Continuous Improvement Manager (42981)

Holland & Barrett Retail Limited; Nuneaton; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance – single

33 days holidays

Annual health testing kit

Employee Assistance Programme

25% discount in store and online

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Holland & Barrett is seeking a Continuous Improvement Manager to drive cross-functional improvement initiatives. You will use data, Lean Six Sigma, and structured problem solving to identify and implement changes that deliver substantial financial and customer benefits.

You’ll coach belts and build CI capability across the organisation, partnering with Finance and senior stakeholders to ensure sustained impact. This hybrid role requires presence in Nuneaton a minimum of two days per week.

Qualifications

• Experience in Continuous Improvement, process excellence, operational excellence or transformation.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt qualification or equivalent depth of practical experience.
• Proven track record delivering £1m+ in validated financial benefits.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, cross-functional improvement work across major business priorities.
• Root cause analysis using data, process mapping and structured problem solving.
• Effectively challenge solutions and focus on process improvement before automation.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Data analysis

Problem solving

Workshop facilitation

Stakeholder management

Job description

We offer hybrid working, with an expectation that you'll be present at our Holland & Barrett office in Nuneaton for a minimum of 2 days a week.

Intro

Better isn't always about doing more. Sometimes it's about doing things differently.

As a Continuous Improvement Manager, you'll work across H&B on complex problems that have a real impact on how the business runs.

You'll get underneath the issue, not just the symptom. You'll use data, Lean Six Sigma and structured problem solving to work out what needs to change, then bring people with you to make that change stick.

And there's a clear measure of success: you'll be accountable for delivering £1m+ a year in validated, sustainable financial benefits, alongside improvements for customers, colleagues and the business.

You'll also help raise the capability of CI across H&B - coaching Green Belts, supporting Yellow Belt training and helping colleagues become better problem solvers themselves.

What you'll be doing

• Lead complex, cross-functional improvement work across some of H&B's biggest business priorities.
• Get to the root of problems through data, process mapping, root cause analysis and structured problem solving.
• Challenge solution-first thinking - making sure we understand and improve the process before reaching for technology or automation.
• Design better ways of working, test them, and help teams embed them for the long term.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, cost, capacity, quality, customer and colleague experience.
• Build robust benefit baselines and work with Finance and business owners to validate that improvements are delivering what we said they would.
• Deliver £1m+ in sustainable, validated financial benefits each year, alongside agreed non-financial outcomes.
• Spot opportunities for automation and AI where they can genuinely improve an already well-designed process.
• Coach Green Belts, Yellow Belts, CI Managers and apprentices, helping build practical CI capability across H&B.
• Bring a clear, objective view to senior stakeholders and challenge thinking when the evidence says there's a better way.

What you'll bring

• Experience in Continuous Improvement, process excellence, operational excellence or transformation, with a track record of making change happen.
• A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt qualification or equivalent depth of practical experience.
• Experience leading complex improvement work from defining the problem through to implementation and benefits realisation.
• A proven track record of delivering £1m+ in validated financial benefits.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills - you'll enjoy getting underneath an issue rather than accepting the first answer.
• The confidence to facilitate workshops, bring different teams together and challenge assumptions constructively.
• The ability to move between operational detail and the bigger business outcome.
• Experience coaching others and developing CI capability.
• A curious, practical mindset and a genuine interest in finding a better way.

Holidays

• 33 days, including bank holidays
• 24/7 Virtual GP access
• Private medical insurance – single cover
• Annual free at-home health testing kit (after 6 months' service)
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme and a network of Mental Health First Aiders whenever you need support

Financial Wellbeing

• Workplace pension with 5% employer contribution
• Life assurance (2x salary, after 6 months' service)

Reward

• Annual Bonus (subject to company and individual performance) up to 10%
• £50 Colleague product allowance on Holland & Barrett products (after 6 months' service)
• Access to cashback and discounts from a wide range of retailers
• 25% colleague discount, available in store and online, with free delivery on online orders
• Free Wellhub membership, with discounted access to gyms, studios and premium wellbeing apps
• Cycle to Work scheme

If you like difficult problems, enjoy finding what's really going on and want to see the measurable difference your work makes, this could be your kind of role.

You'll have the opportunity to improve how H&B works - and to see the value of those improvements in the numbers.

We'd like to hear from you.

About Holland & Barrett

At Holland & Barrett, we've always believed there's a better way to do things.

We're continuing to change how we work, using better data, simpler processes and new technology to improve the experience for our customers and colleagues.

Continuous Improvement sits right in the middle of that - helping us solve the right problems and make the improvements last.

Inclusion & accessibility statement

We want Holland & Barrett to be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected and able to contribute.

Different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives make better teams and better decisions. We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement listed.

If you need any adjustments or additional support during the recruitment process, please let us know.