Continuous Improvement Manager

Continuous Improvement Manager

Ampthill, Bedfordshire

Permanent, 37.5h, 4 day working week Monday to Thursday

Salary: £70,000-£86,000 + benefits

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Change Manager (Six-Sigma Black Belt certified) to lead high-impact, data driven and complete business transformation initiatives across the organisation. The role will focus on driving structured change and improving operational performance. The successful candidate will bring strong stakeholder engagement skills, data-driven decision making capability, a proven track record of delivering measurable business outcomes and ensuring sustainable adoption of change. A great opportunity for the successful candidate to join the team and drive business wide initiatives that shape our next generation digital future and continue to grow our culture of continuous improvement.Key Responsibilities Change & Transformation Delivery

• Lead end-to-end delivery of complex business transformation initiatives aligned with strategic objectives
• Develop and execute a roadmap for change initiatives aligned with business strategy
• Develop and implement structured change management strategies and plans
• Apply lead six-sigma methodologies to improve business performance and reduce waste
• Identify risks, issues and dependencies across transformation programmes
• Ensure adoption of new processes, systems, and ways of working across impacted teams
• Change Champion for "change culture" through storytelling, data, and thought leadership across the enterprise.

Process Improvement

• Analyse current-state processes and design future state operating models
• Deliver measurable and sustainable improvements in efficiency, cost, quality, and customer outcomes
• Lead root cause analysis using six-sigma tools and frameworks
• Facilitate continuous improvement workshops and stakeholder sessions

IT Programme Support (desired)

• Support delivery of large scale IT transformation programmes
• Support delivery of AI transformation
• Ensure business readiness for system implementations
• Align process changes with technology rollouts
• Coordinate between business stakeholders, project teams, and technical delivery functions

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build organisational capability in continuous improvement and change management.
• Build strong relationships across business units and leadership teams
• Communicate change impacts clearly and effectively
• Facilitate workshops, steering groups and governance forums
• Influence senior stakeholders to support transformation objectives

Governance & Reporting

• Track and communicate transformation benefits and KPIs
• Provide structured programme updates to senior leadership
• Ensure adherence to change management frameworks and provide governance standards
• Support benefits realisation planning and monitoring

Required skills, qualifications and experience

• Six-Sigma Black Belt certification
• Working knowledge of structured change frameworks (eg Prosci, ADKAR or similar)
• Proven experience delivering large-scale business transformation programmes
• Strong change management and stakeholder engagement capability
• Experience leading end to end process improvement and organisational change initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to deliver measurable operational improvements
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills
• Strong facilitation and communication skills

Desirable

• Experience supporting large-scale IT transformation programmes
• Experience supporting AI transformation programmes
• Experience working in complex matrix organisations
• Exposure to agile or hybrid delivery environments
• Qualifications
• Six-Sigma Black Belt certification
• Degree level education or equivalent experience preferred
• Key Competencies
• Strategic thinking
• Influencing and stakeholder management
• Analytical and data-driven decision thinking
• Leadership without authority
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Programme delivery discipline

Equal Opportunity Statement

Lockheed Martin is committed to upholding principles of equal opportunity, fostering a work environment that is aligned with our core values of integrity, respect, and exceptional performance. We recognize the importance of leveraging the unique talents and experiences of all our employees to drive innovation, deliver superior solutions, and maximize value for our customers. Our focus is on identifying the most qualified candidate for each role, regardless of their background. If you are interested in a position, we invite you to share how your skills and perspectives could bolster our team and encourage you to apply, even if you feel your qualifications do not fully meet all the job criteria outlined in our advertisement. Furthermore, Lockheed Martin is dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive for all individuals. We are prepared to accommodate reasonable adjustments for applicants as needed. If you require assistance or adjustments to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact

Disclaimer:

This vacancy is being advertised by Optamor Limited. Optamor is a specialist Recruitment Process Outsourcing provider. We provide a flexible full recruitment solution which takes care of all recruitment requirements from planning to on-boarding. Our specialist recruitment divisions cover the entire technical arena, including some of the most economically and strategically important industries in the UK and the world today. We will never send your CV without your permission.