For over 130 years, H.B. Fuller has been a leading global adhesives provider focusing on perfecting adhesives, sealants & other specialty chemical products to improve products & lives. Recognized for unmatched technical support & innovation, H.B. Fuller brings knowledge & expertise to help its customers find precisely the right formulation for the right performance. With fiscal 2018 net revenue of over $3 billion, H.B. Fuller’s 6,000 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries. The company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, & has a direct sales or manufacturing presence in 42 countries. We at H.B. Fuller are committed to building an environment where employees are engaged, challenged & given an opportunity to be innovative & drive superior results. We firmly believe that our employees drive the success of the Company. With success in mind as the goal, we strive to create & provide an environment that offers challenging, stimulating & financially rewarding opportunities.

Engineering Adhesives (EA) is one of 3 global business units (GBU) in H.B. Fuller with revenues of $1.1 billion. The EA business in Europe has sales of more than $380 million and employs more than 500 people, with 8 manufacturing facilities in multiple countries (France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the UK). Engineering Adhesives products are used in a broad range of industrial markets. There are many customers and many different products tailored to specific applications. Consequently, the operations and associated supply chain function are quite complex: there are different product lines for solvent and water-based, hot melt, reactive hot melt and other reactive adhesive chemistry manufactured in the plants. Ambitious plans in the EIMEA Region require us to identify a seasoned Operations Director to lead & continuously upgrade the functional capabilities in order to support the growth strategy in the coming years. This is a tremendous opportunity for a leader who has a track record in creating operational excellence on an international level in a high impact & visible position throughout the company.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Engineering Adhesives EIMEA Operations Director is a member of the EA’s EIMEA Senior Leadership team, reporting directly to the Global Operations and Supply Chain Director, Engineering Adhesives with a dotted line to the Vice President of Engineering Adhesives, EIMEA. Engineering Adhesives EIMEA is a $380 million business and success in this role requires strategic, decisive, transformation and results-oriented leadership. The successful candidate will bring regional experience and perspective, a demonstrated track record of success in adhesives or related specialty chemicals manufacturing operations with an emphasis on safety, quality and customer service excellence. Under the leadership of the Global Operations and Supply Chain Director, business processes are being upgraded in all their dimensions & functions. This includes operational improvements, which in EIMEA are fundamental to further growth.

PRIMARY DUTIES

• Sets strategic direction for manufacturing in partnership with key business leaders; prioritizes and executes manufacturing projects to ensure that Engineering Adhesives meets, and preferably exceeds, the commitments of the 2025 Strategic Plan.
• Creates a culture where safety is a value that results in top quartile safety performance, where the organization proactively identifies and reduces risk to create a safe and healthy work experience for all.
• Promotes a “Customer First” mindset and culture through proactive employee identification of process improvements to yield superior quality and customer service in accordance with targeted metrics.
• Leads team members with a focus on developing a highly skilled and capable organization that is empowered to take decisive action, move quickly, and maintain personal accountability at all levels.
• Manages assets efficiently from an environmental, health, safety perspective while ensuring quality production, high customer service levels, low inventory and keeping costs/expenses within target budget guidelines.
• Aligns continuous improvement initiatives with strategic objectives and key performance metrics to successfully manage programs and processes that support strategic goals, particularly as they relate to quality and the journey to zero defects.
• Drives operational improvements in safety, quality and productivity by employing Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to achieve business objectives.
• Working with the Engineering Adhesives Global Supply Chain Director, optimizes the supply chain activities to drive cost efficiency through the function while being responsive to customer needs, both internally and externally.
• Complies and proactively adheres to all governmental regulations and requirements.

Fosters cross-functional, regional collaboration to advance continuous improvement and organizational learning.

• Participates in the succession planning process to assess and improve operational performance and leadership strength.
• Exhibits strong influencing skills in a matrix environment, by being approachable and involved with key constituencies at all levels and working effectively across geographic/functional lines.
• Experience and demonstrated capability with a global ERP/SAP implementation.
• Frequent travel to H.B. Fuller’s manufacturing sites and to customer or supplier facilities, as necessary.

