pladis Global
Operational Excellence Manager
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Join Us in Spreading Happiness Worldwide
Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast-growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure, and people? Then this is the place for you.
As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits.
To succeed at pladis, you need to be purpose-led, resilient, and positive. We expect pace and agility, insist on collaboration, and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact.
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What This Role Achieves
This is an exciting and impactful role, crucial to delivering value to our Manchester site through influencing and collaborating widely with others to support Excellence activities. You will be involved in prioritizing, managing, and delivering specific continuous improvement (CI) projects focused on reducing cost, optimizing process, and driving engagement across our Manchester Bakery and Chocolate Refinery.
The successful candidate will be responsible for facilitating, mentoring, and developing teams/individuals at all levels on-site as part of the implementation and successful application of Operational Excellence. You will be an integral part of the site leadership team and therefore a key part of delivering our financial and KPI targets. Working closely with Department Managers to ensure the ongoing sustainability of Excellence tools on site, ensuring that skill levels are maintained, and benefits realized on an ongoing basis, as well as taking a key role in projects.
Whilst the role is site-based, travel to other sites and supporting projects at other sites should be expected, which will support benchmarking across other pladis sites. The role is not shift-based, but you may need to be flexible in supporting the delivery requirement of business/project initiatives.
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Key Deliverables
- Responsible for the communications around Excellence processes and results across the site
- Responsible for ensuring that the site's OpEx rollout is consistent with the overall Excellence approach
- Leading and coaching teams to conduct ‘narrow and deep’ interventions aimed at reducing cost, using Excellence tools & techniques
- Leading Excellence training courses across the site and, if required, other pladis sites
- Coaching Green and Orange belt candidates in project delivery on site and certification
- To own the annual building of a pipeline of improvement projects which delivers the site’s required financial improvement targets
- Accountable for execution of site improvement pipeline to deliver cost-base improvement which both meet site targets
- Responsible for the identification and submission of Capex projects related to plant efficiency. Where appropriate, lead these projects to completion.
- To play a key role in the Site Leadership team driving the creation and execution of the overall site strategy aligned to business growth ambition.
Essential Requirements
- Motivated and passionate about Continuous Improvement (CI), with a resilient character – you will be able to empower people!
- Strong understanding of Excellence tools & techniques within CI & Leadership elements
- Track record of operating in a Manufacturing / Supply Chain CI culture
- Influencing across all levels on site and the business
- Strong IT skills (e.g. MS Office)
- Time Management (including Delegation)
- Team Motivation/Facilitation
- Effective Communication & presentation skills
- Change Management / Sponsorship skills
- Effective Project Management
- Coaching toolkit and knowledge
- Lean six sigma qualifications (green belt preferable)
Desirable Requirements
- Capex understanding and systems
- Insights / HPB - understanding and developing behaviors
- Experience of managing diversity
- Commercial Awareness
- Total Productivity Maintenance (TPM) understanding
- Black belt qualification
Our Purpose
Bring happiness with every bite
It’s a purpose that every one of our colleagues, all around the world, believes in. And while we’re all unique, we also share the same values.
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Each of our values is important on its own. In combination, they’re incredibly powerful.
Our values have deep personal meaning to us. They’re part of who we are and what we stand for as an employer.
Living our pladis values is a key part of success. Look out for questions in your interview that link to these key pladis values.
Our Values
- Purpose led – We’re energized and guided by our purpose to bring happiness with every bite
- Agile – We’re ever evolving, we never stand still, always improving for our customers and our consumers
- Positive – We’re highly motivated, optimistic, fearless, and we inspire each other to be better
- Resilient – We’re persistent in the face of setbacks, quick to adapt, learn, and move forward
- Collaborative – We gain strength from operating as one pladis, winning and succeeding together.
Best Mix of Ingredients
pladis is an equal opportunities employer, like every great recipe, we’re a thoughtful mix. A happy and inclusive place to work that’s as diverse as our consumers and the communities we support, live, and work in, all around the world. Where every voice is heard, and difference is celebrated. Where fresh perspectives and new ideas help us grow and thrive.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform key job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion, or any other classification protected by law.
We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List. If you are a recruitment agency and wish to submit a candidate to be considered for this vacancy, you must have agreed to, and signed, our terms of business.
We will not accept CVs from any other sources other than those currently on our PSL. We will not pay a fee for any candidate that has not been represented by a provider on our PSL.
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