1370 Interim Plant Manager Hungary

About Our Client:

Our client is an international automotive supplier with a global manufacturing footprint and approximately 1,000 employees. The business serves leading OEM customers through multiple production facilities and is recognised for delivering complex structural automotive components within demanding manufacturing environments.

Following a period of rapid expansion at one of its Hungarian manufacturing operations, the business is seeking an experienced Interim Plant Manager to restore operational stability, strengthen leadership, and return the site to consistent delivery performance.

The assignment combines operational turnaround, organisational rebuilding, and execution of established group manufacturing standards within a high-pressure customer environment.

Project Description:

This is a hands-on operational turnaround mandate for an experienced Interim Plant Manager capable of taking full ownership of a manufacturing operation under significant delivery pressure.

The successful executive will stabilise daily operations, rebuild management discipline, improve execution across production and internal logistics, and create the conditions for sustainable plant performance while maintaining customer confidence.

• Assume full P&L responsibility for a major automotive manufacturing plant in Hungary.
• Report directly to the Group CEO and COO.
• Restore operational stability and recover customer delivery performance.
• Improve production execution, internal logistics, planning discipline, and shopfloor management.
• Strengthen the plant leadership structure and rebuild accountability throughout middle management.
• Drive operational excellence across production, supply chain execution, warehouse flows, and manufacturing processes.
• Implement and reinforce established group operational standards, management routines, and performance disciplines.
• Prepare the organisation for a successful long-term leadership transition while ensuring business continuity.

Interim Manager Required Skills:

You are a senior manufacturing executive who has repeatedly entered challenging plant environments and restored operational control under pressure.

• Experienced Interim Plant Manager or senior manufacturing executive within the automotive industry.
• Extensive background in operational turnaround, performance improvement, and manufacturing transformation.
• Able to quickly establish structure, priorities, and execution discipline across large production organisations.
• Strong understanding of production, logistics, supply chain, and manufacturing operations.
• Confident leading cross-functional teams across operations, quality, engineering, supply chain, HR, and finance.
• Pragmatic, resilient, hands-on leader with a strong presence on the shopfloor.
• Comfortable working directly with executive leadership while managing demanding customer expectations.
• Results-oriented with a proven ability to restore stability, improve operational performance, and build sustainable management capability.
• Fluent in Hungarian and English. German language skills are considered an advantage.

Key Requirements:

This mandate requires proven delivery in demanding manufacturing turnaround environments.

• Demonstrated success leading operational turnaround within automotive manufacturing.
• Proven Plant Manager experience with full operational and financial accountability.
• Strong track record recovering customer deliveries and stabilising complex manufacturing operations.
• Deep understanding of production, internal logistics, supply chain execution, and shopfloor leadership.
• Experience strengthening management structures and rebuilding operational discipline.
• Fluent Hungarian and English are mandatory. German is considered an advantage.

Type of Assignment:

Interim

Scope of Interim Assignment:

Crisis Management & Turnaround

Functional Area of the Interim Manager:

Plant Management

Location:

Hungary

Duration:

6-12 months

Start Date:

July 2026

Why work with us?

CE Interim delivers proven executive interim leaders within 72 hours across borders, cultures, and industries. We specialize in high-impact interim management for private equity firms, family offices, and global corporations facing moments of transition: digital transformation, market entry, operational turnaround, post-merger integration, or crisis.

What sets us apart is not just the speed or depth of our network, it’s how we lead. Every engagement is personally guided by a CE Interim managing partner: former CEOs, CFOs, or COOs who’ve been on your side of the table, steering organizations through high-stakes decisions.

With a global talent pool and operational reach spanning Europe, the USA, and the Middle East, we don’t fill roles, we build trust, lead transitions, and deliver outcomes.

As part of the Valtus Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of Executive Interim Management companies, we ensure seamless international execution through 25+ offices and 80+ senior partners in over 50 countries.

Executive Leadership Breaking Borders. Outcomes Without Compromise.