Plant PMO, Performance & Continuous Improvement Manager (Alfreton, Derbyshire, DBY, GB)

About the Role:

Ferrero is looking for an experienced Plant PMO, Performance & Continuous Improvement Manager to play a pivotal role in driving performance, transformation and continuous improvement across our manufacturing operation.

Working closely with the Plant Manager and Plant Leadership Team, you will sit at the heart of the site, connecting strategy with execution and ensuring our key priorities translate into measurable and sustainable improvements.

This is a broad and influential role that goes beyond traditional PMO. You will bring together plant governance, performance management, major cross-functional projects, Continuous Improvement and digitalisation, providing the structure, challenge and leadership needed to accelerate the Plant's transformation agenda.

You will also play a leading role in developing our Smart Factory ambitions, identifying how technology, data and new ways of working can improve operational performance while ensuring that people remain at the centre of change.

For someone passionate about Operational Excellence, manufacturing transformation and creating a culture of continuous improvement, this is an opportunity to make a tangible impact across an entire manufacturing site.

Main Responsibilities:

As Plant PMO, Performance & Continuous Improvement Manager, you will work alongside the Plant Manager to establish strong governance across the site, coordinating priorities and ensuring effective collaboration between Plant departments. You will support the development of the Plant Master Plan, translating strategic priorities into a clear longer-term roadmap and monitoring progress against key initiatives.

You will coordinate the Plant budget process and performance follow-up, bringing together information from across the operation to provide visibility of performance, highlight priorities and support effective decision-making.

Acting as Project Manager for major cross-functional initiatives, you will provide leadership and structure to complex projects from planning through to implementation. Alongside delivering projects directly, you will help strengthen project management capability and ways of working across the Plant.

A major focus will be driving the site's Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence agenda. You will champion Ferrero's improvement methodologies, working closely with operational teams to identify opportunities, develop improvement plans and ensure initiatives translate into measurable and sustainable performance improvements.

You will coach and develop colleagues in Continuous Improvement methodologies, helping build capability across the organisation and creating greater ownership of performance improvement within line and functional teams.

Alongside this, you will lead the Plant's Smart Factory and digitalisation initiatives, working with local and wider Ferrero teams to identify, prioritise and deploy digital solutions that can improve the way we operate. You will monitor progress and ensure technology and data are being translated into meaningful operational value.

Through all of these activities, you will act as a key connector across the Plant, bringing together Operations, Maintenance and other functions while collaborating with wider Industrial & Supply teams to ensure local priorities remain aligned with the broader organisation.

About You:

You will be an experienced Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Manufacturing Transformation, PMO or Performance professional, with a strong track record of delivering change within a manufacturing or similarly complex operational environment.

You will understand how to turn strategy into practical execution and will be comfortable operating across multiple functions, priorities and projects. Strong project and programme management capability will be important, together with experience of driving measurable performance improvement.

You will bring a strong understanding of Continuous Improvement and Lean methodologies, with the ability not only to apply improvement tools yourself but to engage, coach and influence others to adopt new ways of working.

Experience of Smart Factory, manufacturing digitalisation, Industry 4.0 or data-led performance improvement would be highly valuable, particularly where you have helped translate technology into tangible operational benefits.

Analytically strong and commercially aware, you will be comfortable working with performance measures, budgets and complex information, using insight to identify opportunities and support effective decision-making.

Just as importantly, you will be a strong communicator and change leader. You will be able to build credibility from the shop floor through to senior leadership, challenge constructively and bring different stakeholders together around a common objective.

Above all, you will combine strategic thinking with a hands-on approach to delivery. You will be passionate about improving performance, developing capability and creating sustainable change within a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

What We Offer:

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About Ferrero:

Ferrero began its journey in the small town of Alba in Piedmont, Italy, in 1946. Today, it is one of the world’s largest sweet-packaged food companies, with many iconic brands sold in countries all over the world. Find out more about Ferrero at ferrero.com.

DE&I at Ferrero:

Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative, and highly rewarding. Find out more here.