Job Description

Location:

Johnstone's Food Service, East Kilbride, Glasgow G74 5PB

Shift:

Monday-Friday

Salary:

Competitive

We have an exciting opportunity to join the Operations team in the role of Site Excellence Lead at our Johnstone's site as part of 'Finsbury Food Group'.

Johnstone's Food Service bakery in East Kilbride, Scotland, specialises in creating delicious food-to-go bars and single serve treats for leading retailers across the UK. Johnstone's creates irresistible single-serve traybakes that perfectly complement that mid-morning coffee or afternoon tea break. The renowned caramel shortbread has become a staple in coffee shops nationwide, delighting customers with its perfect balance of buttery shortbread, creamy caramel, and rich chocolate.

To be successful in this role you will be a confident and collaborative leader who motivates others through a clear vision and strong engagement. As a strategic thinker with robust analytical skills, you'll be committed to data-driven decision-making, balancing the demands of short-term performance with the pursuit of long-term improvement goals. Thriving in dynamic environments, you will be adaptable and responsive to evolving business needs.



About the Role



We are looking for a passionate and proactive Excellence Lead to drive strategic, site-wide operational excellence initiatives and drive continuous improvement. This role is responsible for leading lean and efficiency projects across manufacturing and support functions, cultivating a culture of continuous improvement, and embedding best practice standards that support sustainable business performance and growth.

A natural problem solver, you'll have a keen eye for identifying value and driving tangible improvements across the organisation. You will demonstrate initiative, personal accountability, and a passion for operational excellence, constantly looking for ways to enhance processes and deliver results.

This is What You'll Actually Do

In this role, you will lead and deliver group-standardised Lean, Excellence, and Practical Process Improvement (PPI) training to build in-house continuous improvement capabilities. You'll be responsible for driving operational excellence through cross-functional CI projects aimed at improving efficiency across labour, materials, and overheads.

A key part of your work will involve embedding a high-performance, decision-making culture at all levels, enabling faster problem-solving and greater organisational agility. You will work closely with internal customers and cross-functional teams to identify opportunities for improvement using Lean principles, while leading and facilitating the deployment of MARA, Finsbury's management system, ensuring alignment across all site functions.

You'll support the implementation and sustainability of Asset Care (TPM) in partnership with Engineering and Operations. By implementing and streamlining processes through "Process Blueprint" (Leader Standard Work), you'll help improve quality, customer satisfaction, and key operational KPIs.

You'll lead structured problem-solving sessions and ensure best practices are captured, shared, and applied consistently across sites through FFG workplace forums. Your responsibilities will also include preparing and presenting OBP updates and reports to senior stakeholders and business forums.

As a model of FFG's core values and behaviors, you will actively champion a culture of continuous improvement and encourage others to do the same. You will facilitate CI workshops and training sessions to upskill teams and embed Lean principles into daily operations.

Driving improvements across safety, quality, service, cost, and people metrics will be a central focus. You'll lead CI projects from initiation through to successful, compliant delivery--on time and within budget. Acting as a change agent, you'll promote an action-oriented mindset across the site and collaborate closely with engineering, operations, and support teams to identify bottlenecks and drive efficiency.

In addition, you'll share learnings and replicate best practices across the Finsbury Food Group, conduct thorough risk assessments, and implement appropriate controls to ensure safe project delivery. Finally, you will promote strong internal and external partnerships that support the achievement of business objectives and successful project integration.



Ideally, This is You!

Essential:

Proven experience in continuous/process improvement within a manufacturing environment. Track record of leading cross-functional teams and successfully delivering change initiatives. Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence at all levels. Detail-oriented, proactive, and highly organised in approach. Self-starter with strong prioritisation skills and ability to work under own initiative. Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Full driver's license and ability to travel without restriction.

Desirable:

CI experience within the food manufacturing or FMCG sector. Background in the implementation of lean structures and tools. Familiarity with bakery processes and food production environments. Knowledge of Six Sigma/SPC techniques in process manufacturing. Degree or HND in Food Science, Engineering, or related discipline. Hands-on experience with product and process optimisation.

Our vision is to be the leading specialty bakery group in the UK, and we want the best people in place to achieve this. Our continued success is built entirely on the talented people who work here, so employee development is important to us because everyone is a valued member of the team, and we want every individual to have the skills and capabilities to achieve both your own personal goals and our business goals. We want good people to join our company, to help our company continue to go from strength to strength. If this sounds like you, please get in contact to learn more!



What's in it for you?



Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival! Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees Death in Service Benefit Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families) Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform! Company shop available at sites (heavily discounted, yummy products!) Refer a Friend Scheme (up to 300 per referral - t&cs dependent) Employee Recognition Awards Extensive Learning & Development opportunities (including opportunities for sponsored professional memberships and our own in-house development course!) An opportunity to be part of a fantastic, growing organisation. Head over to our LinkedIn page to find out more!

Our vision is to be the leading specialty bakery group in the UK and we want the best people in place to achieve this. Our continued success is built entirely on the talented people who work here, so employee development is important to us because everyone is a valued member of the team, and we want every individual to have the skills and capabilities to achieve both your own personal goals and our business goals. We want good people to join our company, to help our company continue to go from strength to strength. If this sounds like you, please get in contact to learn more!