Director of Operational Excellence
hace 1 día
Belfast
Director of Operational Excellence The Opportunity This is a senior operational leadership role with responsibility for driving improved performance, consistency and operational discipline across a multi-site food manufacturing organisation. The Director of Operational Excellence will establish a structured approach to operational excellence, strengthening site leadership capability, asset reliability, quality, food safety, health and safety and performance management. Working across the organisation, the role will identify opportunities to improve efficiency, embed best practice and introduce greater use of data, technology and automation to support sustainable performance improvement. This is an opportunity for an experienced food manufacturing leader to make a significant impact across a complex, multi-site organisation, helping to build the systems, capability and culture required to deliver consistently high operational performance. Key Responsibilities Operational Excellence & Performance Establish and embed consistent operational standards across multiple sites, creating greater discipline, visibility and accountability. Lead structured performance reviews, translating operational insight into clear and practical improvement plans. Develop and implement meaningful KPIs and performance dashboards to improve visibility of operational performance. Identify opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency, consistency and service delivery. Challenge existing ways of working and ensure best practice is shared and embedded. Drive a culture of ownership, accountability and continuous improvement. Align operational performance with commercial priorities, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, capacity utilisation and revenue generation. People, Capability & Culture Build the capability of site and operational leadership teams through coaching, challenge and support. Develop a consistent approach to problem solving, root cause analysis and continuous improvement. Support leaders in creating high-performing teams with clear expectations and accountability. Foster a culture of transparency, continuous learning and operational excellence. Develop leadership capability to ensure improvements are sustained rather than dependent on individual intervention. Asset Reliability & Maintenance Develop and implement a proactive asset care and preventative maintenance strategy. Drive the transition from reactive to planned and predictive maintenance. Improve asset reliability, utilisation and uptime through better processes, systems and data. Introduce more effective approaches to asset monitoring, maintenance planning and lifecycle management. Identify opportunities for technology and automation to improve asset performance and reduce downtime. Quality, Food Safety & Standards Establish and maintain consistently high operational standards across all sites. Strengthen quality, food safety, hygiene and operational controls across the organisation. Ensure consistent adherence to regulatory, customer and internal standards. Promote a proactive, high-accountability approach to food safety, hygiene and quality. Ensure incidents, non-conformances and operational risks are investigated effectively and that learning is embedded. Drive consistency in the application of agreed standards, processes and behaviours. Operational Efficiency & Continuous Improvement Identify and eliminate operational bottlenecks, waste and inefficiencies. Improve throughput, productivity, resource utilisation and overall operational effectiveness. Lead targeted improvement initiatives across sites and functions. Apply Lean, Six Sigma and other structured improvement methodologies where appropriate. Establish a consistent framework for measuring and sustaining improvement. Ensure operational improvements are aligned with wider commercial and business priorities. Data, Technology & Innovation Develop a data-led approach to operational performance management. Improve the quality, consistency and accessibility of operational data and reporting. Identify and implement digital tools that improve performance visibility, decision making and accountability. Explore opportunities for automation, predictive maintenance and technology-enabled operational improvement. Ensure technology investments are focused on clear operational priorities and deliver measurable benefits. Champion the adoption of new systems, technologies and ways of working across the organisation. About You The successful candidate will be an experienced operational leader with a strong background infood manufacturing or FMCG manufacturing, ideally gained across a complex, multi-site environment. You will have a strong understanding of the demands of manufacturing, including food safety, hygiene, quality, asset reliability, production efficiency, health and safety and disciplined performance management. You will have a track record of: Leading operational excellence or performance improvement across multiple locations. Improving efficiency, productivity, reliability and operational standards within a food manufacturing environment. Developing and embedding performance management frameworks and KPIs. Leading preventative maintenance, asset reliability or engineering improvement programmes. Managing the challenges associated with food safety, hygiene, quality and regulatory compliance. Using data, technology and systems to improve operational decision making. Building capability within site and operational leadership teams. Delivering change and sustaining improvements in environments where safety, quality and operational discipline are critical. You will be a credible, engaging and collaborative leader, able to build strong relationships while also providing the challenge required to raise standards and improve performance. You will combine strong analytical capability with the ability to translate data and insight into practical action and sustainable results. Qualifications & Experience Significant senior operational leadership experience within food manufacturing or FMCG manufacturing is essential. Experience of operating across multiple sites is highly advantageous. Proven experience of delivering measurable improvements in operational performance. Strong understanding of asset management, maintenance strategy and operational efficiency. Strong knowledge of food safety, hygiene, quality and manufacturing standards. Experience of working with data, systems and technology to improve performance. Experience operating within regulated and safety-critical environments. Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management or another relevant technical or operational qualification would be advantageous. Lean / Six Sigma or equivalent continuous improvement experience would be highly desirable. The Opportunity This is a broad and influential leadership position with the opportunity to make a tangible impact on the performance of a complex, multi-site organisation. The successful candidate will have the autonomy to challenge existing practices, introduce new approaches and build the systems, capability and culture required to deliver sustained operational improvement. For an experienced food manufacturing leader, it offers the opportunity to take ownership of a significant operational excellence agenda, work closely with senior leadership and play an important role in the organisations future development. Skills: Operational excellence Continuous Improvement Lean Manufacturing Operations Management Asset Management TPBN1_NI