Operations Excellence Specialist

Job Title:

Operations Excellence Specialist
Salary: £37,900 - £49,300

Location:

Whittlesford, UK/Hybrid

Contract:

Permanent

Hours:

Full time - 35 hours per week

Ready to drive a culture of continuous improvement? Join us as an Operations Excellence Specialist, where you will lead initiatives that embed Lean Six Sigma principles into everyday practices—designing impactful training, optimising processes, and driving measurable improvements that elevate our operational excellence.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world‑leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

Reporting to the Operations Excellence Lead, you will play a key role in driving improvements by facilitating workshops, trainings and supporting strategic initiatives.

You will use your expertise in Continuous Improvement, Lean, and project management to deliver key projects and embed a lean mindset across the organisation. Your focus will be on optimising processes—designing efficient workflows, reducing inefficiencies, and identifying opportunities for automation.

You will work closely with senior leaders and cross‑functional teams to align processes with strategic goals. This role is pivotal in implementing new technologies, re‑engineering workflows, and driving transformation through automation and digital solutions.

• Facilitate workshops and training to engage stakeholders, promote process optimisation, and embed a culture of continuous improvement and innovation across the organisation
• Utilise data‑driven performance monitoring to proactively identify issues and support implementation of technology‑enabled solutions
• Collaborate with stakeholders and Lean Six Sigma practitioners, supporting the adoption of AI and automation to drive sustainable change.

This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40‑60% of their time collaborating and connecting face‑to‑face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long‑term health condition.

We are looking for someone with proven experience in designing and delivering continuous improvement trainings. You will have strong facilitating and stakeholder management skills, and the ability to translate strategy into tactical execution. Most importantly, you will bring a hand‑on, can‑do attitude when proactively finding solutions to challenges.

• Demonstrated experience applying Lean Six Sigma methodologies, alongside designing and delivering effective training and capability‑building programmes.
• Strong analytical, facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex data and processes into clear, actionable insights.
• A proven track record of leading end‑to‑end process design and optimisation initiatives, facilitating workshops, and driving improvements through to implementation.
• Confidence in using digital collaboration tools such as Miro and Microsoft Teams to engage stakeholders, run virtual workshops, and enable cross‑functional working.
• A proactive and innovative mindset, with a strong commitment to continuous improvement, embedding best practice, and delivering measurable impact within an education‑focused environment.

• Experience and knowledge of change management principles and methodologies

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world‑class, flexible rewards package, featuring family‑friendly and planet‑friendly benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 × annual salary
• Green travel schemes

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now.

The closing date for all applications will be 26th January 2026. We will review applications on an…