Continuous Improvement Lead

Slingsby Advanced Composites Ltd; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Slingsby Advanced Composites Ltd is seeking a Continuous Improvement Lead for our Kirkbymoorside facility. You will drive Lean and Six Sigma initiatives, map end-to-end composite manufacturing processes, and lead Kaizen events to reduce lead times and waste.

Reporting to the Head of Production, you will mentor cross-functional teams on problem-solving and maintain AS9100 and NADCAP standards while optimizing workflows across our aerospace-focused operations.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Materials Engineering
• Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification
• Experience 3+ years in manufacturing process improvement
• Experience within an aerospace or composite environment
• Process mapping, VSM, 5S, and structured root cause tools
• Familiarity with NADCAP/AS9100 and ERP systems
• Strong stakeholder management and workshop facilitation
• Ability to influence and mentor cross-functional production cells

Responsibilities

• Drive continuous improvement and eliminate production waste across the Kirkbymoorside facility
• Lead Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives to enhance throughput
• Reduce budgeted production hours and ensure compliance with AS9100 and NADCAP standards
• Collaborate with team leaders, laminators, autoclave technicians, and assembly teams
• Map end-to-end manufacturing lifecycles to identify bottlenecks
• Coach and mentor production teams to embed problem-solving culture on the shop floor

Skills

Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt

Process mapping

Value Stream Mapping

5S

Root cause analysis tools

Stakeholder management

Workshop facilitation

Mentoring cross-functional teams

Education

Degree or equivalent in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Materials Engineering

Tools

ERP systems

NADCAP/AS9100 familiarity

Job description

Ings Lane, Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, YO62 6EZ United Kingdom

Continuous Improvement Lead Kirkbymoorside 45000

Role Overview

The CI Lead drives continuous improvement, eliminates production waste, and optimizes advanced composite manufacturing workflows across our 12,000 m² Slingsby Advanced Composites Facility, based in Kirkbymoorside. Reporting directly to the Head of Production, you will lead Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives to enhance throughput, reduce budgeted production hours, and ensure compliance with strict aerospace and defence standards. This hands-on role collaborates directly with team leaders, composite laminators, autoclave technicians, and assembly teams to champion a proactive problem-solving culture on the shop floor.

Core Responsibilities

• Process Mapping & Bottleneck Analysis: Map end-to-end composite manufacturing lifecycles—from prepreg layups and autoclave curing to CNC machining and coating to identify and eliminate production bottlenecks.
• Work alongside the production team and engineering team to streamline the manufacturing processes and or techniques to remove complexities and reduce build times.
• Lean Tool Application: Design and facilitate Kaizen events, 5S workplace visual management, and Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to improve lead times and optimize material handling.
• Root Cause Analysis: Partner with Quality Assurance and NDT technicians to conduct detailed root cause analysis (RCA) on quality deviations, implementing robust corrective actions to maintain AS9100 and NADCAP standards.
• Capacity & Workflow Optimisation: Work alongside production planners to streamline work-in-progress (WIP) tracking and optimize the layout of high-performance assembly cells.
• Culture & Coaching: Deliver continuous improvement training and mentor production teams, embedding a daily problem-solving mindset across the workforce.

Key Metrics & Objectives

• Lead Time Reduction: Accelerate manufacturing cycles for critical aerospace, defence, and marine structures.
• Yield & Waste Improvement: Minimize material scrape rates and rework hours across cleanroom and assembly areas.
• Drive standard work adherence to meet on-time delivery (OTD) and quality targets.

Qualifications & Experience Requirement Essential Desirable Education Degree or equivalent in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Materials Engineering Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification Experience 3+ years in manufacturing process improvement Experience within an aerospace or composite environment Technical Skills Process mapping, VSM, 5S, and structured root cause tools Familiarity with NADCAP/AS9100and ERP systems Soft Skills Strong stakeholder management and workshop facilitation Ability to influence and mentor cross-functional production cells