Operational Excellence Junior Manager

About The Team:

The Operational Excellence Junior Manager sits within the UK OPEX & Transformation team and plays a vital role in driving the commercial sizing, delivery, implementation, and continuous improvement of production technologies, processes, and business propositions across HelloFresh distribution centres in the UK, IE & EU markets. If you're someone who gets restless watching a problem go unsolved, who thrives in ambiguity, and who wants to look back in two years and say "I helped build that", you've found your place!

This is a hands-on, project-led role for someone who turns data into decisions and decisions into results on the floor. You'll build the commercial case for change and then deliver it, from initial scoping and business casing through to on-floor adoption, with a relentless focus on the metrics that matter most: Error Rate, Minutes per Box, and productivity.

What You Will Be Doing:

• End-to-End Project Delivery: Define project scope, milestones, and success measures to lead technical and non-technical projects from initiation through to successful implementation on time and within budget.
• Data Analysis & Actionable Insights: Analyse complex operational data using tools like Excel, Google Sheets, Grafana, Tableau, or SQL, translating these metrics into actionable business decisions and measurable KPI improvements.
• Opportunity Sizing: Identify and validate improvement opportunities through financial modelling and commercial analysis, building the business case for investment and prioritisation.
• Stakeholder Management & Collaboration: Lead and influence diverse, cross-functional teams and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders from shop-floor operatives up to senior management through disciplined meetings and clear, structured communication.
• Digital & Low-Code Innovation: Leverage AI tools, modern digital solutions, and low-code/no-code platforms (e.g., PowerApps, AppSheet) to build practical on-floor tools that bridge the gap between data insights and daily operations. We use AI daily and are constantly looking for better ways to do our jobs.
• Change Management & Floor Presence: Maintain a strong, visible presence on the production floor to drive change initiatives, ensure the sustainable adoption of new processes/technologies, and support trials or tests.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify, support and lead projects utilizing Lean Six Sigma methodologies to identify bottlenecks, eliminate waste, and drive a culture of continuous improvement on the shop floor.
• Risk & Issue Mitigation: Proactively recognize project risks and operational bottlenecks; create robust avoidance plans, take corrective measures early, and provide transparent status reporting to leadership.