Continuous Improvement Engineer

Continuous Improvement Engineer

Salary: £40,000 Benefits
Location: Greater Manchester
Job Type: Permanent | Full Time | Monday to Friday

Drive Operational Excellence Within a Growing UK Manufacturer

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Continuous Improvement Engineer to join a well-established and expanding UK manufacturing business. This is a hands-on role offering the opportunity to play a key part in improving manufacturing performance, implementing Lean initiatives and driving sustainable operational improvements across a busy production environment.

Working closely with Production, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality and Supply Chain teams, you will identify opportunities to improve safety, quality, productivity and efficiency while helping to embed a culture of Continuous Improvement throughout the business.

This role would suit someone who enjoys being on the shop floor, analysing processes, solving problems and delivering measurable improvements using Lean Manufacturing principles.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing operations.
• Analyse production data to identify opportunities to reduce waste, downtime, scrap and rework.
• Support projects to improve productivity, manufacturing capacity and operational efficiency.
• Facilitate Lean improvement activities including Kaizen workshops, value stream mapping and structured problem-solving exercises.
• Carry out root cause analysis using methodologies such as 5 Whys, Fishbone, PDCA and A3.
• Help develop and sustain Lean Manufacturing tools including 5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, TPM and SQDCP.
• Improve production flow, material movement and overall factory performance.
• Work alongside Production, Engineering and Maintenance teams to improve equipment reliability and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Partner with Quality teams to improve first-time pass rates and reduce manufacturing defects.
• Produce KPI reports and dashboards covering safety, quality, delivery, productivity, downtime and cost.
• Support the implementation of new manufacturing processes, automation projects and production layout improvements.
• Develop and maintain process documentation and standard operating procedures.
• Coach and support production teams on Lean principles and continuous improvement techniques.
• Promote high standards of health, safety and housekeeping across all improvement activities.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• At least 3 years' experience within Continuous Improvement, Manufacturing Engineering, Operational Excellence or Process Improvement.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and structured problem-solving techniques.
• Experience working within a fast-paced manufacturing or production environment.
• A proven track record of delivering measurable operational improvements.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret manufacturing data and identify improvement opportunities.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage stakeholders across multiple departments.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office and manufacturing performance reporting systems.

Experience in any of the following would be highly advantageous:

• 5S
• Kaizen
• Value Stream Mapping
• SMED
• TPM
• OEE improvement
• Standard Work
• Process Mapping
• Visual Management
• Automation or digital manufacturing projects
• Fabrication, welding, steel, pipe or heavy manufacturing environments

The Person

We're looking for someone who is:

• Passionate about Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing.
• Hands-on with a strong shop-floor presence.
• Analytical and naturally curious.
• A confident problem solver.
• Able to influence and engage colleagues at all levels.
• Organised, self-motivated and results-driven.
• Committed to delivering sustainable improvements that positively impact business performance.

What's on Offer

• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Permanent, full-time position.
• Monday to Friday working pattern.
• Company pension scheme.
• Additional annual leave.
• Health and wellbeing programme.
• Employee referral scheme.
• Free on-site parking.
• Ongoing training and professional development.
• Excellent long-term career progression within a growing manufacturing business.

If you're passionate about Lean Manufacturing, operational excellence and delivering meaningful improvements in a manufacturing environment, we'd love to hear from you.

About Cast UK

Cast UK is a leading executive consultancy, providing national recruitment solutions to both clients and candidates. Specialising in Business Change & Transformation, HR, Procurement, Buying, Supply Chain, and Logistics, each member of our specialist team has a professional background specific to their recruiting sector. With this unique insight and knowledge, our consultants are able to place individuals from trainee through to main board. For more information on Cast UK and a complete list of all of our current vacancies, please visit www.castuk.com

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