Factory Manager

Life tastes better with ice cream

With 19.000 expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall’s, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry’s, loved in 76 countries, we are the world’s largest Ice Cream company leading the industry.

We create iconic ice cream brands that are part of everyday life, bringing moments of joy to millions of people around the world. Everybody loves ice cream. And as the world’s biggest pure‑play ice cream company, we have the scale and ambition to make a real difference.

What truly sets us apart is how we work.

We move fast and keep things simple. We turn ideas into action, trust people to take ownership, and work as one team to win together with integrity. Our culture is high‑performance, collaborative and focused on getting things done.

We’re curious and ready for what’s next. We embrace digital, use data to make better decisions, and keep learning, including how AI can help us work smarter and serve consumers better.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking an inspiring and results-oriented Factory Manager to lead our manufacturing site in Flen, Sweden.

This is a pivotal leadership position with full responsibility for the Flen factory, including safety, people, quality, service, cost, productivity, and long-term site development. The successful candidate will lead the factory through the next phase of growth, capability building and continuous improvement while ensuring outstanding operational performance.

Beyond the local site leadership responsibility, this role plays a key part in shaping the future of manufacturing across the region. The Factory Manager reports directly to the Works Director Manufacturing for Nordic, Baltic and Eastern Europe and is a member of the Nordic, Baltic, and Eastern Europe Manufacturing Leadership Team, working closely with factory leaders and regional functions across multiple countries.

The role combines strategic leadership with a strong operational presence, requiring an individual who is equally comfortable setting the long-term direction and engaging directly on the factory floor.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Safety, Quality and Compliance

• Build and maintain a culture where safety is the number one priority.
• Ensure full compliance with health, safety, environmental, food safety and quality standards.
• Drive world-class quality performance and consumer satisfaction.

Operational Excellence

• Lead all manufacturing activities to deliver agreed targets in safety, quality, service, cost, and productivity.
• Ensure efficient utilisation of labour, materials, utilities, and production assets.
• Drive manufacturing performance through robust daily management systems and operational governance.

People and Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop the factory leadership team and wider organisation.
• Build organisational capability and create a high-performance culture focused on accountability, engagement, and continuous development.
• Foster an inclusive environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute.

Continuous Improvement and Transformation

• Lead the implementation and maturity of the Ice Cream Manufacturing System (ICMS).
• Drive Lean, TPM and continuous improvement initiatives to improve factory performance and eliminate losses.
• Develop long-term plans for technology, capacity, and manufacturing excellence.

Regional Leadership

• Actively contribute as a member of the Nordic, Baltic, and Eastern Europe Manufacturing Leadership Team.
• Collaborate closely with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, Finance, HR, and regional stakeholders.
• Share best practices and support capability development across the wider manufacturing network.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Proven leadership experience within manufacturing, operations, or supply chain, preferably in the food, FMCG or consumer goods industry.

• Strong understanding of industrial manufacturing operations, engineering, and production technologies.
• Demonstrated experience leading large teams and developing organisational capability.
• Proven track record in safety leadership and operational excellence.
• Experience with continuous improvement methodologies such as ICMS, TPM, Lean, WCM or similar systems.
• Strong financial and business acumen with the ability to translate performance data into actions and results.
• Ability to manage complexity, drive change, and lead transformation programmes.
• University degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong communication skills in English, both written and verbal.
• Experience working in SAP and Microsoft Office is advantageous.

WHO YOU ARE

You are a visible and inspiring leader who combines strategic thinking with operational excellence. You create clarity, build trust, and bring people together behind a common purpose.

You lead with ownership, integrity and accountability while developing strong teams and a culture of continuous improvement. You thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy solving complex challenges and are passionate about delivering results through people.

Most importantly, you believe that success comes from empowering others, fostering collaboration and continuously raising the bar on performance.

WHAT WE OFFER

A critical leadership role within one of the world's most recognised and successful ice cream businesses.

• Full responsibility for a strategically important manufacturing site.
• Membership of the Nordic, Baltic, and Eastern Europe Manufacturing Leadership Team.
• Significant opportunities to influence business performance and future factory development.
• Exposure to an international manufacturing network and regional stakeholders.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Annual performance bonus opportunity.
• Wellness allowance and employee benefits programme.
• A culture where people development, leadership and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything we do.

Why join us?

This is a place for people who are passionate about ice cream and are growth obsessed - both for the business and for themselves. People who act like an owner and drive our business end-to-end. People who are driven by success to deliver more than we ever thought we could!

You’ll thrive here if you value an inclusive culture, with low ego and hierarchy - and if you’re excited to continuously learn and challenge how we work, using digital, data, and new thinking to push us forward.