Operational Excellence Manager (OpEx Manager)

Addo Food Group Ltd; West of England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days annual leave

Grocery Aid membership

EV charging points

Training & development opportunities

Club Compleat rewards

Job summary

The Compleat Food Group, based in Bristol, seeks an Operational Excellence Manager to drive continuous improvement across the site. You will lead OpEx initiatives, coach a broad range of colleagues, and deliver projects on time, cost and quality while upholding safety.

You will champion lean manufacturing, guide governance, and collaborate with multiple functions to embed a sustainable OpEx culture and measurable benefits.

Qualifications

• Formal qualification in OpEx or related continuous improvement discipline.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in manufacturing/ops.
• Proven track record of delivering CI projects with measurable impact.
• Experience coaching and developing teams.
• Strong financial acumen to quantify benefits.
• Lean/Lean Six Sigma certified preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the diagnostic cycle to define the annual ‘bottom up’ Operational Excellence budget.
• Collaborate with manufacturing colleagues to identify improvement opportunities and implement flight plans to delivery.
• Provide analytic support to understand Current state and baseline performance.
• Implement governance and report benefits delivery.
• Collaboratively lead multi skilled/cross functional teams.
• Apply project management and industry knowledge to Deliver complex projects.
• Collate data and present changes clearly to drive action.
• Coach and develop colleagues across the site in lean principles.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Continuous Improvement

Project Management

Data analysis

Leadership

Change management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

HNC/HND or Apprenticeship

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Operational Excellence Manager (OpEx Manager)

Location: Bristol

Operational Excellence Manager (Opex Manager)

We’re excited to offer an excellent opportunity for an experienced Operational Excellence Manager to join our team in Bristol and play a key role in driving continuous improvement across the business.

About The Compleat Food Group

At The Compleat Food Group, we’re proud to be a food business built on purpose and passion. Formed in 2021, we’re on a mission to createFood to Feel Good – great quality, tasty and affordable food that people love to eat.

We’re home to some of the UK’s most exciting and loved food brands, includingWall’s Pastry, Pork Farms, Wrights, The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co., unearthed, Vadasz, Squeaky Bean, Palace Culture, andHarvey & Brockless. Alongside our branded portfolio, we’re a leading supplier of delicious own-label pastry, sweet bakery, party food, olives and antipasti, added-value egg products, continental meats, dips and sauces and plant-based food to the UK’s major retailers, as well as across foodservice.

Withover 6,000 talented colleagues across 17 sites, and an annual turnover of £1.3bn, we’re united by a shared ambition to shape the future of food for the better.

We are backed by European private equity firm PAI Partners.

Location: Bristol

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

Job Purpose:

We are looking for a highly motivated professional to drive the identification and quantification of the improvement agenda in collaboration with the site leadership team, ensuring maximum focus and return on key strategic challenges. You will act as a leading change agent within the business, identifying and closing gaps in operational efficiency, capacity utilisation, wastage, quality, and safety against approved targets. A key part of the role is embedding an Operational Excellence (OpEx) culture across the site by coaching, facilitating, and developing colleagues at all levels, contributing to ongoing OpEx delivery. Additionally, you will manage projects from concept through to handover, taking full responsibility for delivering them to the required time, cost, and specification standards while maintaining the highest levels of safety and quality compliance.

Key Duties, Responsibilities & Accountabilities:

• Lead the diagnostic cycle to define the annual ‘bottom up’ Operational Excellence budget
• To collaborate with manufacturing colleagues to identify improvement opportunities, utilising data analysis, process observations and industry best practices and implementing flight plans to delivery.
• Provide analytic support to enable an understanding of Current state, baseline performance and capture existing issues.
• Implement principles of project governance and administration, including reporting on progress to plan and reporting of benefits delivery
• Collaboratively support and lead multi skilled/cross functional teams
• Use industry knowledge, product and equipment knowledge, project management experience and relationships across the organisation to enable successful delivery of complex/challenging projects.
• Collate data and present in an understandable format to be able to deliver required change
• Coaching and developing of Compleat Food colleagues from management to shop floor
• Develop and upskill colleagues in lean manufacturing principles, tools and techniques
• Facilitate, coach and support the effective deployment of a tiered Performance Management system at site level

Knowledge,Skillsand Experience:

• Formal qualification in an OpEx methodology such as but not limited to Lean Six sigma, Lean, TPS
• Bachelor’s degree or qualification in a vocational or specialised field short of a degree level (HNC/HND) or Apprenticeship
• Minimum 5 years of work experience, preferably in manufacturing environments
• Proven experience of implementing and leading teams in delivery of continuous improvement projects and embedding an OpEx culture with quantifiable business impact
• Experience of coaching, developing, facilitating and leading teams
• Strong financial acumen including the ability to accurately value the monetary impact of initiatives
• Formal Lean/Lean Six sigma, Continuous Improvement/ OpEx methodology knowledge
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyse complex data and communicate findings
• Resilience and perseverance to establish an OpEx culture
• Experience of seeking and identifying cost opportunities, improving efficiencies, improving safety and quality capability, generating innovative/creative solutions
• Proven leadership skills and business acumen and the ability to work with different functions within the organisation.
• Integrity to handle sensitive topics and respect/value the contributions of others
• Strong analytical, logical and numerical competence
• Highly developed influencing, persuasion and negotiation skills

Why Join Us?

At The Compleat Food Group, we believe our people are the heart of our success. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your lifestyle, wellbeing and career growth:

• Salary Sacrifice Schemes – including Electric Vehicles, Home & Tech, Cycle to Work, and SMART Pension
• 33 days annual leave with an option to purchase extra days
• Access to enhanced retail discounts online and in-store
• Free product handouts across our sites, so you can sample and enjoy our delicious products first hand
• EV charging points – available at selected sites
• 24/7 access to Grocery Aid for free financial, emotional, and practical support
• Physical Wellbeing Hub – free on-demand exercise classes, gym discounts
• Free diet & nutrition advice with access to thousands of healthy recipes
• Online wellbeing support – from mindfulness to lifestyle resources
• Financial wellbeing tools – including mortgage calculators, budgeting tools, and financial aid
• Access to a personalised online learning platform (LMS)
• Formal and informal training opportunities tailored to your role
• Performance Development Plans and regular Career Conversations
• Company Mentoring Scheme to add depth and really support your career journey
• Recognition through Club Compleat rewards

Community & Culture:

• 2 paid volunteering days per year to give back to causes that matter to you
• Charity initiatives and fundraising events
• Team socials to connect and celebrate together
• Employee networks & support groups – including Women @ Compleat
• New baby gift for new parents

What You Should Know About How We Recruit

At The Compleat Food Group, we believe great teams are built on difference. We create an inclusive, respectful environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and are able to be themselves at work.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect. If you need a reasonable adjustment at any stage of our recruitment process, just let us know, we’ll support you — confidentially and with care.

We hire the best people for our roles, not the same people. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, we focus on what you do and the impact you could make in our business. Our recruitment process is fair, accessible, and designed to give everyone an equal chance.

You’ll also find benefits that support people at every life stage, plus active internal networks — including Women @ Compleat, LGBTQIA+, and Neurodiversity

By submitting your CV and personal information, you consent to The Compleat Food Group processing your personal data for the purposes of assessing your application for employment. Your data will be processed in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We will use your personal data solely for recruitment and selection purposes, and it will be securely stored and accessible only to authorized HR and hiring personnel. If your application is unsuccessful, we will retain your details for up to 24 months unless you request earlier deletion.

You have the right to:

• Access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data
• Withdraw your consent at any time
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been mishandled

For more information on how we handle your data, please refer to our Privacy Policy .