Continuous Improvement Engineer

Continuous Improvement Engineer

Glanbia Performance Nutrition

Join this dynamic team focused on delivering better nutrition for every step of life’s journey 

The Opportunity

The Continuous Improvement Engineer drives sustainable improvement in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Sustainability and People performance through Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence and structured problem solving. Working closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain and Site Leadership, the role identifies chronic losses, delivers measurable improvement projects and strengthens the site Daily Management System.

The role acts as a catalyst for cultural change by building capability, challenging existing processes and ensuring improvement activity delivers sustainable business benefits aligned with site and regional priorities.

Job Responsibilities

Support deployment of the site Operational Excellence strategy and translate performance losses into prioritised, well-governed improvement activity. Coach teams to solve problems at source, standardise improved ways of working and sustain results through clear ownership, visual management and effective routines.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Health, Safety & Welfare

• Promote and support a safe working environment, ensuring improvement activity is planned and delivered in line with legislative and internal health and safety standards.
• Use structured improvement methods to support near-miss reduction, safer ways of working and completion of agreed safety actions.

Food Safety, Legality & Quality

• Ensure improvement activity protects product safety, legality, quality and compliance with applicable site standards, including GMP and HACCP requirements.
• Lead structured problem solving on defects, customer complaints, process variation and Cost of Quality losses.
• Work with Quality and Technical colleagues to ensure process changes are risk assessed, documented, validated, and embedded before full implementation.

Daily Management & Performance Control

• Support and continuously improve the site Daily Management Systems and Daily Direction Setting routines.
• Maintain KPI dashboards, visual management and action tracking so performance losses are visible, escalated and acted upon.
• Coach operational teams to use daily performance data for decision making and monitor adherence to Leader Standard Work and agreed routines.
• Provide clear, factual reporting of performance, project progress, risks and benefits to site leadership and governance forums.

Continuous Improvement & Loss Elimination

• Identify, prioritise and deliver improvement opportunities across manufacturing and support functions.
• Lead Lean activity focused on Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and Sustainability, including Loss Elimination events, Rapid Improvement Workshops and Value Stream Mapping.
• Apply appropriate methods such as PDCA, Unified Problem Solving, Initial Problem Solving, 5 Why Analysis, Rapid Changeover, Autonomous Maintenance and Standard Work.
• Eliminate waste, variation, and recurring operational issues by addressing process causes rather than symptoms.

Data Analysis, Benefits & Reporting

• Analyse operational data to identify trends, chronic losses, emerging risks and improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain improvement dashboards and performance measures, with clear baselines and targets.
• Quantify, validate, and track operational and financial benefits in partnership with relevant functional owners.
• Support annual business planning through performance analysis, loss intelligence and opportunity identification.

Project & Change Management

• Manage a portfolio of improvement projects aligned with site priorities, using clear charters, timelines, resources, risks, and benefit targets.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver agreed scope, milestones and outcomes.
• Support implementation of new technologies, processes and operating standards, ensuring changes are documented, standardised and sustained.
• Escalate barriers early and ensure effective handover of newly established standards to process owners.

Capability Building & Team Development

• Deliver practical training and coaching in Lean, Six Sigma, Daily Management and structured problem-solving methods.
• Develop capability across operators, front-line leaders and functional teams, including support for site Continuous Improvement Champions.
• Create and maintain training materials, standards, and best practice guides.
• Encourage employee engagement, idea generation, ownership and accountability for improvement.

Operational Excellence Governance

• Support deployment of the site Operational Excellence framework and participate in governance reviews and performance forums.
• Conduct process and sustainment audits, agree recovery actions and verify that improved performance is maintained.
• Share learning and best practice across departments and sites, supporting benchmarking and external Operational Excellence assessments.

Research and Development

• Partner with R&D and Operations to support first production runs and successful product commercialisation.
• Validate process performance, establish operating standards and ensure lessons learned are embedded into routine operations.
• Support a smooth transition from product development to sustainable manufacturing performance.

Requirements

Essential

• Degree, HND or HNC in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations or related technical discipline.
• Experience within FMCG, food, pharmaceutical or high-volume manufacturing.
• Practical knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and experience leading improvement projects.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving capability.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Strong data-analysis capability using Microsoft Excel and manufacturing data systems.
• Ability to work effectively on the shop floor and communicate confidently with senior leadership.

Preferred

• Six Sigma or Lean Practitioner certification.
• Experience with Daily Management Systems, OEE systems and manufacturing performance reporting.
• Knowledge of Autonomous Maintenance and Reliability Improvement.
• Experience facilitating Kaizen events, Rapid Changeover activity and Value Stream Mapping.
• Experience in a food-manufacturing environment and awareness of GMP and HACCP controls.

Competencies

• Accountability & Execution
• Customer Focus
• Teamwork & Cooperation
• Strategic Thinking
• Coaching
• Innovation
• Managing Change
• Negotiating & Influencing
• Lean Management
• Data-driven Decision Making

If you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please apply!

Where and How You Will Work

The opportunity will be based in Middlesbrough onsite.

What We Would Like to Offer You

The opportunity to develop your career on a global stage, continuous learning through an on-demand learning platform, and a competitive compensation package & benefits

About Glanbia

Glanbia is a better nutrition company with three divisions: Performance Nutrition, Health & Nutrition and Dairy Nutrition. Collectively and with our partners we offer an incredible breadth of expertise in nutrition. We employ a team of 5,800 people, work with global food and beverage companies, and sell our award-winning and market-leading brands and ingredients in more than 100 countries worldwide.

At Glanbia, we celebrate diversity, because we know that our individual strengths make us stronger together. We welcome and encourage interest from a variety of candidates. We will give your application consideration, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.