Manufacturing Continuous Improvement Practitioner
Ampthill, Bedfordshire
Permanent, 37.5h, 4 day working week Monday to Thursday
Salary: £47,000-£58,000 + benefits
Lockheed Martin (UK) Ampthill is a rapidly evolving and dynamic part of the global Lockheed Martin Corporation, supporting both domestic and international customers. Our site delivers cutting‑edge capability across Platform Integration, Ground Based Air Defence, Special Projects and Weapons, providing critical products and services to the Ministry of Defence and other key partners.
We’re growing fast and looking for talented individuals who want to shape the future of defence manufacturing. In return, we offer an exciting and challenging career path, exceptional development opportunities, and a strong focus on work/life balance — including a 4‑day working week (Mon–Thurs) and flexible working arrangements.
What You’ll Do
* Deploy a broad range of continuous improvement and lean manufacturing tools to deliver best‑in‑class operational performance.
* Build and develop a high‑performing Manufacturing team that champions continuous improvement and drives meaningful change across the organisation.
* Lead improvement initiatives from identification through implementation and validation, ensuring measurable and sustainable results.
* Facilitate SIA events, workshops, and cross‑functional meetings, guiding teams through structured improvement activities.
* Support the creation and rollout of a world‑class continuous improvement strategy aligned with long‑term business goals.
* Shape the manufacturing vision and strategy, contributing to long‑range planning and execution.
* Coach line managers to adopt new ways of working, driving behavioural and mindset shifts that embed continuous improvement into daily operations.
* Champion Lean Six Sigma methodologies, training teams to reduce waste, minimise variation, and standardise processes.
* Partner with production management to advance lean deployment, including digital transformation, 6S, standard work, visual factory management, SMED, and KPI development.
* Harmonise improvement activities across the future LMUK product portfolio to ensure consistency and scalability.
What You’ll Bring
* Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence at both strategic and shop‑floor levels.
* A strong track record of delivering complex improvement initiatives within a manufacturing environment.
* Experience driving change across people, processes, systems, behaviours, and culture.
* Lean Six Sigma Belt training or qualification.
* A data driven mindset with excellent analytical capability.
* Confident, independent thinking with the ability to uphold quality and customer requirements.
* Experience in design and manufacturing processes.
* Strong problem solving skills (8D, A3, Root Cause Analysis, etc.).
* Eligibility to obtain SC Security Clearance
Qualifications
* Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (or equivalent experience/combined education) with 5+ years of professional experience, or Master’s degree with 3+ years of professional experience.
* Considered a career or journey‑level professional.
Lockheed Martin is committed to upholding principles of equal opportunity, fostering a work environment that is aligned with our core values of integrity, respect, and exceptional performance. We recognize the importance of leveraging the unique talents and experiences of all our employees to drive innovation, deliver superior solutions, and maximize value for our customers. Our focus is on identifying the most qualified candidate for each role, regardless of their background. If you are interested in a position, we invite you to share how your skills and perspectives could bolster our team and encourage you to apply, even if you feel your qualifications do not fully meet all the job criteria outlined in our advertisement. Furthermore, Lockheed Martin is dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive for all individuals. We are prepared to accommodate reasonable adjustments for applicants as needed. If you require assistance or adjustments to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact recruitment@global.lmco.com or call 02392415270