Process Lead - FMCG Production

About the Role

If you’re passionate about raising standards, continuously improving quality, and influencing manufacturing excellence, this may be the opportunity for you!

Our Process Lead will promote and underpin our Run to Standards Toolkit principles, ensuring Zero Harm by Choice, consistency, and best practice.

As Process Lead at Northwood, your role is critical in the following areas:

• Relentlessly promoting the importance of safety and quality.
• Supporting the development of Risk Assessments and SSOW.
• Driving adherence to cleaning schedules, ensuring machinery is maintained and safe.
• Completing shift inspections to detect potential faults proactively and minimise downtime.
• Effective utilisation of CI methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma to drive positive change.

This is a hands‑on role suited to someone who enjoys being close to the process, observing, coaching, challenging and supporting teams to achieve sustainable improvements.

Working closely with Production, Engineering and CI teams, the Process Lead will act as a visible presence, supporting teams to stabilise processes, reduce recurring losses and embed standard work. You will use data and structured problem solving to identify improvement opportunities, helping teams move from reactive firefighting to proactive performance management.

You will play a key role in developing capability across the site, supporting operators and front-cell leaders in understanding process standards, loss elimination, and the principles behind Lean and Continuous Improvement.

If you thrive in an environment where standards matter, where data drives decisions, and where improvement is achieved through collaboration rather than authority, this role offers the opportunity to make a tangible impact.

We are keen to speak to you if you have experience as a Process Lead/Engineer, CI Lead/Engineer (or similar) in a Manufacturing/FMCG environment with high standards.

We're looking for:

• Curiousity, resilience and pragmatism.
• Confidence to challenge the status quo respectfully.
• Excellent leadership with the ability to support teams and maintain morale through change.
• An individual who takes pride in delivering measurable results, and celebrates success!

Ideally, you will possess any of the following:

• Lean Six Sigma Yellow/Green/Black Belt (or equivalent Business Improvement Techniques qualification, e.g. NVQ/C&G, etc.)
• Health & Safety qualification (e.g. NEBOSH, IOSH, or equivalent), demonstrating your continuous learning and dedication to Zero Harm By Choice.
• Mechanical or Electrical Engineering qualification (if you have an Engineering background)

Northwood is a family‑owned group of associated companies that provide the manufacturing, supply and transportation of paper hygiene and wiping products for both the away‑from‑home and consumer market.

Our mission is to be the market‑leading partner of choice in the away from home tissue industry. One of only a small handful of companies in the UK market that is fully vertically integrated;
Northwood is involved at each point in the supply chain, from raw material supply, tissue and towel manufacturing, end‑user product converting, storage and transportation.

Our remit is huge, with a portfolio of products covering two key systems brands, professional wiping, commodity, consumer paper and private label. We sell into a distribution network spanning the UK, Ireland and Europe, which in turn service markets such as healthcare, hospitality, hotels, engineering, janitorial, catering and education.

We are a highly successful, award‑winning and ambitious business that has grown from a humble paper sales business to a market leader employing over 800 colleagues, across 11 sites in the UK and Spain.

We differentiate ourselves by excelling in product quality alongside market‑leading service and sales support.

At Northwood, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment where everyone is welcomed and respected. We strive to promote a workplace that celebrates diversity and encourages individuals to express their opinions and beliefs. We are dedicated to providing equal opportunities for all.

• Company pension
• Life assurance
• Free company products
• Free on‑site parking
• Food, retail, holidays, cinema, and gyms discounts
• Wellness programmes, including Employee Assistance Program and OnDemand GP service
• Free early access to pay scheme
• Salary sacrifice schemes
• Employee referral scheme