Chief Operating Officer

Our client, Darta Group is a reputed Belgian family company, founded in 1988, that has grown into a global player in the development, processing and commercialisation of fresh frozen products such as vegetables, fruits, herbs and ready-made (side) dishes. Strengths of the group are a family-centred framework with short decision-making processes, professional employees and a high-quality customer service and flexibility in a fast evolving market. It is in the group's DNA to keep investing in people, production technology and product innovation. Darta Group exports over 2.000 products to more than 70 countries. 1.200 people in 5 production plants in Belgium (HQ), the UK, Portugal and Italy. Darta works together with more than 850 farmers and the group fosters long-lasting collaborations built on mutual trust, respect and transparency with each and every one of them. Darta Group's leading position is based on their integral quality assurance approach, which is built around four pillars: systems, infrastructure, machinery and people. A focus on these pillars and continuous pursuit of improvement and innovation enables the group to cope with the increasingly strict legislation in terms of food safety and the ever-increasing demands from customers.

To support the group's continued European expansion and strengthen its overall operational leadership, Darta as a pivotal position available for an :

International Chief Operating Officer
Reporting directly to the co-CEO's, you will hold a dual operational mandate combining the daily management of the Ardooie HQ plant with group-wide COO leadership. Driving operational excellence in HQ, ensuring reliable performance, strong service levels, quality and safety. • Overseeing all European plants, guiding Plant Managers and steering Production, Packaging, Supply Chain Operations and Planning while harmonising processes and performance standards across the entire production network. • Owning and implementing a group-wide operational strategy embedding 'customer intimacy' in all workflows and ensuring ownership, responsiveness, service quality and long-term partnership thinking across all plants. • Leading cost-efficiency initiatives and change and improvement programmes, shaping a structured project management culture and fostering best-practice sharing between sites.• Managing budgets, resources and investment proposals, safeguarding financial discipline and ensuring optimal use of assets within the framework of the group’s long-term strategic plan. • Fostering and strengthening cross-functional and interdepartmental collaboration, while championing organisational learning and encouraging teams to adopt innovative ideas, new technologies and more sustainable operating methods.

At least 10 years’ senior operational leadership experience in a multi-site production environment with international exposure. The ideal candidate combines vision with strong execution capacity and excels in building trust within a family-owned organisation. • Proven ability to lead several plants through Plant Managers, harmonising processes while respecting local realities. • Strong people leadership, able to motivate teams across countries and create clarity, ownership and accountability. • Experienced in change management, continuous improvement, organisational alignment and structured execution. • Solid financial acumen : budgets, operational KPIs, investments and performance follow-up. • Adaptable and culturally aware, essential for steering a diverse European production network. • Fluent in Dutch and English, both spoken and written; knowledge of other languages (Italian, Spanish or Portuguese) is a plus.