Expatria Human Resources focuses on recruitments for international groups.
Our customer is a European large cap manufacturer (2bn+ EUR) of high-end B2B2C equipment, with manufacturing in 20+ countries globally, that has doubled its sales over the last five years. For this international and fast-growing group, we are now recruiting a
Plant Manager Eastern Europe (m/f)
Position:
Our client is looking for a results-driven Plant Manager for Eastern Europe to lead and scale their manufacturing operations in Jászberény, Hungary. This role carries full P&L responsibility and plays a pivotal role in delivering sustained financial performance, operational excellence, and strategic growth in line with company objectives.
As a key member of the Business Area leadership team, you will be accountable for all aspects of plant performance—from cost efficiency and output quality to agile workforce development — ensuring that operations directly contribute to the company’s bottom line and long-term success.
The position is based east of Budapest, Hungary. You will report directly to the Head of Business Area, based in Europe.
Key Responsibilities:
- Strategic and Financial Leadership
- Full accountability for the factory’s P&L and financial performance.
- Ensure cost and margin objectives are met for all products and identify/correct variances in a timely manner.
- Actively participate in pricing discussions with commercial teams to optimize gross margins on existing and tendered business.
- Collaborate with peers across the Group to maximize overall profitability and operational performance
- Operational Excellence
- Lead all plant functions including production, supply chain, quality, maintenance, HR, finance, and EHS – toward unified business outcomes
- Achieve daily targets in quality, cost, delivery, and customer satisfaction.
- Regularly review KPIs and lead the implementation of corrective or improvement actions.
- Own the plant’s continuous improvement plan, with a focus on productivity, inventory reduction, safety, delivery, cost efficiency, and capability optimization and development.
- Build and refine scalable operational systems and best practices to future-proof the factory against demand volatility and growth challenges.
- People and Team Leadership
- Lead a high-impact cross-functional team, providing direction, motivation, and accountability to deliver against strategic goals.
- Drive performance culture and capability development, including recruitment, retention, performance management, and succession planning.
- Champion employee engagement and create a workforce aligned with the company’s values, growth ambitions, and productivity targets.
- Cross-functional and Stakeholder Collaboration
- Actively engage with internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure cross-functional alignment and business continuity.
- Lead activities related to product launch management and cross-functional implementation.
- Execute special projects as assigned by the Head of Operations or Business Area leadership.
- Safety, Compliance and Transparency
- Ensure the provision and ongoing improvement of a safe, healthy, and compliant working environment.
- Build a transparent, inclusive, and accountable operations culture.
Qualifications:
To be successful in this role, we believe that you have the following required skills and experiences:
- 8–10+ years of senior leadership experience in manufacturing (preferably multinational), with demonstrated P&L ownership and delivery of financial KPIs.
- University degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field. MBA or equivalent preferred for strategic and financial leadership depth.
- Proven ability to drive end-to-end manufacturing performance, including production, supply chain, quality, and cost optimization.
- Demonstrated success in leading operational transformation, with hands-on experience in Lean, Six Sigma, or other CI methodologies that delivered tangible cost and productivity gains.
- Experience in scaling operations—from investment and capacity planning to building teams and processes aligned with future growth.
- Strong financial and business acumen, with the ability to link operational performance to strategic business outcomes.
- Expertise in building high-performance teams, rooted in accountability, engagement, and delivery of customer-centric results.
- Excellent influencing, decision-making, and communication skills, with a strong sense of ownership and urgency.
- Fluent in English and Hungarian (both spoken and written). Knowledge in German is a plus.
Key Personal Characteristics:
- Relentless results orientation and performance drive
- High business acumen with strong customer and quality focus
- Proactive and accountable leader with a bias for action
- Exceptional change leadership and communication skills
- Strong collaborator with the ability to build productive cross-functional partnerships
- Resilient and adaptable under pressure, with a growth mindset
Our client offers an interesting and challenging position with a high level of autonomy and responsibility. If you want to participate in the development of a continuously growing group with the support from a dynamic and dedicated team, then this position is for you!
This recruitment is managed by Expatria Human Resources. Please submit your application and CV here. Reference 25601PMEEXP.
