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Directeur(trice) QHSE, RSE & Excellence Opérationnelle

LIMAGRAIN EUROPE • France • Added on Jul 31, 2026
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This leadership position oversees the convergence of operational excellence, quality, and sustainability across the European business unit. You will lead a dedicated team to structure and harmonize performance frameworks, ensuring that industrial efficiency and safety standards are deeply integrated into every site’s daily operations. By managing the European RSE roadmap, you turn high-level corporate goals into actionable local improvements.

Working for a major agricultural cooperative means your efforts directly influence the future of food systems. The role is critical because it bridges the gap between industrial productivity and regenerative agricultural values, ensuring that the environmental footprint of seed production is minimized while safety and quality remain uncompromised. It is a rare chance to steer a large-scale transformation where social responsibility is a core business driver.

This suits someone who is a strategic thinker with a Black Belt mindset, capable of navigating a complex international matrix. You should have a proven track record in industrial environments and the natural authority to inspire diverse teams toward a shared vision of sustainable excellence.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

As the Director for QHSE and Operational Excellence, your primary mission is to harmonize European standards across various sites. You will be responsible for defining the common framework for operational excellence, ensuring that continuous improvement practices are not just implemented but sustained through a dedicated community of practice. Beyond efficiency, you will lead the safety strategy for the region, aiming to reduce risks and foster a robust safety culture. You are also the custodian of the CSR roadmap, translating corporate sustainability targets into tangible actions within the supply chain and production facilities, all while overseeing a team of eight professionals.

Key learning opportunities for this job

This role offers significant exposure to the intricacies of the seed industry, a sector at the intersection of biotechnology and traditional agriculture. You will deepen your expertise in large-scale transformation management within a cooperative model, which operates differently than traditional corporate structures. Furthermore, you will have the chance to refine your Lean Six Sigma application at a strategic European level. The position provides a unique vantage point on how sustainability (CSR) is integrated into industrial operations, offering a masterclass in change management and stakeholder influence across multiple borders and cultures.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal candidate brings at least 8 years of experience in industrial environments, specifically in QSE or continuous improvement. A Master’s degree in engineering or a related field is essential, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is highly regarded for this specific scope. Success in this role requires a blend of technical expertise and soft leadership skills. You must be comfortable working in a matrix organization, possessing the linguistic ability to communicate fluently in both French and English. A collaborative spirit and the ability to federate teams around common goals are your most important assets.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, emphasize your experience in multi-site international management. Limagrain values its agricultural roots and cooperative identity, so demonstrating an understanding of how industrial excellence serves the farming community will resonate strongly. Highlight specific examples where you led a transformation that improved both efficiency and safety. Prepare to discuss your CSR experience analytically. Since this role combines operational excellence with sustainability, show how you have previously used data-driven continuous improvement methodologies to achieve environmental or social goals. Alignment with the group's long-term agricultural vision is key.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The role focuses heavily on the operationalization of the CSR roadmap. This involves ensuring that production sites adhere to environmental standards, reducing waste through Lean methodologies, and improving the social aspects of the workplace, particularly through safety and employee well-being. You will likely interact with projects regarding the decarbonization of industrial activities and the sustainability of seed production processes. As part of a cooperative, there is also a strong focus on the governance and social value created for farmer-members, ensuring the business remains resilient and responsible.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

One of the primary challenges is standardizing practices across diverse European subsidiaries that may have different local cultures and maturity levels. Balancing the immediate demands of operational efficiency with the long-term requirements of the CSR strategy can also create tension that requires careful negotiation. Additionally, driving a culture shift toward safety and continuous improvement in a well-established industrial setting requires persistence. You will need to manage the complexity of a matrix environment, where influencing without direct hierarchical authority over every local site is a daily necessity.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day involves a mix of strategic planning and team management. You might start with a review of safety indicators across European sites, followed by a meeting with the Head of BSA Europe to align on the operational excellence roadmap. Mid-day might be spent coaching your team members or leading a virtual workshop for the European excellence community. Afternoons are often dedicated to cross-functional coordination, perhaps meeting with HR or local site managers to discuss the deployment of new CSR initiatives. Your day is characterized by high-level communication, moving between technical quality discussions and broader strategic organizational transformation topics.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

Growth in this role is significant due to its high visibility within the European leadership team. Success here can lead to more senior executive roles within the global Limagrain group, either in operations, supply chain, or dedicated sustainability leadership. The breadth of the role—spanning quality, safety, and CSR—makes you a versatile leader. You could transition into Global Head of Sustainability or lead larger industrial business units, benefiting from the diverse skill set developed by managing such a comprehensive portfolio across multiple countries.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

Your most frequent interaction is with the Head of BSA Europe, to whom you report. You will also work closely with local site managers and functional leaders across the 20 subsidiaries to ensure the implementation of QEHS and CSR standards. External stakeholders may include regulatory bodies and auditors related to quality and environmental compliance. Internally, you will collaborate with the Direction of Talents and Human Resources to drive the cultural and organizational changes necessary for the success of your excellence and safety programs.

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