Operational Excellence Coordinator (Opex Coordinator)

The Compleat Food Group; Clitheroe; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food manufacturer in Clitheroe is looking for an Operational Excellence Coordinator to enhance operational capabilities. This role focuses on driving improvement in costs and productivity through effective project management while coordinating with cross-functional teams. Candidates should have at least 2 years of experience, preferably in FMCG, along with relevant qualifications. Benefits include generous annual leave and support initiatives.

Benefits

33 days Annual Leave (including BH)

Employee Volunteering Days

Discount scheme

Community support groups

Charity initiatives

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of employment in a relevant field.
• Experience in a manufacturing factory ideally Chilled Food/FMCG.
• Familiarity with Operational Excellence programs (Lean, TPM, 6 Sigma) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the adoption and commitment to the Operational Excellence program.
• Track and ensure all activities are documented and benefits monitored.
• Facilitate training to enhance operational excellence capabilities.

Skills

Emotional intelligence

Presentation skills

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Driving License

Education

Degree level or equivalent qualification

Tools

Excel (pivot tables, formulae)

Job description

Overview

Operational Excellence Coordinator

Join Our Operational Excellence Team at The Compleat Food Group! We’re excited to offer an incredible opportunity for an Operational Excellence Coordinator to join our dedicated and professional team in Clitheroe.

At The Compleat Food Group, we\'re on a mission to create delectable food that not only brings joy to your taste buds but also extends love to our planet. We fondly refer to it as \'Food to Feel Good\' because we believe in savouring every bite whilst making a positive impact.

Our team of over c.6,500 remarkable individuals forms the core of all that we undertake. Their genuine passion drives the creation of delectable products for UK consumers, prominent retailers, and our thrilling market-leading brands such as Wall\'s Pastry, Squeaky Bean, and Unearthed.

The purpose of this role is to lead the site’s adoption and ongoing commitment to the Operational Excellence (OE) programme. This includes implementing the tools and processes needed to define and deliver ambitious business improvement targets that align with both site and group strategy. The core focus will be on achieving site KPI targets across capacity, cost, and productivity, while building operational excellence maturity and capability. This role plays a key part in driving the OE agenda through effective facilitation, coordination, and project management.

Working Hours: Monday – Thursday: 8:30am – 5pm and Friday: 8:30am - 4pm

Location: Clitheroe

Salary: Up to £30,000 - £32,000 per annum DOE

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• The Operational Excellence coordinator, works closely with the cross functional teams at site to design and deliver the sites operational excellence plan. Developing the sites OE performance to deliver improvements in Cost/Margin while developing operational maturity and competency.
• Performing site diagnostic/assessments to highlight opportunities for improvement- in line with budget setting cycle
• Informing site leadership team & BU OE manager of the opportunities - to allow opportunity-based target setting in the budget cycle
• Tracking of benefits - ensuring all activity is tracked
• Leading of site improvement projects that are higher in complexity or require cross functional involvement.
• For site prioritised opportunities- Set up projects with site team members, ensuring charter in place and then coaching the teams to deliver projects
• Ensuring strong site governance is in place for improvement activities
• Setting up and sustaining the site business performance management process to ensure robust performance management is in place at all levels to cover – handover, SIC, Daily, Weekly, Monthly intervals and aligned to central blueprint standard
• Deploy best practice operational excellence techniques within the Operations function through design, coaching and training of staff (e.g. SMED, RCA, Mass Balances) to reduce waste and non-value add activity/cost and processes are aligned to central blueprint standards
• Ensure central CI programmes are cascaded and aligned to local requirements
• Perform Operational Excellence maturity assessments in line with central defined process and ensure site improvement plan is in place and progressing
• Support the development of a CI culture- ensuring using leadership process confirmations across site- as part of the defined leader’s standard work
• Competency development- Establish competency requirements for identified roles across the plant and performing training needs analysis to ensure a site competency (for operational excellence) plan is in place.
• For Operational excellence, based on training needs analysis, ensure that employees are trained to the required standards and are effectively audited and signed off as competent.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Qualifications:
• Degree level or equivalent qualification (specific fields not a pre-requisite although in engineering (Bio, chem, mech) / manufacturing / food or technical an advantage)
• Experience of working within a manufacturing factory ideally Chilled Food/FMCG an advantage
• Experience with Operational Excellence programs (Lean, TPM, 6 Sigma…) with associated certification preferred
• Good level of English in writing and speaking

• Experience:
• Minimum 2 years employment

• Skills:
• High levels of emotional intelligence with ability to engage others in the need for change
• Presentation skills – confident communicator
• Good level of analytical skills including Excel (e.g. pivot tables, formulae)
• Strong problem solving and logic reasoning skills
• Driving License

Benefits

• Dynamic Environment: You will be working in a fast-paced, future-thinking agile company where your contributions make a real difference.
• Culture: Be part of a fantastic team that values diversity, innovation, collaboration and excellence.
• 33 days Annual Leave (including BH)
• 2 Employee Volunteering Days per year
• Online and High-street retailer discount scheme
• Employee well-being and community support groups
• Charity Initiatives and Team events
• 24/7 Access to Grocery Aid (Free Financial, Emotional and Practical Support)

The Compleat Food Group fosters an inclusive, respectful culture where everyone feels safe, supported, and valued. We welcome diverse talent, knowing it drives exceptional results and a better workplace.

We are committed to Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect, we ensure all colleagues can thrive by bringing their whole selves to work. As an equal opportunity’s employer, we provide all the support you need to succeed.

Contact us with any questions about Diversity & Inclusion or accessibility during the application process.

Recruitment Agencies:

We have a small, active and trusted Preferred Supplier List to assist us if required. We do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions. We only accept CV submissions for roles released to you directly by our Talent Acquisition team.

If you would be interested in working with us please send a message to [e-mail] and should we have any roles we need additional support with we will reach out to you.