Head of Factory - Hellmann's Mayo

Earlier this year, Unilever announced an agreement to separate our Foods business. Our Foods business, including brands such as Hellmann's and Knorr, will join forces with McCormick to become a global flavor leader, with leading positions across spices, seasonings, condiments and complementary food categories, supported by a strong retail and foodservice platform. McCormick has 135+ years of heritage, a presence in 150+ countries and territories, and a portfolio of trusted brands. The transaction remains subject to consultation, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions with a targeted deal close of mid-2027.

North America, particularly the United States, is a critical market for the Foods Business Group. Both our Condiments and Cooking Aids & Mini Meals verticals are the largest in the Foods business, together doing 2b EUR in annual turnover.  It is home to Hellmann's, Knorr and Unilever Food Solutions.  These ‘power’ brands are brought to life every day for consumers either digitally, in store or in restaurant.  In addition to an E2E go-to-market Supply Chain team, we also operate three factories in North America.

JOB PURPOSE

The Factory Director plays a pivotal role in driving operational excellence across the site, ensuring all manufacturing activities align with agreed standards and deliver on key financial and customer service goals. This leader is accountable for achieving site targets in service, cost, productivity, quality, innovation, OSHE, and employee engagement. As the head of the local management team, the Factory Director champions the implementation and sustainability of supply chain and category strategies. These include safety, quality, World Class Manufacturing, employee relations, performance management, and talent development. A vital member of the broader supply chain leadership team, the Factory Director fosters a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration—leading the development and sharing of best practices across the network to elevate performance and capability.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

As the site leader, you will execute annual operational and financial plans to meet and exceed targets across service, cost, productivity, quality, innovation, and Safety, Health & Environment (SHE). You’ll also shape the long-term strategic direction of the site by advising Regional Category and Supply Chain teams on future-focused initiatives. You will champion a culture of Continuous Improvement—driving innovation not only in products but also in ways of working, cost and service models, and supply chain design. This includes partnering with the Category Technology team to implement capital investments that support production, quality, safety, environmental, and cost objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Maintain technical standards across all manufacturing and non-manufacturing assets to ensure optimal customer service at the best cost.
• Lead factory operations to deliver production plans with the right quality, while optimizing labor, energy, and material usage.
• Drive effective Working Capital management and deliver inventory targets in collaboration with Regional Category Planning and Supply Management Directors.
• Manage local stakeholder relationships and community engagement in alignment with Unilever’s policies.
• Ensure full compliance with all Unilever governance and policy requirements.
• Lead integration and collaboration initiatives across the extended supply chain to enhance synergy and performance.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Chemical engineering, Industrial engineering, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years in a Supply Chain role (Manufacturing, Technology, EHS, Quality).
• Minimum 3 years working in a role leading an entire factory, preferably at the Site Director level.
• Experience in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) is strongly preferred.

Skills:

• You’re a natural leader: You’ll take charge of deploying and implementing HR policies across the site, with a strong focus on fostering positive employee relations and a high-performance culture.

• You’re a strategic visionary: You’ll shape and drive the site’s long-term roadmap—including restructuring, re-engineering, and retrofitting initiatives—in alignment with the VP of Supply Chain Category. You’ll also lead the prioritisation and planning of resource development and deployment.

• You’re a connector of dots: You’ll oversee and align quality management systems with established QA procedures, ensuring seamless coordination across functions.

• You’re a culture and change catalyst: You’ll champion World Class Manufacturing (WCM) by leading the Manufacturing Excellence Steering Committee, inspiring teams to embrace continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Pay: The pay range for this position is $227,700 to $398,475 Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.  

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.  

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible.  

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents  

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