co-man sites.
• This job requires 50%-60% travel. Must be willing to travel on short notice. Must be in the possession of own car.
• This position requires about 70% desk duties and 30% production floor duties.Heavy computer use, emails, and phone calls.
• Standard hours are (between) 6:30 am - 6:30 pm, Full time 40 hours, Monday - Friday is required.

Beyond Meat is an equal employment opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, ancestry, veteran status, marital status, gender identify, sexual orientation, national origin, liability for military service, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. If you are interested in learning the status of your application, please note you will be contacted directly by the appropriate human resources contact person if you are selected for further consideration. Beyond Meat reserves the right to defer or close a vacancy at any time.

For all U.S. based roles: Applicants must be authorized to work for a U.S. employer. This role is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship at this time.