Operational Excellence / Continuous Improvement Engineer
Location: Cramlington, Consett, or Scarborough (40–50% travel required)
Employment Type: Permanent
Salary: £45,000
Start: ASAP
The Opportunity
An established and forward‑thinking manufacturing organisation is seeking an Operational Excellence / Continuous Improvement Engineer to play a key role in driving performance improvements across its UK operations. This is a permanent opportunity suited to someone who is passionate about Lean methodologies, problem‑solving, and delivering measurable impact across production environments.
The Role
The Operational Excellence Engineer will support and lead a range of continuous improvement initiatives designed to enhance efficiency, quality, delivery, and cost performance. Working closely with teams across production, engineering, quality, and supply chain, the role focuses on analysing processes, uncovering improvement opportunities, and implementing sustainable, data‑driven solutions.
This position is critical in developing a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence across multiple sites.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing and operational processes.
* Analyse operational data to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities.
* Apply Lean Manufacturing principles such as Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, and waste reduction activities.
* Facilitate Kaizen workshops and improvement projects with cross‑functional teams.
* Drive improvements in productivity, quality, delivery performance, and cost efficiency.
* Support the development, monitoring, and enhancement of operational KPIs (e.g., OEE, yield, cycle time, lead time).
* Collaborate with engineering teams to optimise production layouts, processes, and workflow design.
* Support new product introductions (NPI) and process changes to ensure scalable and efficient production.
* Develop and maintain standard operating procedures and best practice documentation.
* Coach and train colleagues in CI tools, Lean methodologies, and structured problem‑solving.
* Promote a culture built around continuous improvement and operational excellence.
Qualifications & Experience
* Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
* 3+ years’ experience in manufacturing, process improvement, or operational excellence roles.
* Demonstrated experience applying Continuous Improvement or Lean methodologies in a production environment.
* Strong capability in analysing operational data and driving performance improvements.
* Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher) is desirable.
Skills & Competencies
* Strong analytical and problem‑solving ability.
* Able to identify inefficiencies and deliver practical, sustainable solutions.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
* Comfortable working collaboratively across cross‑functional teams.
* Structured, data‑driven approach to decision‑making.
* Strong organisational and project management capability.
* Proactive mindset with a passion for continuous improvement.