Description

Join Estée Lauder Companies at Whitman Laboratories, where one-fifth of the company’s global sales output is manufactured. As a global leader in prestige beauty, we serve over half a billion consumers each year, offering world-renowned brands such as Estée Lauder, MAC, Jo Malone London and Clinique across more than 150 countries.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Operational Excellence Engineer (12-month FTC) who is passionate about driving continuous improvement and operational efficiency to join our dynamic production team. In this role you will play a pivotal role in embedding Lean principles, optimising processes, and influencing strategic decisions that shape the future of our manufacturing operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive Operational Excellence and Lean Standards on-site, ensuring standardised processes across Operations and embedding them within the Work Centre.
• Lead key routine with a focus on adherence to standards (SDCA) and build plans to meet priorities (PDCA).
• Manage projects to improve KPIs, reduce process variation, and enhance overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Support investment projects using Lean Principles and coach employees to perform critical processes effectively.
• Prepare visual, concise, and conclusive presentations to support strategic operational decisions.
• Coordinate RFT activities across functions (NPP, QA, QE, Operations) to ensure world-class execution and integration of new product innovation and launches.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost + People.
• Lead workshops and coaching sessions to drive engagement and operational excellence.
• Attend networking activities within and outside the ELC international group, sharing best practices to position the plant as a model site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution is desirable.
• Strong technical expertise with a solid understanding of operational processes.
• Six Sigma certification or experience.
• Excellent negotiation and presentation skills, with confidence to engage senior stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritise, delegate, and manage team performance effectively.
• High level of analytical ability to solve both practical and theoretical problems.
• Strong literacy and numeracy skills.
• Advanced computer literacy, including SAP (ECC) and MS Office; SAP experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead by example and act as a role model for company values.