Dairy Excellence & Continuous Improvement Manager

Dairy Excellence & Continuous Improvement Manager

Department: Operations
Reporting To: Operations Manager
Direct Reports:

• Technical Trainer / SOP Coordinator
• Future CI Specialist (as business grows)

Purpose of Role

The Dairy Excellence & Continuous Improvement Manager is responsible for building and sustaining operational excellence across Killowen Farm.

The role will establish standardised ways of working, develop and implement training and competency systems, improve process adherence, drive continuous improvement initiatives and embed a culture of accountability and operational discipline.

The position will lead the development of manufacturing standards and support the business transformation from largely manual and reactive processes to a structured, data-driven and continuously improving operation.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Standards & SOP Management

• Develop and maintain site SOPs and manufacturing standards.
• Ensure all critical processes are documented and controlled.
• Simplify and standardise operational procedures.
• Implement visual management and standard work practices.
• Ensure documentation remains current and relevant.

Key Objective

"One Best Way" for every critical task.

Training & Competency Development

• Develop a site skills matrix.
• Establish operator competency assessment processes.
• Ensure all employees are trained and signed off against SOPs.
• Develop onboarding programmes for new starters.
• Coordinate refresher training requirements.
• Build a culture of continuous learning.

Key Objective

Every employee trained, assessed and competent.

Process Adherence & Governance

• Establish a layered process audit system.
• Develop routine compliance verification processes.
• Monitor adherence to operational standards.
• Support supervisors and managers in maintaining discipline.
• Investigate recurring non-compliance issues.
• Ensure corrective actions are completed.

Key Objective

Move the factory from reactive management to standardised execution.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead site Continuous Improvement programme.
• Facilitate root cause analysis investigations.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Reduce waste and losses.
• Improve labour productivity.
• Improve operational efficiency.
• Support cost reduction initiatives.

Key Objective

Create a culture of daily improvement.

Operational Performance

• Monitor manufacturing KPIs.
• Support OEE development.
• Track downtime and performance losses.
• Develop operational dashboards.
• Facilitate performance review meetings.
• Identify improvement opportunities.

Key Objective

Improve performance through data-driven decision making.

ERP & Business Transformation

• Support ERP implementation.
• Develop standard business processes.
• Ensure manufacturing data accuracy.
• Support digitisation of paper-based systems.
• Improve process control and visibility.

Key Objective

Prepare Killowen for future growth and automation.

Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis

• Lead investigations into quality, safety and operational issues.
• Facilitate structured root cause analysis.
• Ensure corrective and preventative actions are effective.
• Develop problem-solving capability across the site.

Key Objective

Fix problems permanently rather than repeatedly.

Key Accountabilities

The Dairy Excellence & CI Manager is accountable for:

• SOP Compliance
• Training Compliance
• Skills Matrix Completion
• Process Audit Compliance
• Continuous Improvement Delivery
• Productivity Improvements
• Waste Reduction
• Standard Work Adoption
• CAPA Effectiveness
• ERP Process Readiness

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Compliance

• SOP Compliance (%)
• Training Compliance (%)
• Competency Completion (%)
• Audit Completion (%)

Continuous Improvement

• Number of Improvement Projects Delivered
• Cost Savings Delivered
• Labour Productivity Improvement
• Waste Reduction (%)

Operations

• OEE Improvement
• Production Plan Adherence
• Downtime Reduction
• Right First Time Performance

Culture

• Employee Engagement in CI Activities
• Improvement Suggestions Submitted
• Supervisory Audit Completion

Key Relationships

Internal

• Operations Manager
• Factory Manager
• Supervisors
• Supply Chain Manager
• Maintenance Manager
• Safety & Compliance Manager
• Quality Team
• Warehouse & Cold Store Teams

External

• Training Providers
• ERP Implementation Partners
• Equipment Suppliers
• Industry Bodies

Experience Required

Essential

• Minimum 5 years manufacturing leadership experience.
• Food, Dairy or FMCG manufacturing experience.
• CIP & Software experience
• Process mapping
• Experience implementing SOP systems.
• Experience developing training and competency programmes.
• Continuous Improvement experience.
• OEE & Strong problem-solving capability.

Desirable

• Lean Manufacturing qualification.
• Route cause / problem solving qualification.
• Digital implementation experience.
• TPM experience.
• Dairy industry experience.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development.
• A supportive team environment within a growing and dynamic business.

Benefits:

• Bike to work scheme
• Company events
• On-site parking
• Sick pay

Work Location: In person