Continuous Improvement Specialist (Leek, GB, ST13 5SP) presso Ornua

Continuous Improvement Specialist

Job title:            Continuous Improvement Specialist              

Reports to:       CI Controller

Location:           Foods UK, Leek           

Salary:               Generous salary depending on experience

Hours:              36.25 hours per week                 

Benefits:          Matched pension scheme up to 8%, Generous holiday allowance increasing with length of service, Subsidised staff canteen, Company shop offering discounts on Ornua products, Sports & Social Club, Staff Lottery, Discount on Bikes & Tech Scheme, Confidential Employee Assist Programme, Free onsite parking           

Ornua (meaning “new gold”) is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, proudly bringing the unique taste of Irish dairy to the world for over 55 years.

Are you a CI Specialist with a true passion for CI and a strong intrinsic drive to innovate, optimise, and elevate operations?  Do you thrive in environments that challenge the status quo and excite you to make a lasting impact?

Ornua is actively seeking a Continuous Improvement Specialist who is both collaborative and engaging, with the ability to influence, mentor and coach colleagues at all levels.

The CI Specialist will play a key role in owning and driving CI initiatives within the business aligned to our overall mission and focus on value-add partnering.

The CI Specialist is responsible for working closely with key stakeholders to provide data driven insights, solve challenges and drive performance in line with business objectives whilst optimising costs and eliminating waste. Leading on improvement activities including training, mentoring, tool deployment and benchmarking amongst others, this role drives an improvement-focused culture and increases employee engagement.

The CI Specialist will be the deputy for the CI Controller and be responsible for covering any holidays / absences always ensuring the smooth running of the department.

Why Ornua?

• Ornua operates from 10 business units worldwide, including 16 production facilities, and has sales and marketing teams working in-market across all four corners of the globe.
• The Group is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients.
• Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Kerrygold, Pilgrims Choice.
• Our co-operative ethos lies at the heart of how we do business as a purpose and values-led organisation, creating value for Irish dairy farming families.
• Our Values lie at the core of everything we do. Our five values encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care, and Achieve Great Things Together.
• We invest in our people and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Career Progression including Global Mobility opportunities.
• Comprehensive Benefits with regional specific offerings.

Why This Role Is Valuable:

As our CI Specialist you will;

• Lead high-impact, cross-functional improvement initiatives that directly influence site performance, cost optimization, and strategic priorities. You will be fully accountable for scoping, planning, and executing projects that deliver sustained value to the business.
• Deliver measurable business impact by leading high-value CI initiatives, including yield optimization (£2 million) and procurement cost reductions (£6 million spend), ensuring tangible and sustained financial benefits to the business.
• •Deputy to CI Controller, attend relevant meetings during holidays / absences and help shape the future of CI within Ornua for the future.
• •Shape the site's continuous improvement roadmap by identifying opportunities, aligning with business objectives, and championing initiatives that drive transformation and efficiency across operations.
• •Act as a key business partner to senior leadership, using data-driven insights and structured problem-solving to influence decision-making and secure alignment on improvement priorities.
• •Leverage and refine Lean and Operational Excellence frameworks, embedding best-in-class tools (e.g., SMED, OEE, VSM, 5S, Standard Work) and creating tailored solutions that work in a complex, fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• •Develop site-wide capability through coaching and upskilling, enabling functions and teams to take ownership of continuous improvement and drive behavioural change at all levels.
• •Provide thought leadership on performance improvement, bringing external best practices and fresh thinking to challenge the status quo and elevate operational standards.
• •Lead data and systems integration for CI by managing the OEE and performance monitoring platforms, ensuring insights are action-oriented, transparent, and drive accountability.
• •Support Capex planning and project delivery, contributing to evaluations that align capital spend with CI-led opportunities and long-term strategic gains.
• •Inspire a high-performance, improvement-focused culture by showcasing results, celebrating milestones, and building momentum through visible leadership and impactful storytelling.

What You Bring To The Role:

• Proven experience in delivering cross-functional improvement projects with quantifiable results. (£100k+)
• Personable, excellent communication skills with the ability to build relationships, influence and negotiate to find positive solutions.
• Excellent strategic thinking capability and business focused mindset.
• Strong foundation in Lean/Operational Excellence principles (e.g., OEE, SMED, 8 Wastes, 5S, PDCA, Standard Work).
• Excellent project management, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills along with relevant qualifications.
• People management experience is essential to be able to engage with team members and drive the culture of the business forward, enabling us to shape Ornua’s CI future.
• Strong analytical mindset; comfortable working with and collating data to drive actions and build consensus.
• Extensive experience in a CI, Operational Excellence, or project delivery role, preferably in a dairy manufacturing or FMCG environment.

Our interview process is designed to be thorough yet supportive. This process includes a first stage via Teams to allow us to get to know you better and to understand your skills and experiences and, if successful, a second stage face-to-face interview that will build upon the first stage and give you the opportunity to get a feel for Ornua and the environment in which you will be working.

Ornua has ambitious growth plans and we’re building a team to help enable and accelerate that growth. We are looking for people who share our values, are curious, forward-looking, take ownership and work together to build a future for themselves and Ornua.

Would you like to make an impact?

To learn more, please visit Ornua at www.ornua.com

Ornua values diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds. We also strongly encourage women and other underrepresented groups in the manufacturing industry to apply. Your unique perspectives and experiences are highly valued and will be instrumental in driving our company’s continued success. Join us in shaping a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable future.