CI Manager – Food Manufacturing
Central Scotland
Monday–Friday
Salary: £45K -£55K
Are you a driven Continuous Improvement professional ready to take ownership of site-wide improvement projects within a fast-moving food manufacturing environment?
Protea Recruitment is proud to partner with a well-established food manufacturer seeking an experienced CI Manager to lead their continuous improvement agenda. This is a key leadership position within the operations function, focused on embedding lean principles, driving performance, and supporting long-term site development.
The Role
As CI Manager, you’ll lead and deliver operational excellence initiatives across all functions. You’ll work collaboratively with Operations, Engineering, and cross-functional teams to identify improvement opportunities, optimise processes, and drive efficiency gains across labour, materials, and overheads.
Your responsibilities will include:
* Leading the development and rollout of Lean and CI programmes to build capability across all levels.
* Coaching teams in problem-solving and root cause analysis to create a culture of continuous improvement.
* Supporting TPM and asset care initiatives to enhance reliability and performance.
* Establishing and tracking key performance metrics to measure and sustain progress.
* Facilitating improvement workshops and sharing best practices across teams and sites.
* Driving engagement and alignment around safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
About You
You’ll be a proactive and influential leader who thrives on driving change and developing people. You enjoy translating strategy into action and are motivated by measurable results.
Essential:
* Proven experience in Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, or Process Optimisation within manufacturing.
* Strong leadership and communication skills, able to influence and motivate at all levels.
* Track record of delivering measurable improvements using Lean or CI methodologies.
* Analytical and data-driven, with excellent problem-solving and planning skills.
* Competent in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
* Full UK driving licence and flexibility to travel when required.
Desirable:
* Background in the food, drink, or wider FMCG manufacturing sector.
* Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or TPM methodologies.
* Degree or HND in Engineering, Food Science, or a related discipline.