Continuous Improvement Specialist

Ornua; England; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A major dairy company in England is seeking a Continuous Improvement Specialist to lead impactful projects designed to optimize performance and reduce costs. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in Lean and Operational Excellence, ideally within a dairy manufacturing environment. Responsibilities include driving initiatives, coaching teams, and utilizing data-driven insights to influence decision-making. This full-time position offers a generous salary and a range of benefits including a matched pension scheme and generous holiday allowance.

Benefits

Matched pension scheme up to 8%

Generous holiday allowance

Subsidised staff canteen

Discounts on company products

Employee Assistance Programme

Free onsite parking

Qualifications

• Proven experience in delivering cross-functional improvement projects.
• Strong analytical mindset; comfortable working with data to drive actions.
• People management experience is essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives that influence site performance.
• Deliver measurable business impact through CI initiatives.
• Shape continuous improvement roadmap by identifying opportunities.

Skills

Business Intelligence

Business Analysis

Project Management

Communication

Stakeholder Engagement

Tools

Lean Tools

Operational Excellence Frameworks

Job description

Overview

Continuous Improvement Specialist

Job title : Continuous Improvement Specialist

Reports to : CI Controller

Location : Foods UK Leek

Salary : Generous salary depending on experience

Hours : 36.25 hours per week

Benefits : Matched pension scheme up to 8% Generous holiday allowance increasing with length of service Subsidised staff canteen Company shop offering discounts on Ornua products Sports & Social Club Staff Lottery Discount on Bikes & Tech Scheme Confidential Employee Assist Programme Free onsite parking

Ornua (meaning new gold) is Ireland's largest exporter of Irish dairy products proudly bringing the unique taste of Irish dairy to the world for over 55 years.

Why Ornua

• Ornua operates from 10 business units worldwide including 16 production facilities and has sales and marketing teams working in-market across all four corners of the globe.
• The Group is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients.
• Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua's consumer brands including Kerrygold Pilgrims Choice.
• Our co-operative ethos lies at the heart of how we do business as a purpose and values-led organisation creating value for Irish dairy farming families.
• Our Values lie at the core of everything we do. Our five values encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas Make It Happen Be Our True Selves Show You Care and Achieve Great Things Together.
• We invest in our people and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Career Progression including Global Mobility opportunities.
• Comprehensive Benefits with regional specific offerings.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-impact cross-functional improvement initiatives that directly influence site performance cost optimization and strategic priorities. You will be fully accountable for scoping planning and executing projects that deliver sustained value to the business.
• Deliver measurable business impact by leading high-value CI initiatives including yield optimization (2 million) and procurement cost reductions (6 million spend) ensuring tangible and sustained financial benefits to the business.
• Deputy to CI Controller attend relevant meetings during holidays / absences and help shape the future of CI within Ornua for the future.
• Shape the site's continuous improvement roadmap by identifying opportunities aligning with business objectives and championing initiatives that drive transformation and efficiency across operations.
• Act as a key business partner to senior leadership using data-driven insights and structured problem-solving to influence decision-making and secure alignment on improvement priorities.
• Leverage and refine Lean and Operational Excellence frameworks embedding best-in-class tools (e.g. SMED OEE VSM 5S Standard Work) and creating tailored solutions that work in a complex fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Develop site-wide capability through coaching and upskilling enabling functions and teams to take ownership of continuous improvement and drive behavioural change at all levels.
• Provide thought leadership on performance improvement bringing external best practices and fresh thinking to challenge the status quo and elevate operational standards.
• Lead data and systems integration for CI by managing the OEE and performance monitoring platforms ensuring insights are action-oriented transparent and drive accountability.
• Support Capex planning and project delivery contributing to evaluations that align capital spend with CI-led opportunities and long-term strategic gains.
• Inspire a high-performance improvement-focused culture by showcasing results celebrating milestones and building momentum through visible leadership and impactful storytelling.

What You Bring To The Role

• Proven experience in delivering cross-functional improvement projects with quantifiable results. (100k)
• Personable excellent communication skills with the ability to build relationships influence and negotiate to find positive solutions.
• Excellent strategic thinking capability and business focused mindset.
• Strong foundation in Lean / Operational Excellence principles (e.g. OEE SMED 8 Wastes 5S PDCA Standard Work).
• Excellent project management communication and stakeholder engagement skills along with relevant qualifications.
• People management experience is essential to be able to engage with team members and drive the culture of the business forward enabling us to shape Ornuas CI future.
• Strong analytical mindset; comfortable working with and collating data to drive actions and build consensus.
• Extensive experience in a CI Operational Excellence or project delivery role preferably in a dairy manufacturing or FMCG environment.

What to Expect in the Interview Process

Our interview process is designed to be thorough yet supportive. This process includes a first stage via Teams to allow us to get to know you better and to understand your skills and experiences and if successful a second stage face-to-face interview that will build upon the first stage and give you the opportunity to get a feel for Ornua and the environment in which you will be working.

Ornua has ambitious growth plans and we're building a team to help enable and accelerate that growth. We are looking for people who share our values are curious forward-looking take ownership and work together to build a future for themselves and Ornua.

Diversity and Inclusion

Ornua values diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds. We also strongly encourage women and other underrepresented groups in the manufacturing industry to apply. Your unique perspectives and experiences are highly valued and will be instrumental in driving our companys continued success. Join us in shaping a more innovative inclusive and sustainable future.

Required Experience

IC

Key Skills

• Business Intelligence
• Children Activity
• Business Analysis
• Corporate Sales
• ABB
• Corporate Development

Employment Type

Full Time

Experience

years

Vacancy

1