Continuous Improvement Lead

Kerry; Northern Ireland; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading dairy company in Northern Ireland seeks a Continuous Improvement Lead to optimize business processes and implement Lean principles. The role involves driving service improvements, collaborating with teams for continuous enhancement, and managing change initiatives critically. Candidates should have a strong background in Lean methodologies, effective communication skills, and a results-driven mindset. This position offers opportunities for professional development and leadership in coaching programs.

Qualifications

• Proven background in Lean methodologies and continuous improvement.
• Experience in coaching and training.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.
• Effective communication abilities.
• Decisive, self-motivated, and results-driven.

Responsibilities

• Drive service improvement initiatives across the business.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Lead KPS/process improvement workshops.
• Identify and eliminate unnecessary complexity in business processes.
• Monitor trends and process variations.
• Develop and implement KPS strategy.
• Manage project risks proactively.
• Design and deliver coaching programs across jurisdictions.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews for opportunities.

Skills

Lean methodologies

Coaching and training

Problem-solving

Analytical thinking

Effective communication

Decisive and results-driven

Job description

We are recruiting a Continuous Improvement Lead to join our Dairy Consumer Foods team at Manufacturing facility in Portadown, where we produce cheese products for several of our brands. In this role, you will focus on analysing and optimizing business processes, implementing Lean principles, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Your objectives will include increasing efficiency, driving cost reduction, and enhancing overall operational performance. This will be achieved through close collaboration and interactions with onsite teams.

About Kerry Dairy Ireland

Kerry Dairy Ireland is a vertically integrated farm-to-fork business with a very substantial consumer foods presence and a leading nutritional and dairy ingredients division, delivering high-quality dairy solutions with a focus on sustainability and innovation.

With over 50 years' experience in milk processing, dairy and nutritional technology advancement, and product innovation, we are a key stakeholder in the global food industry and creators of a strong portfolio of market leading dairy brands.

Our Safety purpose: we work together in a caring culture where everybody goes home safe every day. We are committed to providing a safe working environment and ensuring that all safety protocols are strictly followed.

Key responsibilities

• Drive service improvement initiatives across the business using process improvement methodologies and innovative thinking.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders and cross-functional KPS (Kerry Production System) champions to foster a culture of continuous improvement and support ongoing change programs.
• Lead and facilitate KPS/process improvement workshops to generate ideas and implement solutions.
• Enhance value and efficiency by identifying and eliminating unnecessary complexity in business processes and promoting smarter ways of working.
• Monitor trends and process variations to establish a robust continuous improvement tracking system.
• Develop and implement a best-in-class KPS strategy.
• Own change initiatives from initial identification through to successful project delivery, ensuring alignment with internal governance and controls.
• Work closely with team members across all functions to deliver KPS initiatives.
• Proactively identify and manage project risks, offering solutions before issues arise.
• Ensure business impact, project objectives, and dependencies are clearly defined, tracked, and managed throughout.
• Design and deliver coaching programs and lead projects across multiple jurisdictions.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews to assess success and identify opportunities for future improvement.

Qualifications and skills

• Proven background in Lean methodologies and continuous improvement
• Experience in coaching and training
• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills
• Effective communication abilities
• Decisive, self-motivated, and results-driven.

Kerry is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Consistent with our policy of providing equality of opportunity for all, we are required to seek particular information from applicants.