Interim Head of Production (m/f) – Plastics processing
Turn shifting priorities into a production routine your teams can rely on.
The assignment and starting situation
We are seeking an Interim Head of Production for a plastics processing company in the Saxony and Thuringia region. The focus is stabilising production management during a transition. You work closely with manufacturing leaders, planning and supporting functions. Success depends on identifying deviations early, assessing capacity realistically and explaining priorities in a way that can be put into practice on the shopfloor.
Your brief
Your remit is dependable leadership of the manufacturing areas in scope. You connect schedule requirements, staffing and equipment availability with quality objectives and clear coordination routines. You distinguish immediate disruptions from structural causes, helping leaders implement targeted actions and assess their effect rather than continually resetting priorities.
Your responsibilities
- Review production workflows and capacity constraints with the people responsible.
- Align priorities across schedules, quality, staffing and equipment availability.
- Strengthen leadership and collaboration in the manufacturing areas in scope.
- Implement process improvements and assess their effect.
- Hand over planning assumptions, management routines and outstanding actions.
- Analyse downtime and recurring deviations with the team, then introduce actions whose effect can be tested in daily production.
Your experience
- Production or manufacturing leadership experience in comparable processes.
- Experience in shopfloor management, performance measures and continuous improvement.
- Clear communication and the ability to lead teams under operational pressure.
- Business-fluent German, good English.
Your scope of responsibility
You work within an explicitly agreed mandate. Leadership scope, budget responsibility and decision authority are defined in the briefing. The title alone does not grant unrestricted powers. What matters is taking ownership, making decisions transparent and involving the appropriate stakeholders promptly when priorities conflict.
What should remain after your assignment
By handover, production meetings, escalation paths and shift handovers should function reliably within the team. The organisation receives a transparent view of constraints and a focused improvement programme. Ongoing work is handed over with accountable owners and next steps; activity lists without a clear effect are not enough.
Assignment arrangements
- Industry: Plastics processing
- Region: Saxony and Thuringia
- Start: At short notice by agreement
- Planned duration: 4–6 months
- Commitment: 5 days per week
- Working arrangement: On site in manufacturing
- Travel: Limited additional travel
- Engagement model: independent interim assignment. Commercial terms and the specific engagement are agreed before starting.
Working with DP
Dümpelfeld Partners supports selection and the assignment through personal dialogue. The client remains anonymous in the public advert. Apply with your CV and, if you wish, add your availability and experience from comparable assignments. No cover letter or account is required. We share your full CV with the client only with your explicit consent for that disclosure. Joining the talent pool is optional and is not a condition of this application. Contact [email protected] with questions about the role.
Frequently asked questions
How does this differ from plant management?
The focus is manufacturing and production leadership. It does not automatically include responsibility for every plant function.
Which shift pattern applies?
The specific shift pattern has not been established. Required presence and coordination with shift leaders will be discussed before starting.
Apply for this assignment
No account and no cover letter required. The role and reference number are included automatically.
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