Interim Transformation Lead – Operations & Operational Excellence

Project overview

Interim Search has been entrusted to fill the position of Transformation Lead – Operations & Operational Excellence for 18 months with a market-leading player in environmental, circular flow, and industrial material handling. We are looking for an action-oriented, analytical, and operationally focused change leader with the ability to drive a comprehensive operational transformation. In this role, you will have a clear mandate to develop the business towards higher productivity, strengthened cost control, and modern, operationally adapted Lean work, in close collaboration with site management.

You combine strong financial understanding and strategic perspective with deep operational presence in the plant operations. With the ability to build trust and simultaneously dare to challenge established structures, you translate analyses and identified improvement potential into measurable and long-term sustainable results.

Responsibilities

To be considered for the role:

Meritorious:

Personal qualities:

About the process

The assignment is full-time (100%) with physical presence on-site at the company's facilities in the region. Start is immediate or by agreement. The assignment duration is 18 months. The last day to apply is November 10th, with interviews with the client taking place thereafter.

Are you available and have the right profile? Welcome with your application!

• Conduct fact-based current state analyses and map material, production, and cost flows to identify bottlenecks and efficiency potential.
• Lead and implement process optimization, practical Lean methodology, and continuous improvements across the business's production facilities.
• Drive, prioritize, and realize concrete improvement initiatives with a clear focus on productivity, cost reduction, and strengthening the bottom line.
• Establish and anchor relevant operational and financial key performance indicators (KPIs) in close collaboration with site managers.
• Evaluate and define requirements for the contractor model, analyze commercial agreements, billing, and performance, and prepare calculations for make-or-buy/insourcing.
• Develop business thinking around refined material fractions, optimize transport arrangements, and identify new sales channels with higher margins.
• Act as operational change support and strategic sparring partner to site managers and the line organization with strong indirect leadership.
• Document and establish standardized working methods to ensure internal competence building and lasting effects in daily operations.
• Ensure that all change initiatives and efficiencies harmonize with current environmental, regulatory, and permit requirements to ensure compliance.
• You have at least ten years of relevant work experience in change management, business development, and operational efficiency.
• You have documented experience in practical Lean implementation and continuous improvements within process industry, production, recycling, heavy industry, plant operations, or logistics.
• You have a very good ability to adapt Lean methodology to the practical reality of the business rather than solely theoretical models.
• You have strong financial and commercial understanding with documented experience in calculation, flow analysis, cost control, and profitability development.
• You have documented experience in leading change and creating measurable results by influencing managers and key personnel in an operational line organization.
• You are fluent in both spoken and written Swedish and English.
• Experience from raw material-based, material- and machine-intensive industry, such as recycling, waste management, aggregates, asphalt, or crushing operations.
• Experience in contractor management, contract negotiation, and development of billing and follow-up models.
• Experience with make-or-buy analyses and investment calculations for machinery and plant operations.
• Experience in conducting business development in environments with complex regulatory, environmental, and permit requirements.
• Experience in benchmarking and coordinating development work across multiple parallel units.
• You are unpretentious, attentive, and curious, with the ability to meet the organization at eye level and build relationships based on an understanding of the operational craft.
• You are courageous, persistent, and confident in challenging established ways of working, handling resistance to change with pedagogy and patience.
• You are practically and operationally oriented and thrive best in the actual operations close to machines, flows, and processes.
• You are analytical and structured with a good ability to translate complex material flows into concrete calculations and feasible action plans.
• You are business-driven and quickly see the connection between productivity, resource utilization, cost, and results.
• You are a communicative bridge-builder who moves effortlessly between strategic analyses with management and practical collaboration in the operations.

Project details

• Start: flexible
• Location: Stockholm, SE
• Languages: Swedish