The Manufacturing Improvement Manager will play a key role in fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence within the manufacturing environment.

The role will focus on driving lean manufacturing practices, reducing waste, improving efficiency, and ensuring the team’s ongoing development to achieve Best in Class Manufacturing standards.

This includes embedding continuous improvement initiatives, facilitating training for our bakers, and supporting the achievement of key manufacturing metrics, including safety, quality, customer order fulfilment, and cost management.

The role will require proactive leadership to cultivate a culture of ownership and engagement, ensuring that all team members are equipped with the skills and knowledge to contribute to the company’s ongoing success.

At times, the role holder may be the site lead during out of hours periods, and as such be the key point of contact for incident management.

Health and Safety & Lean Best Practices:

Ensure adherence to site health and safety standards and demonstrate continuous improvement in safety processes, working with HSE Officer.
Implement lean methodologies to continuously enhance safety practices across the manufacturing site.
Lead and participate in accident investigations, safety activities, and the implementation of corrective actions.

GMP Adherence:

Ensure that production areas maintain high standards of cleanliness, hygiene, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), integrating lean practices to improve the flow and cleanliness of work areas.
Support and contribute to GMP audits, ensuring follow-up on actions to drive improvement and standardization across shifts.

Training & Development:

Coordinate a robust skills development program for bakers, establishing clear training and operational skill matrices from day 1.
Identify skill gaps within the team, create training plans, and ensure our bakers are equipped with the necessary competencies to meet operational and lean targets.
Develop and nurture shift-based trainers, empowering them to effectively deliver training and coaching to peers.

Lean Manufacturing & Performance Improvement:

Identify and drive opportunities for continuous improvement using lean tools (e.g., 5S, Kaizen, value stream mapping) to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and optimize production processes.
Participate in performance reviews and contribute to identifying key areas for lean-driven improvement within the production lines.
Work in partnership with R&D team for best practice in factory trials, attending initial R&D project meetings.
Facilitate root cause analysis (RCA) of operational issues and drive corrective actions to improve process reliability.

Pre-Weigh and Material Control:

Oversee the central pre-weigh function, ensuring lean management of raw materials, optimizing SAP controls for material handling, and reducing material waste.

In collaboration with Finance, investigate material usage discrepancies and support initiatives to minimise raw material losses through lean-based improvements.

Manufacturing Performance Metrics:

Collaborate with the manufacturing team to ensure alignment with key performance indicators (KPIs) and departmental goals, ensuring continuous improvement toward operational targets.
Regularly report performance metrics, facilitating data-driven decision-making to enhance productivity and cost-effectiveness.
Proactively communicate performance data to team members, ensuring a culture of accountability and continuous feedback.

Continuous Improvement Culture & KPI Achievement:

Lead by example in driving a continuous improvement culture, leveraging lean tools to drive waste reduction and improve production processes.
Contribute to the development of annual goals and performance targets, ensuring they align with continuous improvement objectives.
Encourage team members to share best practices, lessons learned, and ideas for improvement through structured team engagement sessions.

Shift Leadership & Support:

Provide leadership, ensuring that employees are trained, supported, and motivated to achieve performance targets and best in practice standards.
Coach and develop team members in line with operational requirements and ongoing skill development, creating a culture of learning and improvement.
Ensure product changeovers and cleaning activities are efficient, safe, and aligned with lean principles.

Collaboration & Communication:

Foster effective communication between departments to ensure smooth transitions in operations and product launches, with a focus on minimising waste during handovers.
Drive cross-functional collaboration in identifying and addressing operational issues, promoting a culture of shared problem-solving and improvement.
Deputise for Factory General Manager, as required

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