Continuous Improvement; CI Leader

James Walker is part of the James Walker Group of Companies, who are a successful global Industrial organisation supplying high performance sealing products and solutions. With state-of-the-art material technology skills, the James Walker Strategic Business Unit (SBU) of the James Walker Group specialises in the provision of sealing solutions (elastomers, polymers, composites, engineering plastics, high nickel alloys).

Our worldwide group of companies has operations, sales and service entities across Europe, Middle East, India, Australia, New Zealand, SE Asia, South Africa and North and South America

We are seeking an experienced Continuous Improvement (CI) Leader to drive operational excellence across multiple elastomer/plastic/metal/service centre manufacturing sites. This strategic leadership role focuses on implementing Lean Six Sigma methodologies, standardizing best practices, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement to deliver measurable gains in efficiency, quality, and cost reduction. Travel should be expected to be around 80%.

• Lead CI Initiatives:
  Champion Lean Six Sigma projects across multiple sites to optimize processes, reduce Waste, and improve productivity.
• Multi-Site Coordination:
  Ensure consistency in CI methodologies and performance metrics across all locations.
• Strategic Planning:
  Identify improvement opportunities in elastomer production processes and deliver measurable results.
• Team Development:
  Mentor site leaders and CI practitioners (Green/Black Belts) to build a high-performance culture.
• Stakeholder Engagement:
  Collaborate with senior leadership to align CI initiatives with business goals and provide clear reporting on progress.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 5+ years in manufacturing leadership roles with multi-site responsibility.
• Strong knowledge of elastomer manufacturing processes and materials.
• Proven ability to lead change across diverse teams and geographies.
• Expertise in Lean tools (Kaizen, 5S, Value Stream Mapping) and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Data-driven mindset with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.