Operational Excellence Manager

Tessenderlo, BelgiumFull-timePosted Aug 4, 2026

Position Title: Operational Excellence Manager

Location: Tessenderlo-Ham, Belgium

Work Model: 5 days on -site

Employment: Permanent

Come build something that matters.

It takes great people to achieve greatness. People with a sense of purpose and integrity. People with a relentless pursuit of excellence. People who care about making things better For Those Who Make The World™. Sound like you? Join our top-notch team of approximately 43,500 diverse and high-performing professionals globally who are making their mark on some of the world’s most beloved brands, including DEWALT®, BLACK+DECKER®, CRAFTSMAN®, STANLEY®, CUB CADET®, and HUSTLER®.

Ready to make your mark? Join our team at our European Distribution Center in Tessenderlo, Belgium.

The position: As an Operational Excellence Manager, you will be responsible for identifying, developing and implementing continuous improvement initiatives within our organization. In this role, you will actively contribute to increasing operational performance, making improvements more sustainable and strengthening a culture of continuous improvement within all departments.

You combine in-depth expertise in Lean and Continuous Improvement with a strong change management approach. In addition, you play an important role in strategic operational projects, including automation initiatives, translating operational needs into efficient and feasible process solutions.

You will:

  • Analyze operational flows, processes, and organizational structures to identify opportunities for improvement.

  • Optimize existing processes and tools using Lean and Continuous Improvement methodologies such as DMAIC, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, and Kaizen.

  • Leading and implementing Kaizen events and improvement projects within the organization;

  • Guiding stakeholders in the introduction of new working methods, standards and improvement processes;

  • Manage KPIs, monitor progress, evaluate performance and ensure the sustainability of realized improvements;

  • monitor and monitor identified savings and efficiency gains;

  • Manage the Lean roadmap and ensure consistent progress on priority improvement initiatives;

  • actively contribute to a culture of continuous improvement within all departments;

  • support change management processes to successfully implement and embed improvements;

  • take an active role in strategic operational projects, with a particular focus on large-scale automation initiatives;

  • analysing operational business needs and translating them into feasible and efficient process and automation solutions;

  • act as a connecting link between operations, improvement processes and automation projects;

  • Embedding improvement initiatives locally, with a focus on ownership, result-orientation and sustainable implementation.

About you: You are analytically strong, think in terms of solutions and get energy from realizing sustainable improvements. You combine operational insight with a strong people and change management approach and know how to take others along in change.

In addition, you have:

  • a strong problem solver mindset;

  • a planned, structured and accurate way of working;

  • strong organizational skills and the ability to set the right priorities;

  • a helicopter view, without losing sight of the operational reality;

  • strong communication skills and the ability to influence and get people on board;

  • a flexible mindset and high empathy;

  • the ability to work under pressure and remain stress-resistant;

  • a result-oriented and customer-oriented attitude, combined with strong ownership;

  • demonstrable experience in Operational Excellence, Lean and Continuous Improvement within an industrial environment;

  • thorough knowledge of Lean methodologies and practical experience with Continuous Improvement tools;

  • knowledge of the Toyota Production System (TPS) as a plus;

  • experience in a high-performance and process-driven environment; Experience within automotive or a similar mature operational context is a strong asset;

  • sufficient operational insight to translate business needs into process-based and automation-oriented solutions;

  • an excellent knowledge of Dutch and a good knowledge of English.

The details: We offer you a challenging and impactful position in a positive team environment, within a culture built on integrity, customer focus, respect and responsibility. You will be given opportunities to learn, develop further and grow internally, with plenty of room for autonomy and ownership in your role.

You can count on an attractive package of benefits, including:

  • a competitive salary package;

  • meal vouchers and eco vouchers;

  • a laptop and mobile phone;

  • a company car with fuel card

  • group insurance and hospitalization insurance;

  • 6 SBD days per year fully worked;

  • possibility of bicycle leasing.

And More: We want our company to be a place you’ll want to be – and stay. Being part of our team means you’ll get to:  

Grow: Be part of our global company with 20+ brands to grow and develop your skills along multiple career paths.  

Learn: Have access to a wealth of learning resources, including our digital learning portal.  

Belong: Experience an awesome place to work, where we have mutual respect and a great appreciation for a wide range of perspectives and experiences. 

Give Back: Help us continue to make positive changes locally and globally through sustainable business practices.  

What’s more, you’ll get that pride that comes from empowering makers, doers, protectors, and everyday heroes all over the world. We’re more than the #1 tools company. More than a driving force in outdoor power equipment. More than a global leader in industrial. We’re visionaries and innovators. As successful as we’ve been in the past, we have so much further to go. That’s where you come in. Join us!

We Don’t Just Build The World, We Build Innovative Technology Too.

Joining the Stanley Black & Decker team means working in an innovative, tech-driven and highly collaborative team environment supported by over 43,500 professionals in 60 countries across the globe. Here, you’ll get the unique chance to impact some of the world’s most iconic brands including STANLEY TOOLS, DEWALT, CRAFTSMAN, MAC TOOLS and Black + Decker. Your ideas and solutions have the potential to reach millions of customers as we work together to write the next chapter in our history. Come build with us and take your career to new heights.

Who We Are 

We’re the World’s largest tool company. We’re industry visionaries. We’re solving problems and advancing the manufacturing trade through innovative technology and our Industry 4.0 Initiative. We are committed to ensuring our state-of-the-art “smart factory” products and services provide greater quality to our customers & greater environmental and social value to our planet. We are unique in that we have a rich and storied history dating back to 1843, but that hasn't stopped us from evolving into a vibrant, diverse, global growth company.

Global Benefits & Perks
You’ll be rewarded with a competitive salary plus receive entitlements and benefits unique to your country of hire. 

What You’ll Also Get

Career Opportunity: Career paths aren’t linear here. Being part of our global company with 60+ brands gives you the chance to grow and develop your skills along multiple career paths.

Learning & Development: 
Our lifelong learning philosophy means you’ll have access to a wealth of state-of-the-art learning resources, including our Lean Academy and online university (where you can get certificates and specializations from renowned colleges and universities).

Diverse & Inclusive Culture:
We pride ourselves on being an awesome place to work. We respect and embrace differences because that’s how the best work gets done. You’ll find we like to have fun here, too.

Purpose-Driven Company:
You’ll help us continue to make positive changes in the local communities where we work and live as well as in the broader world through volunteerism, giving back and sustainable business practices.

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