Area Head - Operational Excellence

Published since: 10.02.2026
TRATON R&D is offering a role, starting as soon as possible, for the position of

Area Head – Operational Excellence (OpEx) (M/F/D)

TRATON R&D

TRATON Group R&D is the innovation and engineering backbone of the TRATON Group - driving research and development across the commercial vehicle industry, across our brands (International, MAN, Scania, and Volkswagen Truck & Bus). We are a global organization of around 9,000 employees working together to accelerate innovation, improve speed and deliver scalable solutions across the Group.
Operational Excellence (OpEx) plays a pivotal role in helping TRATON Group R&D work as one system - by shaping and evolving shared ways of working (Process and IT), process governance and enabling mechanisms that make cross-brand delivery more consistent, predictable and scalable. 

Position Details

What kind of position/job is this?
This is a full-time, permanent executive leadership role within TRATON Group R&D.

Where is the job located?

This is a global role. The role is intended to be based in one our TRATON Group R&D’s core hubs – Chicago area (USA), Munich/Nuremberg (Germany), São Paulo/Resende (Brazil) or Södertälje (Sweden). Depending on the candidate profile and business needs, other TRATON R&D locations may also be considered. We operate across four major core hubs and collaborate globally across time zones and cultures as a normal way of working.

Who will I be reporting to?

You will be part of the TRATON Group R&D management team, reporting directly to the Head of Group R&D.

About us

At TRATON, you are an important part of something bigger. Joining TRATON Group R&D means gaining access to the ins and outs of the entire transportation industry - working with colleagues across brands and regions to shape future technologies and solutions. As part of a global team of industry experts, you get to think bigger, experience more and reach further. Together, we have the collective power to transform transportation.
 

Your Tasks

As head of Operational Excellence (OpEx), you lead a team with the mission to build and scale world-class R&D capabilities across the TRATON Group. Your role is to strengthen how R&D works by developing efficient methods, modern processes, and digital capabilities that enable predictable, high-quality delivery across brands and sites.

To ensure that you will:

Translate R&D strategy, methods, digitalization, and AI into practical execution capability. This means ensuring that processes, standards, and digital solutions are not only well designed, but embedded in daily engineering work and widely adopted across the organization.
You lead and develop a global OpEx organization focused on R&D methods, governance, enablement, and selected digital capabilities, working closely with Group and Brand stakeholders to drive alignment and impact. You continuously evolve development ways of working and systems-oriented approaches—so they are pragmatic, scalable, and support both innovation and robust delivery.
A core part of the role is to leverage data, automation, and AI to improve R&D effectiveness, reduce complexity, and accelerate learning and decision-making. You establish scalable ways of working that enable seamless collaboration across brands and locations, while keeping execution clear and focused.
You shape governance and enablement models that support execution without adding unnecessary complexity, and you represent Operational Excellence at senior levels with credibility—building trust through clear priorities, practical implementation, and visible improvements in how R&D delivers.
 

Your Qualifications

We’re keeping this intentionally practical. There are multiple ways to be successful in this role and we value different career paths and perspectives.
You will likely recognize yourself in several of the areas below:

• You have senior leadership experience within R&D or product development in a complex, international environment, and are comfortable navigating multiple stakeholders, engineering disciplines, cultures, and governance models.
• You have led large-scale R&D enablement or transformation initiatives (e.g. development processes, operating models, systems engineering, quality/validation frameworks, or ways of working) where success depended on real adoption by engineering teams and measurable impact on delivery, quality, or time-to-market.
• You are experienced in leading broad development portfolios, balancing exploratory work, product commitments, and industrialization needs—setting clear priorities, managing technical and organizational trade-offs, and translating strategic ambition into a focused set of executable outcomes.
• You have experience leveraging data, automation, and AI to enhance R&D effectiveness—improving decision-making, reducing manual work, accelerating development cycles, or strengthening validation and verification.
• You bring a strong habit of turning frameworks into engineering outcomes, ensuring clear ownership, measurable progress, and sustained follow-through across large, multi-disciplinary teams.
• You communicate clearly and credibly in English (spoken and written), with the ability to engage both executive stakeholders and technical experts. Additional languages are beneficial but not required.

Cross-Brand Recruiting

By applying to this position, please be aware that we may share your application (e.g., CV) with relevant stakeholders across TRATON Group and its brands to enable a group-wide recruitment process.

Resume & Interview

Application and interview language is English. No cover letter needed.

Contacts

Patrik Neckman (Head of Recruitment, Group HR R&D)
Mobile: +46 737 26 94 09
Email: patrik.neckman@se.traton.com

Application period

Applications will be accepted until: 17.03.2026
We invite applications from leaders who meet the core leadership and experience requirements for this role. Success will depend on demonstrated ability to lead large, international organizations, navigate complexity, and translate strategy into sustained execution.

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