Continuous Improvement Manager

JOB ROLE: Continuous Improvement Manager (Operations)
JOB LOCATION: Harrogate
REPORTING TO: Site Operations Manager / Operations Director

Shepley Spring are the UK’s leading bottled water manufacturer with over 20 years’ experience in production and are proud to remain a family run business to this day.

The company operates in three manufacturing facilities in West Yorkshire and owns several high-speed production lines with the capabilities of producing both still and sparkling water servicing leading retailers such as Morrisons, Costco, Booker Tesco and Iceland through both private label and own brand producing the brands Ice Valley® and White Rock® exclusively.

As Continuous Improvement (CI) Improvement Manager, you will play a pivotal role in driving operational excellence across our newest manufacturing site.

Working closely with the Site Operations Manager and Production leadership team, you will be responsible for developing, implementing and embedding standardised operating procedures (SOPs), improving production processes, eliminating waste, and creating consistency across all operational activities.

A major focus of the role will be establishing robust standards for production, ensuring all colleagues are trained consistently, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement throughout the operation.

This is a highly visible role requiring a proactive individual who enjoys working on the shop floor, engaging with teams and delivering sustainable operational improvements that improve safety, quality, productivity and efficiency.

• Lead Continuous Improvement initiatives across production and operational departments.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste and increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Facilitate Lean Manufacturing activities including 5S, Kaizen, Visual Management and Standard Work.
• Drive root cause analysis using structured problem-solving tools.
• Develop and maintain Continuous Improvement roadmaps aligned to site objectives.
• Support the implementation of best practice across shifts and departments.

• Review existing operating procedures and identify opportunities for standardisation.
• Develop, document and implement clear, practical SOPs for all key production processes.
• Ensure documentation is controlled, accessible and regularly reviewed.
• Work with production teams to ensure procedures reflect operational best practice.
• Audit adherence to SOPs and implement corrective actions where required.

• Design and implement a structured onboarding programme for production employees.
• Standardise training processes across all production departments.
• Develop skills matrices and competency assessments.
• Support supervisors and team leaders in coaching and developing operators.
• Ensure training records remain accurate and compliant.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.

• Analyse production performance data to identify improvement opportunities.
• Work with production, engineering and quality teams to remove operational bottlenecks.
• Improve workflow, material movement and production layouts where appropriate.
• Support new equipment introductions and process changes.
• Reduce downtime through improved process control and operational discipline.

• Promote consistent ways of working across all shifts.
• Monitor operational KPIs and recommend actions to improve performance.
• Drive improvements in labour efficiency, yield, waste reduction and line performance.
• Support cross-functional improvement projects.
• Benchmark performance and implement industry best practice.

• Ensure all improvement activities support BRCGS, HACCP and customer standards.
• Work closely with the Quality team to improve process capability and product consistency.
• Promote Right First Time manufacturing principles.
• Support internal and external audits through robust process documentation.

• Champion safe systems of work throughout all improvement activities.
• Ensure SOPs incorporate all relevant Health &…