VP, Operations Europe

Role summary

The Vice President Operations, Europe leads and optimizes Americold’s operational performance across Europe, with a strong emphasis on supporting food retail customers. This role requires deep experience in multi-temperature logistics, grocery/food retail distribution, and high-velocity operational environments. The VP drives operational excellence, strengthens customer partnerships, and ensures Americold’s European network delivers consistent, efficient, and high-quality service. Preferred candidate locations include Spain and the Netherlands.

Key responsibilities

Operational excellence and efficiency

• Lead optimization of warehousing and transportation operations, focusing on food retail service requirements.
• Implement operational standards and best practices for high-throughput, multi-temperature environments.
• Use data, automation, and continuous improvement to enhance productivity, reduce waste, improve site contribution, reduce shrinkage, and strengthen operational discipline.

Leadership and team development

• Lead Directors of Operations across Europe, ensuring alignment with global operating models.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen leadership capability through coaching and succession planning.

Customer focus and growth

• Partner with commercial teams to align operations with food retail customer needs.
• Build strong relationships with grocery retailers and food producers.
• Support business development by shaping operational solutions for new and existing customers.

Financial and operational performance

• Own the P&L for the European region.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance.
• Monitor KPIs related to service, safety, quality, productivity, and cost.

Strategic planning and market expansion

• Develop long-term operational strategies supporting Americold’s growth in Europe.
• Identify opportunities for network optimization, automation, and capacity expansion.
• Evaluate new technologies and innovations relevant to food retail logistics.

Change management and continuous improvement

• Lead transformation initiatives that improve performance and standardization.
• Embed Lean and continuous improvement practices across Operations.
• Ensure effective communication and change adoption.

Sustainability and compliance

• Ensure compliance with regulations and Americold policies.
• Strengthen safety culture and adherence to food safety and temperature-control requirements.
• Support sustainability initiatives aligned with Americold’s ESG goals.

Qualifications & experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred.
• Preferred fields: Supply Chain Management, Logistics Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, or Business Administration with a supply chain focus.
• Minimum 12 years in operations or supply chain leadership, including 5 years in senior multi-site roles.
• Strong background in food retail logistics, grocery distribution, cold-chain operations, or FMCG supply chains.
• Experience leading operations across multiple European countries, ideally Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, UK and others.
• Proven P&L ownership.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong operational leadership with strategic capability.
• Deep understanding of food retail service requirements.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making.
• Experience with automation, WMS/TMS, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

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