Senior Director APAC Operations

ACCOUNTABILITY :

This role is primarily responsible for collaborating closely with business leaders - across all Operations activities in the Asia Pacific region. The position is accountable for providing strategic leadership and support to ensure that manufacturing and production facilities operate safely and responsibly and in accordance with organizational goals. This includes driving operational excellence, fostering strong cross-functional partnerships, and ensuring compliance with all safety and regulatory requirements throughout the region.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide strategic vision for the Operations organization in Asia Pacific, ensuring strong engagement with regional business leaders and global leaders.

Set high-level performance expectations, establish ambitious goals, and drive the achievement of Operations results that support both regional and global business objectives.

Lead alignment between business units and Operations to ensure seamless integration and collaboration across functions.

Support and advance the implementation of world-class processes such as S&OP and partner review sessions to drive operational excellence.

Promote and uphold effective business practices for the region, facilitating strong relationships with business and corporate leadership.

Lead manufacturing operations:

Champion HSE&S compliance throughout all facilities

Achieve annual goals for cost management and project delivery

Advance initiatives that optimize operational performance

Manage assets effectively to enhance operational reliability

Develop talent to ensure a robust workforce that supports business growth by:

Establishing clear behavioral norms and expectations for the Operations team in Asia Pacific.

Translating corporate and global directives into relevant regional actions.

Aligning the Operations organization; continuing to define roles and responsibilities to empower employees and streamline workflows, while fostering collaboration with other departments.

Addressing challenges proactively and resolving issues promptly.

Providing targeted coaching at all levels within the organization as needed.

Implementing workforce planning strategies and developing succession plans and talent pools for key positions.

Championing innovative people management initiatives to achieve long-term talent development objectives.

REQUIREMENTS – EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS:

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or Polymer Science.

MBA or equivalent preferred.

Over 20 years of professional experience, including 15+ years in leadership roles within chemical manufacturing at multinational companies, with demonstrated expertise in matrix organizations and extensive exposure to Asia Pacific and global operations.

Proven leadership of teams and multiple groups.

Willing to travel about 30% (domestic and international).

Demonstrated success in operations, delivery, cost control, talent development, and business alignment.

The candidate shall have the following acumens:

Leadership

Ability to think innovatively, and develop, inspire, and share vision with the organization

Ability to influence and align the entire organization around common goals

Ability to manage conflict

Ability to coach and manage talent and implement strong retention practices

Execution

Be results oriented and drive strong performance

Possess strong planning and organizational skills to deploy and manage programs such as sales and operations planning

Possess strong chemical manufacturing experience and track records.

Strong delivery experience with integrating operations and sales through a strong S&OP process driven organization.

Relationships

Possess the executive presence, influencing and communication skills to be a peer advisor to the business and HQ organizations

Drive commercial alignment with operations

COMPETENCIES:

Driving Success

Commercial Acumen

Strategic Thinking

Drive Innovation

Global Perspective

Develop Talent

Engage and Influence