Managing Director Memmingen (f/m/d)

Planted combines proprietary structuring and fermentation technologies to produce meat from plant proteins, focusing on delicious taste, meaty and juicy texture, while only using clean ingredients. Planted is setting a completely new standard in the plant-based meat category, making it a healthy, delicious and sustainable choice for all. With the launch of our fermentation-based whole-muscle steak, Planted marks a major step forward in product innovation and takes clear category leadership in the evolving alternative protein space. We are building a food future that is not just an alternative, but an upgrade.

Since founding the company in 2019, we have built our first production site in Kemptthal, Switzerland, and recently opened a second production site in Memmingen, Germany, scaling our technologies to reach cost and quality leadership in the protein space.

As Managing Director for our Memmingen production site, you will guide the site towards stable and efficient operations for fermented products while reaching the required scale and establishing cost and quality leadership, building and sustaining the local ecosystem required for smooth operations. You will also act as deputy to the COO, supporting the further professionalization and optimization of Planted’s global operations.

The role is based on site in Memmingen with regular travel to our headquarters in Kemptthal, Switzerland and requires a valid work permit for Germany and Switzerland.

Your mission:

• You lead the Memmingen entity as Managing Director and build a high-performing team, fostering a culture of ownership, pragmatism and goal-oriented execution.

• You drive the Memmingen site towards stable and efficient operations while achieving growth, cost and utilization targets.

• You own the entity P&L and business unit financials while continuously improving business processes.

• You build and sustain the local ecosystem and partnerships required for smooth operations in Memmingen.

• You ramp up the factory, optimize factory utilization and drive factory expansion projects in line with market demand.

• You ensure robust work safety and health procedures across the site.

• You maintain existing and obtain new quality certifications in collaboration with the Quality team (e.g. audits).

• You support the definition and execution of Planted’s end-to-end operations strategy to enable international growth.

• You improve operational processes and systems (e.g. ERP) with strong interfaces to finance and commercial teams and a high level of automation.

• You help establish performance management across operations and track key KPIs (e.g. COGP, COGS, OTIF, inventory) to enable fact-based decision making.

You:

• Bring 10+ years of experience in operations and supply chain management, ideally within fermentation or food production (e.g. meat alternatives, meat, dairy or similar industries).

• Demonstrate a proven track record of P&L responsibility, including revenue and/or factory utilization ownership.

• Bring strong leadership and collaboration skills with the ability to build and lead high-performing operations teams.

• Have deep familiarity with production environments and experience leading operations teams through rapid scaling and significant efficiency improvements.

• Possess strong financial and analytical capabilities and the ability to implement, optimize and automate processes and IT tools.

• Bring experience implementing performance management systems within operations.

• Have experience with factory setup and operations, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing partner management, and scaling operations in an international environment.

• Demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset with a strong sense of urgency and a drive for operational excellence.

• Speak English and German fluently.