Production Area Manager - Painting

Want to shape the future of waterborne transport and join a world-class team?

Candela is the global leader in electric hydrofoil vessels. Since 2014, we’ve gone from building our first premium electric speedboat in a small Stockholm workshop to delivering game-changing vessels around the globe. The Candela P-12 is our latest innovation—the world’s first electric hydrofoil ferry is not just operating in Stockholm but is now attracting orders from around the world.

Our boats “fly” thanks to computer-guided underwater wings under the hull made from lightweight carbon fiber. The wings lift the vessel above the water, which results in cutting energy use by up to 80%, while offering zero emissions and a far better passenger experience than traditional diesel vessels.

And that’s exactly why we do this. Our mission is clear: to speed up the transition to fossil fuel–free lakes and oceans.

Now you can be part of the amazing team at Candela! We are now looking for a Production Area Manager to join our growing operations organization at our production facility in Rotebro. As a Production Area Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the Painting production area, combining operational accountability with strong people leadership. You will play a key role in ensuring a safe, stable, and efficient production environment while building engaged, capable, and high-performing teams.

The Painting team is responsible for transforming finished composite components into high-quality, visually flawless surfaces that define the premium experience of every Candela vessel. The work includes surface preparation, filling and fairing, sanding, priming, painting, and final finishing to achieve a perfect surface quality. Working at the intersection between composite manufacturing and final assembly, the Painting team plays a critical role in ensuring both durability and premium visual appearance.

What you'll do

• Lead, coach, and develop employees while fostering a high-performance culture.

• Ensure production targets are met in terms of quality, delivery, efficiency, and safety.

• Drive workforce planning, staffing, and competence development to support current and future business needs.

• Monitor operational performance and take proactive action to address deviations and challenges.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives through structured problem-solving and root cause analysis.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to optimize processes and ensure operational excellence.

• Create and maintain a safe, inclusive, and engaging work environment.

• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and operational standards.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a leadership role within a manufacturing or production environment, preferably within painting, surface treatment, or finishing operations.

• Solid hands-on background in production, manufacturing, or assembly operations, with demonstrated experience from industrial painting processes.

• Experience from industries such as automotive, marine, aerospace, commercial vehicles, rail, or other complex manufacturing environments where surface finish and visual quality are critical.

• Proven experience leading production teams in painting or finishing environments, with responsibility for driving performance, quality, safety, and continuous improvement.

• Experience working in a fast-paced production environment where priorities can change quickly and where precision, timing, and process discipline are essential.

• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with a proven ability to build engaged, skilled, and high-performing teams in a technical production setting.

• Professional proficiency in English, both written and spoken.

Nice to Have

· An engineering degree (B.Sc. or M.Sc.) in a relevant field is considered a strong advantage.

To succeed in this role, we believe you are:

A confident and approachable leader who is passionate about developing both people and operations. You build trust through clear communication, lead by example, and have a natural ability to motivate and engage those around you.

You thrive in a fast-paced environment where you can balance strategic thinking with hands-on involvement in the day-to-day business. You are driven by continuous improvement and enjoy identifying opportunities to enhance performance, efficiency, and team engagement.

Form of employment: Full-time with initial 6 month probation period
Start date: ASAP
Location/base: Rotebro
Team: Operations
Reporting to: VP of Production

Why people love working at Candela?
At Candela, we’re not just building electric vessels - we’re creating a whole new category of clean, efficient waterborne transport. You get the chance to work with cutting-edge technology, solving complex challenges, and seeing the results in action - sometimes literally, when we organize test rides for our newcomers! We’re a diverse and ambitious team of over 50 nationalities, united by a revolutionary spirit and kindness. That means we work hard, but always with humility and while having fun - whether it’s solving a manufacturing challenge, improving processes, or cheering each other on during Candela Months, our year-round calendar of bonding activities and events.

Recruitment process:
We aim to keep our recruitment process as straightforward and efficient as possible. As an international company with English as our corporate language, the entire process is conducted in English. Therefore, please submit your application in our corporate language as well. Kindly note that we cannot process applications sent via email due to GDPR so please use our career website for you application.

We welcome the opportunity to meet you!