Group Technical & Operational Excellence Manager - UK

Group Technical & Operational Excellence Manager
£80–90k + Car Allowance + Bonus + Great Benefits

Use your CI/Lean and Technical/Quality expertise to make a real, visible impact on a major food & drink manufacturer’s UK network. This is a food safety and technical leadership role — focused on eliminating repeat issues, building capability, and embedding a culture where problems get fixed for good.

The Company

They’re one of the UK’s biggest food & drink manufacturers, with a strong brand and an industry-leading reputation. This is a business with a culture of investment, high standards, and a track record of winning — in the market, with customers, and in delivering results.

In recent years they’ve invested tens of millions in their sites — not just on shiny kit, but on the systems, capability and leadership needed to make a step change in quality. If you’ve worked somewhere where technical always plays second fiddle to operations or cost, you’ll find this refreshingly different.

The Role

You’ll be the central technical problem-solver for multiple sites. Your mission:

• Identify repeat food safety and quality issues across the network.
• Lead structured root cause investigations (5 Whys, Fishbone, DMAIC, Fault Tree etc).
• Put preventative actions in place — and make sure they actually work.
• Coach and develop site technical teams so they can solve problems themselves and stop them coming back.

You’ll work closely with Technical, Operations, Engineering, NPD and Supply Chain — influencing and challenging at all levels, from shop floor to senior leadership.

It’s field-based, typically 3+ days a week on site, and will involve travel across the UK (up to ~70% of your time). You’ll have one direct report and around seven indirect, plus ownership of your own projects and budget.

You

You’ll bring a rare combination of:

• Strong technical/quality leadership in a sizeable FMCG environment.
• CI/Lean expertise — Six Sigma is ideal, but other structured methodologies welcome.
• Experience leading cross-functional root cause analysis and preventative action projects.
• The presence and communication skills to influence senior leaders, and the coaching skills to raise site capability.

You’ll also be happy to travel regularly — this isn’t a desk job.

What You’ll Get

• £80–90k + bonus + car allowance
• Benefits package that outperforms much of the industry
• Significant autonomy to manage your own diary, set priorities and make an impact
• Investment in your development, both technical and leadership
• The scale and backing of a big business, with progression opportunities

This is a chance to use your food safety, technical and CI skills in a role where success is measured in lasting fixes, not firefighting — with a business that’s used to winning.

What to do now

Email me at jeremy.pierce@silven.co.uk, call or text 07837 364 712, or hit apply.

If you don’t hear back, it probably means you’ve been unsuccessful — but you’re always welcome to follow up.