Required Skills

REQUIREMENTS:

• Organizational Development

The ideal candidate will have developed a high-performing, collaborative manufacturing and supply chain leadership team and installed process excellence across all stages of the value chain. He/she will have demonstrated experience building on a well-performing culture and enhancing the business through employee engagement and ownership and accountability through a team-oriented and hands-on style. The position requires a people-oriented leader who will motivate the organization in a sustained way to reach new levels of performance, and who brings in a personal as well as an organization growth mindset.

• Operational and Integrated Supply Chain Acumen

An experienced leader with 15 years of progressive process manufacturing and integrated supply chain experience who operates with a sense of urgency and brings a proven track record in transforming multi-site manufacturing networks and supply chains. He/she comes from an environment of equivalent size, complexity and multiple products and applications. Furthermore, deep expertise in the fields of continuous improvement activities (Lean / Six Sigma etc.) as well as having a keen understanding of state-of-the-art SCM analytics and ERP (SAP) tools.

• Growth Adaptability

H.B. Fuller Engineering Adhesives is the company’s fastest-growing business unit, with successful track record of year-over-year revenue growth. The successful candidate should have a demonstrated track record of refining and articulating market strategies that address the challenges of growth in a fast-paced environment. As part of the 2025 Strategic Plan, the ideal candidate must further establish a world-class manufacturing and supply chain organization and enhance the business through employee engagement and a communicative, collaborative, team-oriented and hands-on style.

• An engineering or technical undergraduate degree; an advanced degree or MBA preferred. Proven track record of manufacturing operations leadership in global, complex markets, including but not limited to Asia, EMEA, the Americas.
• Fluency in English is a requirement; fluency in German is preferred

LOCATION

The position can be based in Nienburg or Pirmasens, Germany.

COMPENSATION

A compensation package including base salary & performance bonus will be constructed to attract the best candidate.

Required Experience

REQUIREMENTS:

• Organizational Development

The ideal candidate will have developed a high-performing, collaborative manufacturing and supply chain leadership team and installed process excellence across all stages of the value chain. He/she will have demonstrated experience building on a well-performing culture and enhancing the business through employee engagement and ownership and accountability through a team-oriented and hands-on style. The position requires a people-oriented leader who will motivate the organization in a sustained way to reach new levels of performance, and who brings in a personal as well as an organization growth mindset.

• Operational and Integrated Supply Chain Acumen

An experienced leader with 15 years of progressive process manufacturing and integrated supply chain experience who operates with a sense of urgency and brings a proven track record in transforming multi-site manufacturing networks and supply chains. He/she comes from an environment of equivalent size, complexity and multiple products and applications. Furthermore, deep expertise in the fields of continuous improvement activities (Lean / Six Sigma etc.) as well as having a keen understanding of state-of-the-art SCM analytics and ERP (SAP) tools.

• Growth Adaptability

H.B. Fuller Engineering Adhesives is the company’s fastest-growing business unit, with successful track record of year-over-year revenue growth. The successful candidate should have a demonstrated track record of refining and articulating market strategies that address the challenges of growth in a fast-paced environment. As part of the 2025 Strategic Plan, the ideal candidate must further establish a world-class manufacturing and supply chain organization and enhance the business through employee engagement and a communicative, collaborative, team-oriented and hands-on style.

• An engineering or technical undergraduate degree; an advanced degree or MBA preferred. Proven track record of manufacturing operations leadership in global, complex markets, including but not limited to Asia, EMEA, the Americas.
• Fluency in English is a requirement; fluency in German is preferred

LOCATION

The position can be based in Nienburg or Pirmasens, Germany.

COMPENSATION

A compensation package including base salary & performance bonus will be constructed to attract the best candidate.