Operational Excellence Lead

Exclusive and Retained Search by Contego – Global Talent Solutions

About the Team:

This role is part of one of the company's largest global client partnerships, a long-standing relationship now entering an exciting new phase of transformation. As a member of the regional leadership team, the Operational Excellence Lead plays a vital role in delivering our Procurement as a Service (PaaS) proposition – ensuring that sourcing, supplier strategy, and operational excellence are closely aligned with client priorities.

Reporting to the Managing Director or Business Director, they work closely with Regional Account Directors, Account Directors, Performance Directors and Regional Sourcing Leads to develop and implement more strategic, insight-driven sourcing practices across the region. The team shares a common goal to raise standards, foster innovation, and generate greater marketing value through smarter procurement.

Purpose of the Role:

The Operational Excellence Lead is responsible for steering a forward-thinking, data-driven approach to production and sourcing strategy throughout the region. This role does not concentrate on daily operations but instead focuses on ensuring our sourcing and supplier strategies are continually optimised to provide greater value, agility, sustainability, and quality.

Operating as a subject matter expert, the Operational Excellence Lead collaborates closely with category leads, procurement, commercial, and account teams to discover more efficient ways of working. They proactively analyse supply performance, category trends, and sourcing behaviours to drive innovation and reduce risk.

This individual is expected to represent the voice of operational excellence and contribute to shaping a best-in-class sourcing and supply model. They help bridge global sourcing frameworks with local market realities and play a key role in influencing client strategies through a production perspective.

Key Responsibilities:

• Monitor and analyse supplier performance, category behaviour, and sourcing data to identify areas for optimisation
• Recommend category-level sourcing strategies that enhance value, quality, lead times, and sustainability, while also mitigating risk.
• Collaborate with strategic sourcing, sustainability, production delivery, and commercial teams to ensure supply decisions meet client needs.
• Stay ahead of market shifts, material innovations, and regulatory changes affecting production.
• Work with Regional Account Directors, Account Directors, Operational Team Leads and Performance Directors to help clients achieve their goals through more efficient production methods.
• Ensure regional production approaches stay aligned with global sourcing frameworks while accommodating local needs.

Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Exposure:

• Extensive experience in sourcing, production or procurement strategy, within a marketing or agency environment
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to turn data into strategic recommendations
• Proven ability to influence internal teams and client stakeholders, challenge existing methods, and suggest more effective alternatives.
• Deep understanding of production processes, supply chain dynamics, and sustainability considerations
• Skilled at navigating ambiguity and driving continuous improvement in complex, multi-market environments

Mindset and Temperament to Navigate the Role:

The ideal Operational Excellence Lead is both analytical and visionary – someone who excels at finding smarter ways to create value and is unafraid to challenge the status quo. They are solution-focused, commercially inquisitive, and constantly seeking ways to enhance production performance and efficiency. Their approach is rooted in operational excellence but always aligned with broader commercial or strategic outcomes.

They are confident in communicating with senior stakeholders, suppliers, and cross-functional teams, and are comfortable working independently while influencing on a large scale. Adaptability is essential – they know how to tailor strategies to different market needs without sacrificing consistency. Above all, they bring clarity, rigour, and integrity to the sourcing process, helping to raise the standard of performance across the board.

Any Specific Role Requirements:

• The role requires close collaboration with in-market and global teams – occasional travel may be required to supplier sites or regional hubs.
• Experience working in or alongside a production agency or marketing sourcing function is highly desirable.
• Fluency in English is required; additional regional languages are a plus.