Permanent
Manufacturing Continuous Improvement Practitioner
Manufacturing
Ampthill - Bedfordshire
About the Role
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
1. Deploy a broad range of continuous improvement and lean manufacturing tools to deliver best‑in‑class operational performance.
2. Build and develop a high‑performing Manufacturing team that champions continuous improvement and drives meaningful change across the organisation.
3. Lead improvement initiatives from identification through implementation and validation, ensuring measurable and sustainable results.
4. Facilitate SIA events, workshops, and cross‑functional meetings, guiding teams through structured improvement activities.
5. Support the creation and rollout of a world‑class continuous improvement strategy aligned with long‑term business goals.
6. Shape the manufacturing vision and strategy, contributing to long‑range planning and execution.
7. Coach line managers to adopt new ways of working, driving behavioural and mindset shifts that embed continuous improvement into daily operations.
8. Champion Lean Six Sigma methodologies, training teams to reduce waste, minimise variation, and standardise processes.
9. Partner with production management to advance lean deployment, including digital transformation, 6S, standard work, visual factory management, SMED, and KPI development.
10. Harmonise improvement activities across the future LMUK product portfolio to ensure consistency and scalability.
Required skills, qualifications and experience
11. Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence at both strategic and shop‑floor levels.
12. A strong track record of delivering complex improvement initiatives within a manufacturing environment.
13. Experience driving change across people, processes, systems, behaviours, and culture.
14. Lean Six Sigma Belt training or qualification.
15. A data‑driven mindset with excellent analytical capability.
16. Confident, independent thinking with the ability to uphold quality and customer requirements.
17. Experience in design and manufacturing processes.
18. Strong problem‑solving skills (8D, A3, Root Cause Analysis, .
19. Eligibility to obtain SC Security Clearance.
Job Reference Number
18327BR
Salary Range
£47,000- £58,000 including benefits and bonus
Employee Type
Full Time
Hours Per Week
37.5
Working Schedule
4xFlex
Country
United Kingdom (UK)
Clearance Required for Role
SC
Graduate, Intern or Apprentice Vacancy?
No
What we offer you
At Lockheed Martin our employees come first and therefore your physical, mental and financial wellbeing matters to us. On top of working in a highly supportive, friendly, respectful environment you can expect so much more.
We are an employer in support of and offering Flexible working with the option to also work a 4 day week depending on business requirements, where you have the option of Fridays off. We offer Competitive salaries alongside a flexible holiday entitlement.
We have a Wealth of benefits available to you that can be selected through our wellbeing tool upon commencement of employment. Just a few of our amazing benefits are shown below:
20. Private Medical Insurance
21. Competitive Pension
22. Dental
23. Critical Illness
24. Life Assurance
25. Travel Insurance
26. Employee discounts for top high street shops
27. Employee Assistance Program which includes free face to face counseling sessions, Legal advice, Financial advice, etc
28. Internal training and development alongside our Education assistance programmes
29. Reimbursement for a professional membership
30. Competitive policies that support flexibility and family leave inclusive of enhanced maternity leave
Business Environment
Lockheed Martin (UK) Ampthill is a rapidly changing, dynamic part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation with both domestic and international customers. It consists of business areas focusing on Platform Integration, Ground Based Air Defence, Special Projects and Weapons, which provide a variety of products and services to the Ministry of Defence and other customers. We are looking for talented individuals to join the company, in return we offer an exciting and challenging career path and excellent work/life balance with a 4 day week (Mon-Thurs) and flexible working arrangements.
Equal Opportunity Statement
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 end ngIf: ame != 'jobtitleInJobDetails' && ame != 'jobdescriptionInJobDetails' -->
Job Expires
21/01/2027
Manufacturing Continuous Improvement Practitioner | LM Careers