Head of Business Unit Heating & Refrigeration Solutions

The organisation

GEA is one of the world’s largest systems suppliers for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors. GEA’s portfolio includes machinery and plants as well as advanced process technology, components, and comprehensive services. Used across diverse industries, the organization enhances the sustainability and efficiency of production processes globally.

With more than 18,000 employees, the group generated a turnover of more than 4.6 billion euros in the 2020 financial year. GEA plants, processes and components worldwide help achieve significant reductions in carbon emissions, plastic use and food waste. In this way, GEA makes a decisive contribution to a sustainable future, fully in line with the company philosophy of "engineering for a better world".

GEA is a matrix organisation and listed on the German MDAX and the STOXX® Europe 600 Index, and is also among the companies that comprise the DAX 50 ESG and MSCI Global Sustainability Indices.

As Head of Business Unit Heating & Refrigeration Solutions, your focus is on optimizing the Business Unit ‘Heating & Refrigeration Solutions’. GEA’s expertise in cooling and heating systems for industrial applications spans a wide range of industries. The organization provides high-end engineering solutions for food & beverage, dairy processing, energy, marine, and other sectors. Whether the requirement is for a standardized or a customized solution, leading companies worldwide count on GEA as a trustworthy partner to meet their requirements when it comes to efficiency, profitability, and sustainability.

The position

Are you a charismatic leader with 10+ years’ of international work experience as a (business unit) Director? Do you have the experience and the skills to build and execute a vision/strategy and bring the organization to the next level? Then we have an opportunity not to be missed!

We are looking for a Head of Business Unit Heating & Refrigeration Solutions for GEA. GEA is one of the world’s largest systems suppliers for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors, and aims to provide its customers with sustainable value creation and future-proof ideas for continued success. As the Head of Business Unit Heating & Refrigeration Solutions at GEA, you prepare the organization for the realization of this goal by steering the entities’ managing directors on a strategical and operational level. A fundamental role in which you carry out functional responsibilities for a business scope including 1,100 employees and an annual revenue of 300 million. If this matches your ambitions, find out more below.

Tasks & responsibilities

As Head of Business Unit Heating & Refrigeration Solutions, you are responsible for improving the global business performance. Internally, you steer (dotted line) the entities’ managing directors, with functional responsibilities toward 11 entities in several countries (mainly Europe). To steer the businesses successfully, you are also close to the operational business, dealing with different teams related to Sales, Service, Project Management & Engineering, innovation and Supply Chain. The main responsibilities among these entities are to optimize sustainability, realize co-creations/alignment, implement standardization, and optimize the workflows. By doing so, you establish operational-, project-, and customer excellence.

With your well-argued analysis and initiatives combined with your charismatic approach, you encourage teams and relevant stakeholders to challenge the status quo, resulting in the desired sustainable, continuous improvement. A fundamental role in which you report directly to the division CEO of GEA Heating & Refrigeration Technologies.  

In brief, you will be fulfilling the following tasks and responsibilities:

• Globally lead the business unit ‘Heating & Refrigeration Solutions’, allocate resources, and prioritize initiatives
• Develop and implement the business unit strategy with insights from customers, markets, and local country knowledge, and with a clear focus on sustainability, digitalization, and innovation
• Improve the Business Unit's market position and drive effectiveness and improve utilization of resources globally 
• Optimize organization structure, ways of working, and collaboration with entities to increase profitability and effectiveness among all countries
• Drive standardization, competence development, and collaboration among the entities

Candidate profile

We are searching for a Head of Business Unit Heating & Refrigeration Solutions with a holistic view: you are a strong leader who can motivate, inspire, and develop people. Likewise, you are a people manager who listens and collaborates. You also bring the needed amount of assertiveness to make tough decisions. In brief, you are a charismatic leader who can get things done. Furthermore, you bring:

• At least 10 years of relevant work experience with organizational practices across different job areas
• Experience with P&L responsibility in a similar business environment (matrix organization)
• Experience with project management and execution
• Expertise (and experience) in driving standardization and modularization in a matrix organization
• Expertise (and experience) in an engineering environment is a plus
• Expertise in Sales and Product Management
• Proven superior skills in international negotiation and contracting
• Excellent command of the English language

The offer

• Working for a progressive producer with a quality image
• A role with diversity and a progressive way to bind customers
• Lots of responsibility and freedom. A varied function in which you can make a difference
• Working at a financially healthy company
• An excellent terms & conditions package 
• Flexible working hours and workplaces, possibility to work from home
• A dynamic and inspiring working environment within an ambitious international organization
• The organization is growing and in full development, with room for own input and career opportunities
• An informal working atmosphere

Interested?

You can apply to this position by using the link below.