Continuous Improvement Engineer

Leonardo; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Recharge – up to 12 flexi-days

Pension scheme with up to 15% employer

Mental health support

Access to 4,000+ online courses

Flexible and hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo UK is seeking a Continuous Improvement Engineer in Edinburgh to drive cross-functional improvement initiatives across manufacturing and operations. You will lead projects using Lean, Six Sigma and Kaizen, analyse data to uncover bottlenecks, and coach teams on CI tools and methods.

You will develop KPIs, sustain improvements, and foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and accountability, while ensuring changes deliver measurable impact on productivity and quality.

Qualifications

• Experience in Continuous Improvement, Process Excellence, or Operational Excellence.
• Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt preferred.
• Excellent facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Analytical mindset with ability to translate data into insights.
• Track record of measurable improvements in efficiency, quality or cost.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional improvement projects using Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen.
• Analyse workflows and data to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for optimisation.
• Facilitate workshops and training to upskill teams in CI tools and techniques.
• Develop and track KPIs to measure success of initiatives.
• Champion a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and accountability.
• Ensure sustainability of changes across processes.

Skills

Lean

Six Sigma

Facilitation

Data analysis

Engineering degree

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

Kaizen

Lean Six Sigma tools

Job description

Job Description:

Our Continuous Improvement Mission

We’re on a mission to make excellence our everyday standard. As a forward-thinking organisation, we believe that both big and small, consistent improvements lead to extraordinary results—for our customers and our people. Whether it’s streamlining processes, reducing waste, or empowering cross functional teams to innovate and problem solve, we’re committed to creating a culture where progress never stops.

Your Impact

As our Continuous Improvement Engineer, you’ll be the catalyst for change—turning good processes into great ones and great processes into industry benchmarks. You’ll work across departments to identify opportunities, remove inefficiencies, and embed a mindset of innovation and problem-solving at every level. Your work will directly improve productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction, while making life easier for the people who deliver our products and services every day.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and coach cross-functional improvement projects using Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen methodologies.
• Analyse workflows and data to identify bottlenecks, waste, and opportunities for optimisation.
• Facilitate workshops and training sessions to upskill teams in continuous improvement tools and techniques. Developing an imbedded excitement and culture of CI in manufacturing.
• Develop and track KPIs to measure the success of improvement initiatives.
• Champion a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and accountability.
• Ensure the sustainability of our changes.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience in a Continuous Improvement, Process Excellence, or Operational Excellence role.
• Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt preferred), or similar methodologies.
• Excellent facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills—you can bring people with you on the journey.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into actionable insights, ideally qualified to engineering degree level or equivalent work experience.
• A track record of delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, quality, or cost reduction.
• Resilience, adaptability, and a passion for making things better every day.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you’re looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance : All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning : Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks : Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location:

GB - Edinburgh

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Onsite