Overview
At PepsiCo UK, we’re proud to make some of the nation’s favourite snacks and drinks—like Walkers, Quaker, Doritos, Pipers, and Monster Munch. With sites across the UK, including our Quaker mill in Cupar and Doritos factory in Coventry, we’re also home to one of the world’s largest crisp factories in Leicester. At the end of 2025 we will move our UK office to a vibrant new Reading town centre location, just minutes from Reading train station.
About the role
The Manufacturing Excellence Senior Manager is a seasoned improvement leader who translates company strategy into measurable operational gains. Working closely with cross‑functional partners, you will own high‑impact Lean/Six Sigma initiatives, build and mentor a dedicated improvement team, and embed a culture of data‑driven decision making across our organization. You will champion continuous improvement through sharing best practices, rigorously tracking losses, and ensuring continuous learning from every failure or success. Driving performance through engaging with the teams.
Responsibilities
1. Strategic Performance Management
1. Monitor business performance across departments.
2. Identify gaps and recommend corrective actions to meet targets.
3. Create accountability framework.
2. Productivity Improvement
4. Analyse workflows and operational processes to identify inefficiencies.
5. Lead initiatives to streamline operations and reduce waste.
6. Promote automation and digital tools to enhance productivity.
3. Cross-Functional Collaboration
7. Work closely with HR, Finance, Supply Chain, and Operations to align goals.
8. Support leadership teams with data-driven insights for decision-making.
9. Facilitate change management and employee engagement strategies.
4. Data & Analytics
10. Use performance data to uncover trends and opportunities.
11. Create dashboards and reports for executive visibility.
12. Ensure data integrity and consistency across systems.
5. Continuous Improvement & Innovation
13. Champion a culture of continuous improvement (, Lean, Six Sigma).
14. Lead workshops and training sessions to build internal capabilities.
15. Evaluate and implement best practices from industry benchmarks
Qualifications
16. Tenured SC leader with experience of Manufacturing, Logistics and continuous improvement.
17. Lean six sigma green belt.
18. Project management experience or qualification such as PPMM.
19. Strong understanding of business finance.
20. Data analytical mindset.
21. Continuous improvement mindset and demonstrable behaviours congruent with One PepsiCo/Way.
22. Self-starting, proactive, driven SC leader.
23. Track record of successful impact in matrixed organisations and influencing senior stakeholders.
24. Experienced coach and track record of developing others.
Why Join Us?
We offer a competitive salary, bonus, car allowance, flexible working, and a wide range of benefits—from critical illness cover and discounted gym memberships to enhanced parental leave and electric car schemes. Our commitment to wellbeing and career growth makes us a Top Employer for 14 years running.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.