Overview

The role is to devise, implement and manage a continuous improvement program throughout our Manufacturing setting.

The Continuous Improvement Manager will actively train and develop teams to ensure they have the appropriate skills and tools to implement improvements and deliver a positive step change in manufacturing performance, ensuring that the departments run to their maximum efficiency with right first-time product quality and minimum waste.

This role will drive a positive culture change, by being visible on the shop floor, acting with energy and pace, engaging with all levels of the manufacturing team across all departments.

Experienced and capable of training and coaching individuals and teams in the use of LEAN and process improvement tools and techniques.

Assisting in reducing production operating costs whilst enabling world class customer service, maintaining high quality standards, and releasing production capacity.

An ability to influence at all levels and negotiate will be essential to success whilst collaborating with peers to support the entire business results focusing on Safety, Quality, Service, Costs, Innovation and People.

This role will be quite hands on as you will need to lead, influence, coach, encourage and support a varied team both in experience and competency to generate the right first time quality products, safely and efficiently. 

This role will be challenging, stimulating, and varied. 

It will enjoy a good level of autonomy and thus this role is for an experienced, self-starter who can create their own strategic direction, through liaison with the Manufacturing Management team.

A degree of flexability will be required as our factory runs 7 days a week, almost 365 days a year. 

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and manage a continuous improvement program - rolling it out across all manufacturing teams and functions focusing on every part of the journey from quick wins to excellence.
• Provide support and training for the front-line management team in addressing medium to long term issues, through the identification and resolution of root causes either directly or indirectly.
• Identify and provide collective solutions to potential issues within the manufacturing environment, working with and training staff as necessary.
• Analyse process capabilities and liaise with other support functions to ensure stability and consistency across all manufacturing processes.
• Drive continuous improvement through others across all manufacturing departments.
• Assist in creating a performance culture, motivating, and aligning all staff to a common goal of business excellence.
• Foreseeing, highlighting, and removing roadblocks to success, challenging beliefs, and questioning existing methodologies.
• Working through influence, acts as a principal agent for change, challenging existing practices by utilising, where appropriate, modern world class improvement tools, techniques and thinking.
• Make informed, data driven recommendations on improvement opportunities within the business. 
• Maintain all related improvement project tracking systems and provide timely information for the business in the form of updated reports and notice boards.
• Create and drive a pipeline of improvement projects and opportunities driving out costs through sustainable improvements, training staff where necessary in the appropriate tools and techniques required.
• Create and maintain a framework of tools and techniques that the site can use to drive operational improvements in conjunction with Group functions.
• Food Safety, authenticity, legality, and quality – focusing on factory standards and associated decisions, implementing, and monitoring corrective actions, closure of non-conformances and addressing customer complaints by improving manufacturing methodology.

Qualifications

Experience & Qualifications:

Essential:

• Significant experience in applying LEAN methodology in a FMCG production environment.
• Significant experience and thorough working knowledge of manufacturing FMCG environments- prioritising safety and quality.
• Experience of influencing and developing large diverse teams, delivering a right first-time ethos
• Demonstrable experience of working in a change environment
• Lean, Six Sigma certified (preferred)
• Experienced change agent, able to influence at all levels.
• Confident using digital systems and software
• Experienced in the effective deployment of Lean manufacturing tools – such as Standard Work, 5S, SMED, RCA, FMEA and Error Proofing plus Lean development of processes via DMAIC and VSM, prioritizing food safety and product quality.

Desirable:

• Experience of taking a leadership role within a management team and being able to demonstrate key achievements and where they have personally added value.
• A Black Belt qualification in Six Sigma.
• Experience of fast-paced customer-facing environments
• Experience influencing a large food production shop floor environment
• Experience working with business management teams across the organisation
• Experience of SAP/ ERP systems
• Industry qualifications in Health and Safety, Food Safety and Hygiene
• Management qualification
• Educated to Degree level, or equivalent, preferably in Finance/Engineering/Science discipline

Skills and qualities:

Essential:

• Adhering to principles and values
• Upholds ethics and values.
• Encourages organisational and individual responsibility towards the community and the environment.

Leading and Supervising

• Provides staff with development opportunities and coaching to achieve not only adherence to legal compliance as well as our policies and procedures but also their own career development.
• Motivates and empowers others to be the best they can be.
• Sets appropriate standards of behaviour.
• Promotion of culture where all employees are engaged and able to raise their suggestions.

Planning and organising

• Identifies and organises resources needed to accomplish tasks.
• Monitors performance against deadlines and milestones

Delivering results and meeting customer expectations

• Sets ambitious standards for safety, quality, and efficiency.
• Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction through liaison with internal and external customers.

Creating and innovating

• Seeks opportunities for organisational improvement

Desirable:

Deciding and initiating action

• Makes prompt, clear decisions which may involve tough choices or considered tasks.
• Takes responsibility for actions, projects, and people.

Analysing

• Probes for further information or greater understanding and produces workable solutions to a range of problems.

Adapting and responding to change

• Adapts interpersonal style to suit different people or situations.

Circumstances

This role will require occasional travel, both within the UK and internationally.