Operational Excellence Manager

Ornua Co-operative Limited; Leek; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matched pension scheme

33 days annual leave

Bonus scheme

Healthcare

Staff canteen

Job summary

Ornua is seeking an Agile Opex Manager to join our Operations Department in Leek, UK. You will lead site Lean transformations, drive CI initiatives, and partner with senior leaders to deliver the 3 Year Plan.

We value Lean Six Sigma Black Belt holders with a track record of delivering cross‑functional improvements and tangible savings (£100k+). Expect a collaborative, values‑driven environment with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Lean Six Sigma/Black Belt accreditation and deep understanding of continuous improvement initiatives.
• Proven experience delivering cross-functional improvement projects with quantifiable results (e.g., £100k+).
• Experience leading or coaching CI teams and collaborating with senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Own site CI program and act as a key business partner to senior leadership.
• Lead Lean culture and project management framework across the site.
• Develop and empower the site CI team and champions of continuous improvement.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma/Black Belt

Data-driven decision making

People leadership

Tools

CI tools

Job description

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Job title: Operational Excellence Manager (Opex Manager)

Reports to: Operations Controller

Salary: £53,000 to £65,000 per annum depending on experience

Hours: 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Benefits: Matched pension scheme, 33 days annual leave, bonus scheme, healthcare, discounted cheese and butter, subsidised staff canteen, onsite physio, bike and tech scheme and many more.

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.

Are you an agile, collaborative and transformative Opex Manager looking for the challenge of taking a mission driven organisation to its next level of success?

Ornua is actively seeking a Opex Manager to join our operations department as we continue our growth trajectory.

As our Opex Manager you will play a key role in delivering Ornua’s 3 Year Plan which is encompasses our Transforming for Growth strategy. Leading transformational change through identification and delivery of Best in Class whilst recognising the effectiveness of empowering our people through lean culture.

You will drive accountability through site improvement projects that benefit Ornua and our partner customers, strengthening our relationships and elevating our performance throughout the end-to-end business.

This role will form part of the global operational excellence team, reporting directly to the site operations lead, recognising the value of collaboration and will provide subject matter expertise to enable all functions to elevate our overall capability.

Why Ornua?

• Ornua operates as a commercial organisation from 10 business units worldwide, including 12 production facilities located in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa.
• The commercial organisation is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Ireland’s most successful food export: Kerrygold.
• It also manages the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products, the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers globally, and the implementation of de-risking and trading strategies to manage market volatility.
• 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.

Why This Role Is Valuable:

As our Opex Manager you will be responsible for;

• Site Ownership and key stakeholder to the Global Operational Excellence team
• Site ownership and driver of Lean culture and project management framework
• Lead and develop the site CI team
• 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.
• Ownership of our full end-to-end value stream maps identifying opportunities for improvement including the creation of robust business cases
• Champion continuous improvement throughout the Ornua Group promoting cross site collaboration
• Work closely with our customers to demonstrate Ornua’s continuous improvement ethos and culture that drives evidence-based results
• Champion cross functional working, prioritization and resource planning aligned to business/customer strategy
• Embedding process changes through effective change management to gain sustained results
• Lead and develop the site CI team
• 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:

• People leader with experience managing , leading or coaching a team
• Lean Six Sigma/Black Belt accreditation with a full understanding of continuous improvement initiatives
• Background of Operational Excellence and a background of proven experience in delivering cross-functional improvement projects with quantifiable results. (£100k+)
• Strong foundation in Lean/Operational Excellence principles (e.g., OEE, SMED, 8 Wastes, 5S, PDCA, Standard Work).
• Ability to flex communication style and methods to ensure effective delivery
• Comfortable presenting externally
• Extensive experience in a CI, Operational Excellence, or project delivery role, preferably in a dairy manufacturing or FMCG environment.

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.

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 company’s continued success. Join us in shaping a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Ornua is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. We will make every effort to provide for any reasonable accessibility needs you may have during your employment with us. If you require accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process or in your role, please let us know — we’re here to support you.