APAC Manufacturing Director

APAC Manufacturing Director

Job Description

Join the team behind iconic brands like Huggies®, Kleenex®, Cottonelle®, Scott®, Kotex®, Poise®, Depend®, and Kimberly-Clark Professional®. At Kimberly-Clark, it’s all here for you—innovation, growth, and the chance to make a real impact. 

You’re not the person who will settle for just any role. Neither are we. Because we’re out to create Better Care for a Better World, and that takes a certain kind of person and teams who care about making a difference. Here, you’ll bring your professional expertise, talent, and drive to building and managing our portfolio of iconic, ground-breaking brands. In this role, you’ll help us deliver better care for billions of people around the world. It starts with YOU. 

About You

In one of our professional roles, you’ll focus on winning with consumers and the market, while putting safety, mutual respect, and human dignity at the center.

The APAC Manufacturing Director leads and transforms Kimberly-Clark’s IFP manufacturing network across the Asia Pacific region. The leader is accountable for safety, quality, cost, service, productivity, and capability across multiple mills. This role requires strong multi-country oversight and a significant regional presence (~50% travel) to guide operations, engage leadership teams, and ensure manufacturing outcomes support commercial, category, and customer priorities.

REGIONAL MANUFACTURING LEADERSHIP:

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across all regional manufacturing sites.
• Improve OEE, waste, safety, service, and cost efficiency across mills.
• Set long-term manufacturing strategy in partnership with VP Supply Chain and Business VP(s).
• Drive operational stability while preparing the network for growth, innovation, and portfolio evolution.
• Manage and provide leadership to ECM ( external contract manufacturing ) team to support innovation, localization, and capacity building.

SAFETY, QUALITY & COMPLIANCE:

• Champion a zero-harm culture and drive continuous improvement in safety performance.
• Strengthen quality systems, product compliance, and process capability.
• Ensure readiness for internal and external audits across APAC facilities.
• Lead deployment of safety culture programs, risk management, and regulatory compliance frameworks.

MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT:

• Lead implementation of Lean, TPM, Autonomous Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and precision maintenance.
• Accelerate digital manufacturing adoption, including MES, automation, analytics, and predictive technologies.
• Deploy benchmark-driven reliability programs and structured continuous improvement frameworks.
• Lead transformation initiatives focused on capability uplift and unlocking long-term value.

MULTI-COUNTRY OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT:

• Lead and coach Plant Managers across diverse APAC markets.
• Strengthen technical capability, leadership effectiveness, and talent maturity.
• Build a robust succession pipeline across critical operations roles.
• Standardize best practices and ensure consistent operational governance across all sites.

SUPPLY CHAIN & CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION:

• Collaborate closely with Procurement, Logistics, Engineering, Finance, Quality, HR, and Commercial.
• Improve end-to-end supply chain performance, service levels, and inventory health.
• Enable strong communication, engagement, and alignment across the region.
• Support customer-driven operational needs and market-specific performance expectations.

FINANCIAL & OPERATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Deliver annual targets for cost, cash, capital utilization, and productivity.
• Lead budgeting cycles, long-range planning, and rolling forecasts.
• Prioritize investments, asset strategies, and operational decisions based on value creation.
• Drive major efficiency, energy reduction, and cost-transformation programs.

BUSINESS ACUMEN & PARTNERSHIP WITH BUSINESS LEADERS:

• Serve as the primary manufacturing interface to Business VP(s).
• Support category strategies, commercial plans, margin improvement, and customer requirements.
• Ensure manufacturing capability and network configuration align with demand, growth, and innovation needs.
• Translate commercial and business priorities into operational execution plans.

Required Qualifications

• Proven multi-country manufacturing leadership experience
• Strong communication, people leadership, and influence across cultures
• Deep expertise in Lean, TPM, CI, or equivalent systems
• Track record of financial, operational, and transformational leadership
• Strong business acumen and the ability to partner with VP-level commercial leaders
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% across APAC

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in planning, logistics, procurement, or integrated supply chain roles
• Exposure to digital manufacturing, MES, automation, analytics
• Experience leading large organizational transitions or multi-plant integrations

Total Benefits

We believe that our employees are our greatest asset, and we're committed to providing them with the resources they need to be successful. If you're looking for a rewarding career with a company that cares about its employees, then Kimberly-Clark is the place for you.​

To Be Considered
Click the Apply button and complete the online application process. A member of our recruiting team will review your application and follow up if you seem like a great fit for this role.

In the meantime, please check out the careers website.

And finally, the fine print….

For Kimberly-Clark to grow and prosper, we must be an inclusive organization that applies the diverse experiences and passions of its team members to brands that make life better for people all around the world, which is why we seek to build a workforce that encompasses the experiences of our consumers.  When you bring your original thinking to Kimberly-Clark, you fuel the continued success of our enterprise. We are a committed equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification. Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position. 

Employment is subject to verification of local policies.

Primary Location

Thailand-Pathumthani

Additional Locations

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time