Site Excellence Manager

pladis Foods Limited; Wigston; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Private medical insurance

Stakeholder pension scheme

Life assurance cover

25 days + bank holidays

Holiday enhancement scheme

Volunteer day

Cycle to work scheme

Discount and cashback scheme

Employee assistance programme

Financial wellbeing support

Training and development opportunities

Job summary

pladis Foods Limited is seeking a Site Excellence Manager for the Wigston site to lead the development and delivery of the site Excellence strategy, aligned with the pladis Global Excellence framework. You will drive Lean initiatives and coach teams across operations, while supporting cultural transformation and ensuring sustained improvements.

Reporting to the Factory General Manager, you will oversee multiple improvement projects, benchmark with other sites, and maintain a strong focus on

Qualifications

• Proven experience in manufacturing, FMCG
• Ability to lead multiple improvement projects and influence cross-functional teams
• Experience working in unionised environments and with shopfloor staff
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong IT, numeracy and literacy skills
• Green Belt and/or Black Belt certification desirable

Responsibilities

• Lead the Excellence Programme by designing and deploying frameworks and governance.
• Drive Continuous Improvement using Lean and CI tools and maintain a pipeline of projects.
• Build capability by delivering Lean training and coaching team members.
• Lead cost-reduction initiatives and monitor KPIs like OEE, quality and safety.
• Foster a culture of engagement and collaboration across the site.
• Influence stakeholders and align with the wider Excellence programme.
• Ensure health & safety, quality standards and cost-base reduction compliance.

Skills

Lean tools

Green Belt

Black Belt

Change management

Cross-functional collaboration

People coaching

Operational excellence

Tools

CI tools

Job description

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you. As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits. To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose-led, resilient and positive to succeed here because we expect pace and agility, we insist on collaboration and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact.

The Role

Site Excellence Manager Wigston LE18 4LZ. Site Introduction: The Wigston site, with a heritage dating back to 1895, is renowned for its long-standing tradition in biscuit production and its evolution through various ownerships, now proudly part of pladis Global. The site is home to a diverse and multicultural workforce, comprising 200 permanent employees and a sizable seasonal agency team. The team is represented by the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Trade Union and is committed to inclusivity and diversity at every level. Wigston’s culture emphasises pride in its people, a collaborative spirit, and a dedication to delivering high-quality products enjoyed nationwide, all while fostering an environment where diversity and long service are celebrated.

The Role: Reporting to the Factory General Manager as a key member of the site leadership team, the Site Excellence Manager plays a vital role in delivering the overall site strategy. You’ll be accountable for developing and implementing the site Excellence strategy, aligned with the pladis Global Excellence framework, across the Wigston site. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a strategically important workstream, delivering operational objectives, strategic projects, and cultural transformation. You’ll coach, support, and facilitate improvement initiatives through Team Managers and Operator groups, embedding excellence practices at every level. While the role is based at Wigston, occasional travel to other sites will be encouraged to support projects and benchmarking. The role is not shift-based but requires flexibility to meet business and project needs.

What will this role achieve? This is a high-impact position responsible for designing, implementing, and embedding operational excellence programmes across the site. You’ll influence and collaborate widely to drive a culture of continuous improvement, reduce costs, and add value through Lean and CI methodologies. As part of the site leadership team, you’ll lead the improvement pipeline, support strategic goals, and ensure sustainability of excellence initiatives. You’ll also play a central role in capability building, coaching, and mentoring teams at all levels.

What will be your key deliverables?

• Lead the Excellence Programme by designing and deploying frameworks, facilitating goal deployment, and ensuring governance aligned with business strategy.
• Drive Continuous Improvement through Lean and CI tools, maintaining a robust pipeline of projects to achieve financial and operational targets.
• Build Capability and Coach teams by delivering Lean training, mentoring Belt candidates, and embedding CI behaviours across daily operations.
• Manage Performance and Projects by leading cost-reduction initiatives, overseeing Capex projects for plant efficiency, and monitoring KPIs such as OEE, quality, and safety.
• Foster a Culture of Engagement that empowers employees and sustains continuous improvement through collaboration and communication.
• Influence and Align Stakeholders by acting as the key link to the wider Excellence programme, sharing best practices, and supporting the site’s transformation agenda.
• Ensure Compliance and Reporting on health & safety, quality standards, and cost base reduction while driving improvements in employee engagement scores.

Bring your experience!

• Essential Proven experience in manufacturing, ideally within FMCG, with strong knowledge of Excellence methodology and Lean tools.
• Ability to lead and deliver multiple improvement projects and influence cross-functional teams.
• Skilled in working within unionised and cross-functional environments, fostering collaboration and shared goals.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels and present effectively.
• Highly motivated and resilient, with strong IT, numeracy, and literacy skills, and a passion for continuous improvement.
• Green Belt qualified with a track record of driving operational efficiency and strategic planning.

Desirable

• Experience in budget management, Capex systems, and implementing Excellence plans with commercial awareness.
• Understanding of behavioural development tools (Insights/HPB) and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Black Belt certification.

Interview Process

• 1st stage interview – 45 minutes competency-based interview based on our company values and your experiences.
• 2nd stage interview – 60 minutes – a technical interview to understand your skill set/case study or presentation interview.
• pladis does also use both Psychometric and Aptitude tests to support our processes so you may be asked to complete these as part of your process. Some processes may differ, but we will keep you updated!

What does pladis offer you?

• Annual Car allowance, paid monthly
• Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) – this is the business’s annual bonus scheme.
• Private medical Insurance
• Stakeholder Pension Scheme
• Life Assurance Cover ~ upon enrolment to Stakeholder Pension Scheme
• 25 days + bank holidays
• Holiday Enhancement Scheme
• 1 Volunteering Day per year
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discount and Cashback Scheme – make your everyday spending work hard for you on major high street brands, supermarkets and services
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial Wellbeing Support
• Access to great training and development opportunities

Our Values

• Purpose led – We’re energised and guided by our purpose to bring happiness with every bite
• Agile – We’re ever evolving, we never stand still, always improving for our customers and our consumers.
• Positive – We’re highly motivated optimistic, courageous, and we inspire each other to be better
• Resilient - We’re persistent in the face of setbacks, quick to adapt, learn and move forward
• Collaborative – We gain strength from operating as one pladis, winning and succeeding together

Best mix of ingredients pladis is an equal opportunities employer, like every great recipe we’re a thoughtful mix. A happy and inclusive place to work that’s as diverse as our consumers and the communities we support, live and work in, all around the world. Where every voice is heard, and difference is celebrated. Where fresh perspectives and new ideas help us grow and thrive. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform key job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.

We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List. If you are a recruitment agency and wish to submit candidate to be considered for this vacancy, you must have agreed to, and signed, our terms of business. We will not accept CVs from any other sources other than those currently on our PSL. We will not pay a fee for any candidate that has not been represented by a provider on our PSL.

pladis is an ambitious global snacking company and home to much loved brands including McVitie’s, GODIVA and Ülker. pladis also owns regional brands Jacob’s, Go Ahead, Flipz, Turtles, BN, Verkade and many more products across sweet and savoury biscuits, wafer, cake and chocolate. Formed in 2016, pladis is the proud steward of over 300 years of family baking and confectionery experience. The expertise of our 15,000+ global workforce spans 26 bakeries and factories and is united by our purpose: to ‘bring happiness with every bite’. As a responsible business delivering the highest quality products and exceptional service, pladis’ products have the potential to reach more than four billion people across the world. For more information, please visit : www.pladisglobal.com For our Privacy policy please click here