• Job Description

  Req#: R-2931

  About The Role

  Lead, direct, and control the North region’s targeted continuous improvement projects to support the short and long-term development of the region and division.

  The Regional Operational Excellence Lead will be responsible for supporting the successful delivery of DS Smith Packaging's Quality, Operational Performance and Continuous Improvement objectives via the Country teams, into the Manufacturing Sites. The incumbent will draw upon their in-depth knowledge of leading operational continuous improvement programmes in order to drive quality, waste and productivity in the sites.

  Drive Divisional CI programme activities. To co-ordinate and ensure an effective Regional implementation of The DS Smith Way as well as local CI projects across the Region. To provide inputs to support ongoing development of Divisional Standards and new initiatives.

  S/he will work with the Regional Operations Director and Country Operational Excellence Leads to ensure the appropriate resourcing is in place to create and deliver a Regional Operational Excellence plan balancing Divisional initiatives with in Country needs through a range of improvement projects

  This role will also manage and oversee the consistent application of standards across the Region.

  They will drive action plans priority KPI areas such as in productivity, quality, waste OTIF, in co-ordination relevant operations leads. (Technical Excellence, Supply Chain etc)

  The individual will be a key interface with the Operations Learning Academy to identify needs and content to develop Operational Excellence Capabilty in the Region

  S/he will educate, mentor and give guidance to Country Operations leaders and Continuous Improvement Managers in order to realise the continuous excellence cultural roadmap and waste reduction initiatives. Being results oriented the incumbent will identify measurable KPI’s and communicate achieved continuous improvement improvements.

  Health and Safety

  • To role model and set expectations for Health & Safety working practices across the range of Quality and Continuous improvement activities in the Region. Operating in line with company procedures to enable a safe working environment. To raise any unsafe acts seen immediately with individual(s) concerned and immediate reporting of health and safety incidents to management.

  Leadership & Teamwork

  Will focus on business performance that constantly strives to eliminate waste, improve customer satisfaction, and increase market share via use of Lean tools and continuous improvement methodologies.

  • Support key leadership and management stakeholders to assess current processes and improvement opportunities and ensure that appropriate action plans are in place
  • Responsible for updating, developing, leading Continuous Improvement capability, working across a matrix organization of Central and Regional Operational CI teams Responsible for effective planning and deployment of the programmes

  • Provide mentoring/training to key organisation stakeholders on the use and practice of lean methodology and tools

  • Coach, mentor and manage regional operational and continuous improvement leaders during projects

  • Empowers and challenges the Country and Site teams on their effectiveness, impact on results and their ability to achieve the Site’s full potential.

  • Builds trust and acts as a team builder.

  Reporting and Accountability

  • Update, formulate and revise use of DS Smith processes, metrics and short and long term goals and objectives within the Region

  • Responsible for the divisional business process improvement initiatives being understood, communicated, executed and measured across the business

  • Responsible to roll-out process improvement methodologies content for DS Smith

  • Challenge and act upon the appropriate dashboards to monitor projects and their success

  • Monitors productivity within the projects and develops improvement opportunities

  • Ensures robust process control plans and follow-up are in place.

  • Adheres to the DS Smith Project Delivery Framework

  Change Agent

  • Act as a change agent by challenging existing approaches and performance. Drives the use of process improvement and lean methodologies throughout the business

  • Leads and develops Divisional projects strategies, goals and plans that enable organisational improvement of internal operations and practices.

  • Facilitate Continuous Excellence events for key transformational activities

  • Lead by example (role model) as an active change agent managing complex projects and leverage influencing skills

  Training and Education

  • Works with Central peers to define Continuous Excellence competency requirements evaluate Regional gaps and deploy training through the Academies

  • Ensures that appropriate resources receive training in continuous excellence topics on divisional level through the Learning Academy

  • Responsible for communicating and publishing continuous improvement event success stories

  • Leverages best practices available within the Division and deploying in the Region

  • Maintains up-to-date knowledge on continuous excellence trends.

  General Management

  • Works with business leaders, operations directors, sales and marketing managers and key customers and suppliers to identify roadblocks to effective and efficient operation performance

  • Introduces changes in business operational processes and organisational behaviour that have a positive impact to bottom line results.

  • Translates business strategies and imperatives into project opportunities.

  • Consults with business leadership and continuous excellence resources to identify ways to improve training effectiveness.

  • Ensures all laws, regulation, industry standards, compliance issues, EH&S standards and compliance policies are followed as projects progress.

  • Advocate for lean principles, proven lean transformation experience - experience in lean change management

  • Strong knowledge, based on practical experience of Continuous excellence processes, both in operational as in office environments

  • Strategic thinker able to negoitate a sometimes complex matrix of authority and decision making

  • Analytical and conceptual skills

• About the company

  DS Smith is a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, paper products, and recycling services worldwide. Over the past 80 years, our organisation has grown dramatically, as have our services and areas of expertise.

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