Reliability Lead

Pioneer Selection Ltd; Capel-le-Ferne; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A respected recruitment agency in the UK seeks a Reliability & Operational Excellence Lead to drive operational excellence and margin improvement across global operations. You will lead the operational excellence strategy, sponsor transformations in various functions, and ensure adherence to safety standards. Candidates should have over 10 years of experience in relevant fields, strong financial acumen, and a bachelor's degree, preferably with an MBA. Competitive salary and excellent benefits are on offer.

Benefits

Competitive salary + bonus

Enhanced company pension scheme

Long-term career development opportunities

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience in operational excellence, supply chain, manufacturing, finance, or strategy.
• Proven track record leading large-scale, global transformation programmes.
• Strong financial acumen and executive-level stakeholder influence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the global Operational Excellence strategy and governance.
• Own the International Gross Margin Improvement programme.
• Drive working capital and cash optimisation in partnership with finance.

Skills

Operational excellence

Supply chain management

Financial acumen

Lean methodologies

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

MBA preferred

Job description

Reliability & Operational Excellence Lead

Permanent | Competitive Salary + Bonus | Excellent Benefits

We are seeking a senior, enterprise-level leader to drive operational excellence, gross margin improvement, and working capital optimisation across global operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the global Operational Excellence strategy, governance, and Function Operating System (MOS).
• Own the International Gross Margin Improvement (G2G) programme, delivering ~2% of net sales in annual profit improvement.
• Sponsor cross-functional transformations across planning, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, and customer service.
• Drive working capital and cash optimisation in partnership with finance.
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, standardisation, and digital transformation (automation, analytics, smart operations).
• Build organisational capability and lead change across global teams.

About You

• 10+ years' experience in operational excellence, supply chain, manufacturing, finance, or strategy (CPG or similar).
• Proven track record leading large-scale, global transformation programmes.
• Strong financial acumen, executive-level stakeholder influence, and data-driven mindset.
• Bachelor's degree required (MBA preferred).
• Safety is a core value, and adherence to all Health & Safety standards is essential.

What's On Offer

• Competitive salary + bonus
• Enhanced company pension scheme.
• Work within a fully automated, state-of-the-art world class technical environment.
• Long-term career development and training opportunities.