Continuous Improvement Consultant

Overview

Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Preston, Reading, Warrington, York

Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink. In terms of programme and project delivery, Defra has one of the largest and most complicated portfolios in Government.

The Defra group Continuous Improvement Service exists to create and maintain a sustainable Continuous Improvement culture in Defra group. We do this by providing a professional change and improvement expertise across Defra group.

• Expert consultancy – supporting clients to deliver measurable improvements.
• Competency building – through training and mentoring.
• Community development – sustaining practitioner networks and sharing expert guidance.
• Work on projects that make a real difference to public services and the environment.
• Be part of a supportive, expert team committed to professional excellence.
• Opportunities for development and exposure to strategic initiatives across Defra group.

We are looking for an experienced Continuous Improvement Consultant to join our team and help drive meaningful change across Defra group.

• You will:
  Lead end-to-end improvement projects – from commission through implementation and benefits realisation.
• Support clients and teams to apply Continuous Improvement methodologies and tools effectively.
• Design and deliver training to our practitioner community and wider networks.
• Mentor and coach colleagues in applying improvement techniques.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of our Continuous Improvement Strategy and Service.

We are looking for an experienced Continuous Improvement Consultant to join our team and help drive meaningful change across Defra group.

We are looking for someone who is highly skilled, credible, and passionate about Continuous Improvement. You must be able to demonstrate:

• Professional qualification – Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Lean Competency System.
• Proven experience delivering improvement projects from commission to benefits realisation.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong analytical skills – confident in data collection, analysis, and presenting insights to influence evidence-led decisions.
• Experience designing and delivering training to clients and peers.
• Facilitation expertise – shaping and running workshops both face-to-face and virtually.
• Coaching and mentoring capability – supporting others to apply Continuous Improvement tools and methods.

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Lean Competency System.

We ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

We ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Using data to drive evidence-led decisions.
• Continuous improvement processes and tools.