Continuous Improvement Specialist Roles and Responsibilities

Updated: Jan 12, 2025 - The Continuous Improvement Specialist plays a key role in translating strategy into actionable tactics and operational solutions, ensuring the successful implementation of global projects at a local level. This role involves arranging and facilitating Lean training, coaching colleagues, and driving continuous improvement initiatives across departments. Additionally, the specialist leads CI event follow-ups, monitors progress, and contributes to the leadership team's development for future plant leadership roles.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Continuous Improvement Specialist

• CI Management: Responsible for CI activity on-site in conjunction with the CI Manager.
• CI Strategy: Creation, Implementation, and Management of a site Continuous Improvement Strategy.
• CI Coaching: Delivering coaching and education workshops with colleagues in CI and lean activities.
• CI Reporting: Ensuring customer & business have all relevant information regarding CI & lean activity on-site.
• KPI Reporting: Provide regular management information/KPI reports to the CI Manager to fully track the progress and effectiveness of the CI activity.
• Training Development: Work with the Training Coordinator and HR team to design and deliver effective training and development plans.
• Safety Compliance: Ensure all staff follow Safe Working Practices and Health and Safety.
• Conduct Leadership: Lead by example in adherence to the Clipper Code of Conduct and Rules and Procedures.

2. Continuous Improvement Specialist Details

• Safety Leadership: Drives a safety-first culture in all aspects of the role, leading by example and setting standards for process and engagement.
• Safety Management: Creates and maintains a safe work environment, and promotes a high level of safety awareness among the operations teams and beyond.
• Lean Process Review: Uses lean principles to review production process flow to drive efficiency and effectiveness.
• Work Instruction Development: Improves, designs, and develops effective and efficient work instructions.
• Operational Improvement: Continually improves the existing operation for increased quality, productivity, efficiency, and cost savings.
• Operational Investigation: Partners with manufacturing sciences to investigate operational challenges affecting production.
• Data Provision: Provides manufacturing data to support teams in resolving issues without affecting productivity.
• Production Data Analysis: Provides data on production control charts, reliability, and process capability.
• Process Improvement: Improves the process and monitors and measures using process improvement tools such as Six Sigma and lean manufacturing techniques.
• Cost Reduction: Identifies ways to reduce production costs through recommendations.
• CI Methodology Expansion: Expand the repository of Continuous Improvement (CI) methodologies and tools based on their application within Johnson Matthey, in the interactive JM SharePoint site.
• CI Partnership: Partner with all JM business units in all sectors, identify subject matter experts, and align CI methodologies and tools with proven best practice examples within JM.
• Best Practices Identification: Actively seek out and recommend best practices, emerging technologies, and techniques from across the region, the wider business industry, and other relevant sectors.
• CI Project Participation: Identify and participate in continuous improvement and cost-saving projects using Lean Manufacturing diagnostic and problem-solving techniques throughout the Group.
• Lean Training Support: Support and facilitate lean training and coaching (online and on-site) to foster a culture of continuous improvement in processes, equipment, and the engagement and capabilities of people.
• Lean Assessment: Assess and support sites on their Lean journeys through Manufacturing Excellence Programmes, driving Lean engagement and value for the businesses.
• Innovation: Challenge the status quo through innovative and creative thinking.
• Equipment Management: Work with the engineering team to manage equipment development, including effective planned preventative maintenance by the operations teams.
• Training Plan Support: Support the sites' training plans where required and drive the quality culture.
• KPI Support: Support the production team leaders to ensure key performance indicators are relevant, updated, and used to make improvement decisions.
• CI Goal Alignment: Work with the Continuous Improvement Manager to ensure that the site goals and global PPI (Practical Process Improvement) programs are met.
• Plant Performance Improvement: Work closely with the department business partners to plan, support, and lead overall activities to improve plant performance