SEARCH: Production Director – Vienna, Austria

Search overview

The company

Lindt & Sprüngli is a global leader in the premium chocolate market, renowned for its heritage of craftsmanship, product excellence, and operational discipline. Operating in more than 120 countries, the group combines brand prestige with industrial scale.

The Austrian manufacturing site in Gloggnitz (South Vienna) represents a strategically significant operation within the Lindt network, producing approximately 41,000 tons annually and generating over €500M in turnover. The site operates 24 production lines across 10 workshops and employs approximately 550 FTE, forming a core contributor to the group’s European production footprint

The search

The brief was clear: full operational ownership of production performance at scale, with accountability for cost, quality, service, safety, and long-term manufacturing competitiveness.

Reporting directly to the Industrial Director, the Head of Production holds responsibility for a complex manufacturing environment comprising 24 production lines, 10 workshops, 12 production managers, 35 team leaders, and 550 employees

Lindt - Company Profile & Role …

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The mandate required more than operational management. The successful candidate would need to:

• Define and execute the site’s production strategy aligned to group objectives
• Lead daily operational excellence while embedding continuous improvement
• Drive industrial investments and improvement projects
• Partner cross-functionally with Logistics, Technical, Performance, Quality, R&D, and HR
• Strengthen leadership capability and workforce engagement

From initial consultation, Melium identified that success would require a leader capable of balancing premium product complexity with disciplined FMCG scale — combining technical depth, Lean/TPM maturity, and strong stakeholder navigation within a high-performance cultural environment

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^{‍S-SCAP Tools Deployed}

• Operational maturity assessment (Lean, TPM, line performance depth)
• Cultural and leadership alignment mapping
• Leadership span-of-control and organisational structure review
• Definition of critical success factors and 24-month value creation roadmap
• Bespoke competency matrix (technical, operational, behavioural)
• Executive evaluation framework derived from S-SCAP inputs
• Value proposition positioning for premium FMCG manufacturing leaders
• Fully governed search project plan with defined stakeholder cadence

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^{Mutually agreed Search approach}

• Definition of measurable production KPIs and transformation outcomes
• Alignment on leadership behaviours required for 550+ FTE environment
• Competency matrix spanning strategic planning, Lean/TPM, industrial investment, and people leadership
• Creation of compelling value proposition to attract passive FMCG leaders
• Structured evaluation framework aligned to operational delivery and cultural fit

Execution

^{Research & Outreach}

Melium mapped high-volume FMCG and food manufacturing operations across DACH and wider Europe with comparable scale, multi-line complexity, and premium brand positioning.

The search targeted leaders who had:

• 5–10+ years in high-volume food/FMCG production environments
• Demonstrated Lean and TPM implementation experience
• Managed multi-layered production structures (managers + team leaders)
• Delivered improvements in cost, service, OEE, and safety performance
• Fluency in German and English, enabling site and group integration
• Lindt - Company Profile & Role …

Particular emphasis was placed on leaders experienced in managing industrial investments, product industrialization, and process adaptation within premium or technically complex food categories.

Melium defined a clear NORTH STAR profile: a strategic yet hands-on production leader capable of leading through structure, process discipline, and people development.

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Evaluation Criteria

1. Strategic production leadership and value creation delivery
2. Operational depth validation across cost, quality, safety, and service KPIs
3. Structured competency-based interviews aligned to industrial mandate
4. Behavioural and leadership assessment (span of control, cultural alignment, change leadership)
5. Stakeholder engagement capability across cross-functional departments

Melium delivered a fully benchmarked shortlist supported by structured evaluation reports and SWOT analysis against the agreed competency framework.

Result

Melium secured a Head of Production capable of leading one of Lindt’s most strategically important Austrian manufacturing sites.

The appointed leader demonstrated:

• Proven experience in high-volume FMCG production
• Strong Lean/TPM maturity and performance improvement delivery
• Capability to lead complex multi-line operations at scale
• Credible stakeholder management across industrial and functional interfaces
• A people-centric leadership style aligned with Lindt’s premium brand culture

The appointment strengthens the site’s operational competitiveness, leadership depth, and long-term manufacturing strategy within the Lindt Group.

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