Group Operational Excellence Department Manager

About the Company

Join Thai Union Group PLC, one of the world's leading seafood and food manufacturing companies. Every day, our operations feed millions of people globally through trusted brands and world-class manufacturing standards. With a presence across more than 60 countries and a commitment to sustainable, innovative food production, Thai Union is a place where your work creates real-world impact — from the ocean to the table.

Location: Thai Union Group PLC — Samut Sakhon / Bangkok (with up to 50% travel — domestic & international)

Workplace Type: On-site / Field. Travel Required: Yes — up to 50%.

This role reports to the VP / Director of Ambient Manufacturing & Supply Chain and has a direct impact on productivity and cost performance across multiple plants spanning AMEA and Europe.

Responsibilities

• Drive and sustain the CI and productivity improvement governance process across all TU ambient manufacturing plants — tracking KPIs, benchmarking performance, and ensuring end-to-end visibility from idea to implementation.
• Coordinate operational excellence methods, tools, and benchmark reports; provide an outside-in perspective to plant management and support select initiatives with direct expertise.
• Drive the Group's manufacturing network development agenda — manage projects that improve conversion costs and capacity utilization across all ambient plants.
• Facilitate the COE – Engineering organization to ensure Group-level governance of project management and engineering best practices; assist in large CapEx decisions with strategic impact.
• Establish a Group-wide Best Practice Repository covering SOPs, Work Instructions, and lessons learned across all end-to-end ambient processes.
• Build a network of CI / Lean / TPM experts across all ambient plants and bring the repository to life through e-learning or SC Academy formats to roll out training programs for SC and non-SC professionals.
• Work with the Internal Audit team to ensure alignment between IA and Operational Excellence, enforcing that best practices and guidelines are consistently applied across all ambient plants.

Qualifications

• Up to 10 years of experience in Operational Excellence, Process / Project Engineering, Lean Engineering, Continuous Improvement, or TPM.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field.
• Background in Food, FMCG, or Consumer Manufacturing is strongly preferred.
• Experience working in an international or multinational company (MNC) environment is required.
• Excellent command of both Thai and English — written and spoken.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 50%; own vehicle required for up-country travel.

Who you are

• A logical, initiative-driven thinker who structures complex problems and drives solutions end-to-end without waiting to be asked.
• An agile and influential leader who can drive change across multi-site, cross-functional, and cross-cultural environments — without direct authority.
• A strong communicator who can translate CI methodology into language that resonates with plant operators, engineers, and senior executives alike.
• Data-driven and benchmarking-oriented — you measure everything, and you use the numbers to drive the next improvement; a culture builder who builds capability that makes improvement self-sustaining.