Operational Excellence Lead

Cubis Systems; Lurgan; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Company pension

Healthcare options

Holiday entitlement

Health & Wellbeing programs

Employee referral programme

Family friendly policies

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Cubis Systems in Northern Ireland is seeking an Operational Excellence Lead to drive structured CI across Cubis Systems and NAL. The role identifies waste via data like variance, scrap, and claims, and translates insights into projects that improve efficiency and standardize training in Lean, Six Sigma, and problem solving.

You'll embed a culture of discipline, connect with Capex and Process Engineering, and report gains to leadership while developing training for managers to sustain momentum

Qualifications

• Proven experience in manufacturing & engineering improvements.
• Knowledge of compression and injection moulding processes.
• Experience leading OPEX/CI projects.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain a CI framework for manufacturing.
• Develop annual CI guidance from Quality, HR, Forecasting.
• Create waste-identification methods using KPIs.
• Build CI project pipeline across departments.
• Establish dashboards for daily/weekly reviews.
• Train teams in CI tools and problem-solving.
• Track savings and non-financial benefits.
• Cross-site sharing of best practices.
• Maintain records of savings and impact.

Skills

CI leadership

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma Green Belt

Data analysis

Project management

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

About Cubis Systems

Cubis Systems is a global leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of network access products for the infrastructure, utility and construction markets. Headquartered in Northern Ireland, Cubis is part of the €27 billion CRH Group and operates from multiple sites across the UK and Ireland, exporting to over 30 countries worldwide.

About Cubis Systems

Cubis Systems is a global leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of network access products for the infrastructure, utility and construction markets. Headquartered in Northern Ireland, Cubis is part of the €27 billion CRH Group and operates from multiple sites across the UK and Ireland, exporting to over 30 countries worldwide.

Country: United Kingdom

Req ID: 526732

Job Type: Full Time

Workplace Type: Onsite

Seniority Level: Associate

Our market-leading brands, Cubis Systems, NAL, and FILOform, supply smart, safe, and sustainable product solutions to a range of construction sectors.

Through innovation, we enable construction partners to optimise efficiency and safety through pioneering products designed for simplicity, speed, and reliability.

We stand together to reinvent the way our world is built through collaboration on breakthrough ideas that achieve tomorrow’s solutions today.

Operational Excellence Lead – Lurgan/Tallington

Join Our Team at Cubis Systems – Exciting Opportunities Await

At Infrastructure Products Europe, we’re innovators, problem-solvers, and collaborators with a shared mission: creating manufacturing solutions that simplify complex infrastructure challenges. We deliver innovative, sustainable products to clients around the world.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• Company pension contribution
• A range of healthcare options
• Competitive holidays, including Christmas shutdown
• Employee Committees for Health & Wellbeing and Inclusion & Diversity
• Engagement & Wellbeing initiatives
• Employee referral programme
• Enhanced Family friendly policies
• Career development opportunities across IPE and the wider CRH Group

Reports to: Head of Projects & Assets

Role Overview:

The Operational Excellence Lead is responsible for establishing, developing, and sustaining a structured continuous improvement system across Cubis Systems and NAL. The role identifies operational waste through data driven triggers such as variance reports, scrap analysis, customer claims, and the eight wastes, and converts these insights into improvement projects. It strengthens the systems used to deliver OPEX projects, track savings, and standardise training in core CI methodologies including root cause analysis, Lean, Six Sigma, and problem‑solving tools. This role is central to embedding a culture of operational discipline, efficiency, and continuous improvement in line with the wider business strategy. The role will also be heavily connected with the ‘Capex and Process Engineering Manager’; where wastes are identified that cannot be resolved via Opex project delivery the opportunities must be fed into the capex pipeline so that the wastes do not remain hidden in the business.

What our new ‘Operational Excellence Lead’ will be doing:

• Design, implement, and maintain a structured CI framework focused on manufacturing operations. The framework must scale from individual continuous improvements to larger scale cross-functional project delivery, resulting in a mixture of a high-volume task orientated improvements combined with low volume project orientated improvements.
• Develop methods to improve CI by issuing annual guidance from key departments in terms of Quality strategies, HR bottlenecks, Commercial forecasting, VOC and site feedback to ensure CI work enables the business to succeed.
• Build standard methods for identifying waste using triggers such as variance reports, scrap hotspots, customer complaints, downtime data, OOE/OEE and any other KPI’s that can highlight waste in the business.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of improvement opportunities aligned to business priorities and ensure that key personnel across all departments have active CI projects.
• Establish visual management and performance dashboards to support daily/weekly operational reviews.
• Integrate closely with the process/manufacturing engineers to analyse operational data to identify trends, recurring losses, and systemic issues.
• Develop standardised training materials & run training workshops for CI tools, project delivery, and problem‑solving methods; such as 5 Why, 5M1E/Ishikawa, DMAIC, PDCA, VSM’s and A3 style project updates.
• Partner with production, engineering, and quality teams to validate root causes and define corrective actions.
• Enhance and maintain the systems used to deliver OPEX projects, ensuring consistency, traceability, and governance.
• Track project progress, savings, and non‑financial benefits using standardised templates and digital tools.
• Creation of training sessions for engineering and site managers to filter into their departments, coaching teams to build and maintain momentum on OPEX project delivery.
• Facilitate cross‑site sharing of best practices and lessons learned.
• Support the site management to develop levels of standard work, SOPs, and visual controls.
• Report improvement results to leadership, highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Maintain accurate records of savings, cost avoidance, and operational impact.

The experience our new ‘Operational Excellence Lead’ will have includes:

• Proven experience in in manufacturing & engineering improvements in a multi jurisdiction manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of compression and injection moulding processes.
• Knowledge of how process engineering ERP data can govern operations, and the leading/lagging impacts of incorrect data within the manufacturing organisation.
• Track record of leading engineering projects (Opex / CI).
• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
• Proven record of having structure and organisation to analyse and control process engineering data
• Excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Knowledge of ERP systems.
• Leadership and project management skills, with the ability to engage with cross-functional teams (Quality, Operations, Engineering and Procurement).

Cubis Systems is an equal opportunity employer, which values differences in our people. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, and we provide equality through our career development opportunities regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, nationality, age, and disability.

About CRH

CRH (NYSE: CRH, LSE: CRH) is the leading provider of building materials solutions that build, connect and improve our world. Employing c.78,500 people at c.3,390 operating locations in 28 countries, CRH has market leadership positions in both North America and Europe. As the essential partner for transportation and critical utility infrastructure projects, complex non-residential construction and outdoor living solutions, CRH’s unique offering of materials, products and value-added services helps to deliver a more resilient and sustainable built environment. The company is ranked among sector leaders by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating agencies. A Fortune 500 company, CRH’s shares are listed on the NYSE and LSE.

For more information visit: www.crh.com