Job Description

The Company:

IPN is an innovative, well-established, and award-winning pet food manufacturer, employing over 850 people across our 4 UK manufacturing sites. Our family of brands include Harringtons, Wagg, Barking Heads & Meowing Heads, AATU, Blink, Butchers, Classic Cat and a selection of partner brands that trust us to produce food on their behalf. Our kitchens in Thirsk, Kinmel and Crick produce dry, wet, and baked foods which are enjoyed by dogs and cats all over the world.

The Opportunity:

We are excited to be recruiting for a

Continuous Improvement Manager

to join our manufacturing site based in Thirsk, North Yorkshire on a permanent basis.

Role Purpose:

To lead site adoption of and adherence to the manufacturing unit's continuous improvement programme and culture in order to define and deliver stretching business improvement targets, aligned with function and group strategy

About You

You don't necessarily need to be a Master Black Belt - we're looking for a master coach with a passion for engaging, educating and empowering others to solve problems, drive performance and understand the value that you can add. You need to be able to value the simplicity in tools and techniques and be able to define and deliver the CI implementation strategy for the operation. You will have a structured approach to CI and be an active member of the SLT in order to drive true CI across all functions. Your manifesto is to build an army of problem solvers right across the operation. You'll build measures and meetings that help people to recognise opportunities in front of them, and let them know when they are winning.

Key Accountabilities:

Define stretching site financial CI targets, aligned with the with the business objectives and defined in current/next year budget and longer-term strategic plans Work with site and functional colleagues to develop a masterplan of achievable CI initiatives capable of delivering the agreed CI targets Manage delivery of CI initiatives within agreed timescales and financial targets, leveraging the skills/resource of the local CI/Operations team and negotiating additional skills/resource/ capital from additional stakeholders (Site/Function/Group/ Externals) where necessary Manage site deployment of CI Programme to full maturity, using Process Confirmations to measure and drive adoption. Be a strong CI advocate for your site Build site capability to deliver business improvements through coaching CI principles and tools - extending to relevant colleagues from Operations and other functions Promote full adoption of the CI KPI suite and health check the performance of the CI system Be an active member of the IPN CI community, contributing to and drawing from best practice standards to help drive coordinated group-wide performance improvement Identify and coach/develop suitable non-CI colleagues into a CI ready talent pool from which future CI recruits can be sourced

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

Previous manufacturing experience in a recognised world class / lean organisation Proven track record of delivering results using Continuous Improvement techniques Effective leader of business process change and site improvement plans Ability to deliver training and coaching Experience of facilitating group problem solving sessions Program and project management skills

On Offer:

Location: Crick Salary: Competitive 15% annual company bonus scheme Hours: 40 hours per week - Monday to Friday Pension: Employee contributions 3% / Employer contribution 8% Holidays: 25 days + Bank Holidays Medicash Plan Life Assurance Private health Enhanced maternity/paternity/pawternity Other Benefits: Free parking, tasty treats, bring your dog to work, subsidised canteen, discounted products & free hot drinks Choice of a series of non-contractual flexible benefits, including cycle to work, workplace nurseries and dental insurance. These are offered through salary sacrifice or pay deductions.


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