Continuous Improvement Manager

Smurfit Westrock; Northampton; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock in Northampton is seeking a hands-on Continuous Improvement Manager to lead Lean initiatives on our site and drive operational excellence. You will drive waste elimination, improve OEE and capacity, and turn data into actionable improvements across the manufacturing floor.

We value someone who is curious, energetic, analytical, and collaborative, with experience in packaging or similar fast-paced environments.

Qualifications

• Experience applying Lean and CI in fast-paced manufacturing.
• Ability to turn insights into measurable improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead our site Lean & Continuous Improvement strategy
• Identify and eliminate waste, losses, and inefficiencies
• Lead improvement projects that deliver real business impact
• Improve OEE, flow, capacity, and operational performance
• Use data to identify opportunities and turn insight into action
• Work alongside colleagues across the site to build CI capability
• Share best practice and help create a true zero-loss culture

Skills

Lean principles

Continuous improvement

Data analysis

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

Six Sigma qualification

Job description

Are you an ambitious manufacturing professional looking to hit the ground running, getting stuck into making this better?

We’re looking for a safety conscious, enthusiastic Continuous Improvement Manager to join our Northampton site and help drive the next stage of our operational excellence performance.

This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys solving problems, challenging the status quo, and turning ideas into measurable results.

What you’ll do

• Lead our site Lean & Continuous Improvement strategy
• Identify and eliminate waste, losses, and inefficiencies
• Lead improvement projects that deliver real business impact
• Improve OEE, flow, capacity, and operational performance
• Use data to identify opportunities and turn insight into action
• Work alongside colleagues across the site to build CI capability
• Share best practice and help create a true zero-loss culture

What we’re looking for

You’ll have experience in Lean and Continuous Improvement, ideally within packaging, corrugated or another fast-paced manufacturing environment.

You’ll be:

• Curious – always asking “why?”
• Energetic – comfortable being hands-on and visible on the shop floor.
• Ambitious – motivated to make a genuine difference.
• Analytical – confident using data to drive decisions.
• Collaborative – able to bring people together and take them with you.
• A problem solver – turning challenges into opportunities.

Six Sigma, engineering, or leadership qualifications would be an advantage, but we’re interested in your capability, experience, and mindset – not just your certificates.