VP Industrial Operations Engineer

VP Industrial Operations Engineer Overview

This senior industrial advisory role is designed for an experienced leader who can act as a trusted counterpart to defense-sector clients, especially plant managers, industrial directors, and chief operating officers. The position combines operational proximity, strategic influence, and commercial awareness, with the aim of helping clients accelerate industrial ramp-up and improve performance across complex production environments.

The role sits within a broader European approach and is focused on one or two strategic accounts and their highest-potential production sites. It is part of the ISP community and is supported by the Intelligent Industry Accelerator. The person in this role works closely with the global client partner and account teams, while also maintaining a privileged relationship with the relevant business lines.

What the role involves

• Serving as a senior industrial sparring partner for defense clients and helping executive stakeholders make better operational decisions.
• Spending regular time on site, typically two to four days each week, to stay close to production teams and the realities of plant operations.
• Supporting industrial leaders by sharing performance indicators, challenging assumptions, and helping shape decisions that improve execution.
• Coordinating delivery across multiple specialist disciplines and ensuring that complex, multi-expertise engagements are managed end to end.
• Identifying risks early, managing them proactively, and helping resolve trade-offs and arbitration points across the account.
• Helping create and structure business opportunities, including deal shaping and proposals that are focused on measurable outcomes.
• Contributing to the defense growth agenda by turning experience into reusable assets, strengthening knowledge capital, and supporting the wider industrial ecosystem.
• Promoting and expanding the group’s industrial services across the account through cross-selling of offerings from different business lines.
• Working with the global client partner to define an engagement model tailored to the client, including shared KPI ownership and a practical “skin in the game” approach.
• Supervising and growing the full industrial perimeter for the account, including production development, supply chain, quality, compliance, workforce topics, technology, data, and AI.
• Helping define account strategy with the sponsor and global client partner, and supporting executive-level conversations around transformation and ramp-up.
• Building trust with client stakeholders by ensuring commitments are realistic, validated, and consistently delivered.
• Contributing to a wider European deployment across France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Scope of the account

The role covers industrial services delivered across multiple business lines, including applications, consulting, engineering, digital, and related capabilities. It spans areas such as production development, supply chain management, quality and compliance, workforce management, technology, data, and artificial intelligence. The ISP is expected to help shape the account’s industrial strategy, support the CXO play, and maintain strong credibility with senior stakeholders.

What the company is looking for

• At least 15 years of substantial industrial experience in complex environments.
• Background in sectors such as defense, aerospace, automotive, or advanced manufacturing, with defense experience especially valuable.
• Prior consulting experience, either in a consulting firm or as an independent consultant, is appreciated because it helps with account-based advisory work.
• Hands-on leadership experience in industrial strategy and performance, ideally in roles such as plant manager, COO, operations director, or a similar senior field position.
• Evidence of improving industrial performance through actions such as cycle-time reduction, organizational redesign, planning-method improvements, make-or-buy redesign, industrial transfers, or supply chain redesign.
• Broad expertise in industrial organization and performance topics, including operating model redesign, Lean or Six Sigma, QRQC, continuous improvement, flow optimization, quality, maintenance, and logistics.
• Proven ability to lead or support ramp-up in difficult situations, including new line launches, product introductions, industrialization of complex programs, and crisis management involving delays, quality, or supply chain issues.
• Experience with industrial digitalization and Industry 4.0 topics such as MES, IoT, data, AI, and automation.
• Experience across multiple sectors, allowing the candidate to transfer best practices between industries.
• Deep and recognized knowledge of the account, built through operational assignments that are visible at COO, head-of-plant, or similar executive level.
• Strong relationships with senior stakeholders such as COOs, heads of plants, program directors, CIOs, digital transformation leaders, supply chain directors, technical directors, support management, and middle-management networks.
• Ability to present a clear vision for transformation or ramp-up, including roadmaps, strategic issues, innovation, and a shared future direction.
• Senior executive credibility, with a profile suited to manufacturing excellence, smart manufacturing, supply chain, and industrial ramp-up leadership.
• Strong field leadership, comfort with complex management situations, and a consistently results-oriented approach.
• Excellent listening skills and a strong understanding of operational issues as experienced by people on the ground.
• Confidence in acting as a sparring partner while remaining autonomous and accountable.
• Ability to work through complex client environments that include commercial challenges and competing priorities.
• Strong analytical thinking, clear communication, and a focus on delivering outcomes.

Employment details

• Contract type: permanent.
• Experience level: executive.
• Location: London, United Kingdom.
• Brand: Capgemini Engineering.
• Professional community: Manufacturing & Operations Engineering.
• Reference code: 497194.
• Posted on: 31 August 2026.

Applications can be started through the job posting’s apply process, including the standard application route and the option to begin with LinkedIn.

Degree Requirement: Not Specified

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