Lean Continuous Improvement Leader

Overview

As Lean Leader, you will drive Lean Continuous Improvement across Crawley manufacturing to sharpen performance and margins. You will embed robust problem solving and Lean thinking into daily operations, coaching teams and leading transformations with measurable impact on delivery, quality and cost. You work closely with production, engineering and senior stakeholders to shape a culture of Lean agility and operational excellence. This role offers high visibility and the opportunity to influence the Thales Industry Operating Model and the 2030 strategy through hands-on leadership.

Pay / Benefits

• 28 days holiday
• Pension scheme
• Life cover
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Paid volunteering day
• Employee discounts

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute transformation activities to improve efficiency and margins
• Train, coach and develop the Industry team for process optimisation
• Analyse and plan improvements aligned to Group strategy Thales Towards 2030
• Facilitate a cultural shift towards Lean agility and operational excellence
• Ensure Lean Continuous Improvement is implemented with a structured, measurable approach
• Strategically plan and coordinate all Lean activities across APRU and site

Key requirements

• Proven experience in Lean manufacturing with knowledge of Lean tools and practices (Lean Six Sigma, Green Belt, Black Belt or equivalent)
• Exceptional problem solving and analytical skills
• Fluency with Lean tools: VSM, 5S, flow improvement, visual management
• Problem solving frameworks as daily habits
• Experience in low-volume, bespoke manufacturing environments
• Ability to lead and influence across levels and cross-functional teams
• Builder’s mindset with capability-building
• Experience with Oracle, iObeya, PowerBI, Minitab or MES systems (advantageous)
• Strong leadership and influencing skills
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Strategic thinking with hands-on execution
• Lean tools (VSM, 5S, flow, visual management)
• PDCA problem solving
• Lean Six Sigma familiarity

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