Operational Continuous Improvement Lead

Costa Limited; St Albans; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Share Investment Plan (SIP)

Smart pension

Costa Financial Support Fund

50% discount in Costa stores

Private medical cover

Job summary

Costa Limited is seeking an Operations Continuous Improvement Lead to drive the operational CI agenda across the UK&I. The role is field-based with an expectation of three days out in the business, testing and validating improvements to deliver measurable benefits.

You will apply Lean Six Sigma methodologies, design pilots, and coach operational leaders to embed a culture of continuous improvement across the network.

Qualifications

• Expert in continuous improvement methodologies and retail/hospitality operations.
• Lean Six Sigma certification with process improvement and change management focus.
• Analytical communicator capable of leading workshops and driving cross-functional change.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of the Operational Continuous Improvement roadmap with field testing.
• Lead pilots to test and refine process, system and standard changes.
• Assess readiness and risk for rollout across operational environments.
• Coach leaders to identify opportunities and embed continuous improvement culture.
• Analyse data and root causes to identify improvements and validate benefits.
• Measure impact against agreed business outcomes.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Continuous Improvement

Data analysis

Stakeholder influence

Workshop facilitation

Project management

Job description

Posted Sunday 16 August 2026 at 22:00 | Expires Monday 31 August 2026 at 21:59

Operations Continuous Improvement Lead

(Field based with the expectation of 3 days out in the business)

The Operations Continuous Improvement Lead is responsible for supporting the delivery of Costa’s operational continuous improvement agenda through the testing, validation, implementation and optimisation of operational processes, systems and standards across the UK&I business.

At Costa Coffee, we are what we craft. We’re reimagining coffee experiences in over 50 countries and counting, as a key part of the Coca-Cola System. Whether you get your coffee in a store, from a machine, at home, or on the go – we’ve got you covered.

Our teams make a difference. Whetherthat’sworking on new tech for the perfect pour, helping our teams grow, creating award-winning campaigns, crunching the numbers, or developing the latest exciting menu item; together, we stir up success.

We may be a global brand, but wehaven’tforgotten our roots.That’swhere the Costa Foundation and our fantastic community agenda come in. Whatever your role, you can help us change lives in coffee growingcommunities andhelp your local community too.

We also want to help you grow in your career through amazing experiences, our apprenticeship scheme, and development programmes. At Costa, you can go beyond the day-to-day.

As one of our Continuous Improvement Leads , there’snever been a better time to make a difference,

So, why Costa?

Wedidn’tbecome a global coffee brand by sitting back. When you work here, you join a community that values passion,progressionand integrity, with somepretty brilliantperksto sweeten the deal:

• Own a piece of Costa’s success by becoming a share owner in Coca-Cola with our Share Investment Plan (SIP)
• A smart pension that saves you money on tax and national insurance, and matches your contributions up to 10%
• The Costa Financial Support Fund, supporting team members who find themselves in unexpected financial pressure
• 50% discount in all Costa-owned stores, and 25% off in other participating stores
• Private medical cover thanks to our Private Healthcare scheme
• Andthat’snot all. Explore even more of ourperkshere: https://bit.ly/costaperks

We’repassionateaboutbeingagreatplaceto work, where you can bring your unique self into our mix. Wefirmly supportdiversity,equityand inclusion, and continue to work with our teams to shape the future of our culture and values: Disciplined to Deliver, Passion for Progress, Win with Warmth, Courage to Challenge and Trusted Team Players.

What you’ll do

Being anOperational Continuous Improvement Lead is about so much more than bringing our coffee to the world.It’syour chance to stir up real success - which meansyou’llbe:

• Support delivery of the Operational Continuous Improvement roadmap, leading field-based testing and validation of improvements to ensure solutions are practical, scalable and deliver measurable operational benefit.
• Apply Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to review processes, identify opportunities for simplification and standardisation, and develop robust business cases that support successful execution across operational environments.
• Design and lead operational pilots to test, evaluate and refine process, system and standard changes, using operational feedback and performance data to inform decisions.
• Assess implementation readiness and risk, providing evidence-based recommendations to support successful rollout and adoption across operational environments.
• Coach and support operational leaders to identify improvement opportunities, facilitate problem-solving and embed a culture of continuous improvement across the operational network.
• Analyse operational data and root causes to identify improvement opportunities, develop action plans and validate benefits against agreed success measures.
• Analyse operational performance, identify root causes and improvement opportunities, and measure the impact of solutions against agreed business outcomes.

Who you are

It’syour unique ingredientswe’reinterested in:

• Expert in Continuous Improvement methodologies, retail/hospitality operations, process optimisation, KPI-driven performance improvement and change management.
• Lean Six Sigma certified professional with strong facilitation, process improvement, root cause analysis and stakeholder influencing expertise.
• Analytical and highly effective communicator, capable of leading workshops, driving change and working independently across multiple operational locations.
• Proven track record delivering continuous improvement programmes, operational pilots and measurable business benefits through Lean methodologies, stakeholder influencing and cross-functional collaboration.
• Ideally knowledge of operational systems, technology platforms, labour and productivity drivers, with an understanding of project management methodologies and operational performance improvement.
• Ideally advanced data analysis skills, project management expertise and experience using operational improvement tools to drive performance and continuous improvement.
• Ideally experience in retail, hospitality or service operations, supporting large-scale transformation programmes across operational and support centre environments, with advanced Continuous Improvement expertise (Black Belt or equivalent).

Where you’ll work:

Field based with the expectation of 3 days out in the business.