Continuous Improvement Lead

Safran Group; Cwmbran; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Safran in the UK (Wales) is seeking a Continuous Improvement Lead to drive an effective improvement journey across the organisation. You will lead project teams, engage business leaders, and analyse performance to implement tangible improvements.

You will champion change, motivate teams, and ensure governance of improvement projects. This role suits a seasoned CI professional with Lean/ Six Sigma expertise, Black Belt preferred.

Qualifications

• Six-sigma methodologies.
• Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement tools.
• A Black Belt qualification is essential with proven leadership in driving improvement projects across a business.
• Able to act as a change agent with the courage to champion improvement within the business with the ability to motivate others to achieve results.
• Demonstrable CI project delivery experience within a production/manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Continuous Improvement (CI): Lead project teams to deliver business improvements through the deployment of tool.
• Work with business leaders to undertake continual analysis of our operations, to expose opportunities for change & improvement.
• Drive continuous improvement within the business and identify opportunities for improvement including deployment of Balanced scorecard, One Safran, Customer Improvement projects, Lean Journey & QRQC.
• Analyse and monitor financial and customer benefits throughout the life of improvement projects.

Skills

Six Sigma

Lean Manufacturing

Black Belt

Change Management

CI Projects

Job description

Continuous Improvement Lead

Vacancy details

General information

Entity

Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.

Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazine's "World's Best Companies 2025" ranking.

With more than one million seats installed across the fleets of the world's leading airlines, Safran Seats is one of the global leaders in passenger, crew, aircraft and helicopter seating, delivering innovative, high value-added solutions.

Reference

2026-181386

Position description

Domain

Performance and Support

Job field / Job profile

Continuous improvement - Improvement and/or transformation project management - BB/MBB

Job title

Continuous Improvement Lead

Employment type

Permanent

Professional category

Professional, Engineer & Manager

Part time / Full time

Full-time

Job description

As Continuous Improvement Lead, you'll be responsible for leading and coaching the organisation in driving an effective improvement journey. You'll actively lead teams and engage business leaders to analyse performance, determine processes and tools, and drive the projects and governance to implement tangible improvements.

You'll become a change agent with the courage to champion improvement within the business with the ability to motivate others to achieve results.

Key responsibilities

• Continuous Improvement (CI):
• Lead project teams to deliver business improvements through the deployment of tool
• Work with business leaders to undertake continual analysis of our operations, to expose opportunities for change & improvement
• Drive continuous improvement within the business and identify opportunities for improvement including deployment of Balanced scorecard, One Safran, Customer Improvement projects, Lean Journey & QRQC
• Analyse and monitor financial and customer benefits throughout the life of improvement projects

Problem Solving Capability

• Work with the Director of CI to determine the tools required & scope of CI Training across the business
• Create, organise and deliver training to the targeted scope
• Coach Project Sponsors and Leaders to enable the delivery of successful project implementation

Drive Plant / Business Unit Improvement Workstreams

• Lead teams in analysing data and determining the key activities that will reduce the defects or increase flow
• Use of Value-Stream Mapping to determine production bottle necks and leading the team to address the issues found
• Communicate the progress to both internal and external customers and influence the leadership team to ensure support to drive workstreams to closure
• Accountable for governance of improvement projects and activities

But what else? (benefits, specificities, etc.)

Here, we craft excellence together.

Why Safran?

• A global presence: Be part of a global aerospace, defence & space business with over 100,000 Colleagues, across 300 sites in 30 countries.
• Inclusive & empowering environment: We celebrate our differences and believe they make us stronger. We know that a fulfilling work environment is a key driver for innovative ideas and team success.
• Innovation at the core: Join our mission to decarbonise aerospace and make the world a safer place. Your ambitions can take us further.
• Mobility & training opportunities: We can support your ambitions with training, development, a personalised career plan and mobility opportunities. If you have big dreams, we'll support you to make them a reality.
• A culture of excellence: Join a team that values collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement. Whatever your background, together we aim for excellence.

Get involved

We also have a number of groups and forums across our sites that you can get involved with, including Women at Safran, Diversity at Safran, Sports Clubs, STEM ambassadors, Employee Forum, Charity Partnerships and Wellbeing Programs.

Candidate skills & requirements

What You'll Bring

As Continuous Improvement Lead, you'll bring a wide range knowledge and experience of problem solving, including:

• Six-sigma methodologies
• lean manufacturing and continuous improvement tools
• A Black Belt qualification is essential with proven leadership in driving improvement projects across a business
• Able to act as a change agent with the courage to champion improvement within the business with the ability to motivate others to achieve results.
• Demonstrable CI project delivery experience within a production/manufacturing environment

At Safran, we understand that diversity and inclusion make teams stronger and more effective, and as an organisation, we are committed to fair and equitable employment practices for everyone.

We also know that some candidates may be put off applying for jobs where they don't meet 100% of the criteria outlined in the advert, however, we encourage anybody to apply if you can demonstrate a variety of skills and experience relevant to the requirements of this role.

Please let us know if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the application or hiring process that may better facilitate your participation.

Position location

Job location

Europe, UK, Wales

City (-ies)

Llantarnam Industrial Park NP44 3HQ Cwmbran