Managing Director Höganäs Sweden

About Höganäs

Founded in 1797, Höganäs is the world leader in the market for powders, with a yearly capacity of 500,000 tonnes. Höganäs’ vision is to drive positive change through material innovation, with the ambition of becoming the globally preferred partner for sustainable powder materials. At Höganäs, the company’s strength lies in its diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, and it is committed to gender diversity. The company collaborates with customers to innovate solutions for automotive components, electric motors, brazing, surface coating, welding and additive manufacturing. Operating 15 production centers worldwide and employing 2,300 people, Höganäs' turnover for 2024 was 11,826 MSEK. Höganäs is owned by Lindéngruppen and Wallenberg-owned FAM. www.hoganas.com. Höganäs is now recruiting a Managing Director for Höganäs Sweden AB, a new leadership role with full site responsibility for the operations in Höganäs and Halmstad.

About the role

As Managing Director of Höganäs Sweden AB, you have full cost and end‑to‑end operational accountability and also an overall responsibility for the Swedish legal entity. You report to the VP Global Supply Chain and Operations for the division Powder Metallurgy Technologies and are member of the Global Supply Chain & Operations PMT Management Team.

The role is central in Höganäs’ ongoing transformation. You drive improvement in operations to secure a strong foundation for safety, higher efficiency and improved profitability, while establishing a clearer local structure for site responsibility and key staff functions. Safety is a critical focus area and you take visible ownership of workplace safety and safety culture. The role is Sweden focused but with extensive interaction with other Höganäs sites and global functions and requires a high level of physical presence in Höganäs.

Your mission

You act as site owner and legal representative for Sweden, with overall responsibility for workplace safety, environmental performance and relations with Höganäs municipality, unions and other local stakeholders. You will lead and develop operations in Höganäs and Halmstad and oversee operational functions including production and manufacturing, procurement, logistics, supply chain and QES, ensuring that safety, quality, delivery, productivity and sustainability targets are met.  

Together with the global PMT Supply Chain and Operations leadership, you align manufacturing and supply chain strategies for Sweden with divisional and Group priorities and drive methods and metrics for operational excellence. You promote a strong safety culture and continuous improvement, while monitoring financial performance, driving cost optimisation and managing operational and supply chain risks

Experience and background

• Master’s degree in engineering, preferably in metallurgy, chemical or mechanical engineering, or in operations management
• Extensive experience in global, process or large scale operations, manufacturing and supply chain management, ideally within advanced process manufacturing sectors such as steel, chemicals or the automotive value chain, or adjacent process industries with continuous production
• Proven track record of implementing advanced manufacturing methodologies such as lean, with strong skills in change management
• Experience of leading large scale operational transformations, including safety culture and digitalisation initiatives, with concrete improvements in accident rates and safety behaviour in demanding industrial environments
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with experience in profit and loss management
• Understanding of diverse cultures and international corporate operations
• Comprehensive understanding of regulatory frameworks and technological trends in manufacturing and supply chain
• Proven ability to manage large scale budgets and drive cost optimisation and productivity improvements
• Experience in leading and motivating diverse teams, building a strong company culture and nurturing talent

Personal qualities

You have a strong drive to achieve results, keeping focus, and moving things forward in an accountable and effective way. You are a communicative leader with strong tactical thinking and the ability to look beyond immediate hurdles and support innovation. You are down to earth, unpretentious and create an open atmosphere where people feel comfortable contributing. You have the ability to translate strategic direction into clear, actionable tactics and remain resilient and adaptable in times of change. You act with high integrity, with a strong focus on ethical standards, transparency and accountability, and you are a visible and hands-on presence in the production environment who creates engagement and cohesion across plants and functions.

Application and recruitment process

In this recruitment Höganäs is collaborating with Novare Executive Search. Please submit your application with CV and a short motivation letter in English via the link in the advertisement. In your letter, briefly describe why the role as Managing Director Sweden at Höganäs attracts you, how you view the mandate and how you believe you can contribute to the continued development of Höganäs Sweden AB.

• The selection process starts after the application deadline. We will review all applications and provide feedback only after the last application date, which is March 1st
• We do not accept applications via email. Please apply through the link in the advertisement.
• We are unfortunately not able to answer questions by phone in this process. If you have questions, you are welcome to contact Helene Sköld (Senior Recruitment Consultant) at helene.skold@novare.se by email. Please note that it may take some time before we can respond due to the high volume of inquiries, but our intention is to respond to all questions received.