Manufacturing Excellence Manager

A little bit about Lindt. We are a premium chocolate manufacturer established in 1845 operating in over 86 countries around the World. Guided by our Global purpose to Enchant the World with Chocolate and UK vision of Creating Moments to Make Everyone Feel Special, we have around 400 team members in the UK across our Head Office, Retail, and Field Sales divisions. We are a Top 20 Great Place to Work and are proud of our incredible people, our unique values-led culture and our iconic market leading brands such as LINDOR & GOLD BUNNY. We’re also proud of being one of the few bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the world, where we control every step of our chocolate production.

How you could help us to Enchant the World with Chocolate. In this role you will be responsible for delivering manufacturing excellence across all UK co‑packing operations, including full ownership of SRP and FDU execution, material readiness, pricing governance, and operational performance at 3PL sites. Leads the Supply Chain infrastructure and systems project agenda, driving digitalisation, capability building, and continuous improvement to deliver best‑in‑class results.

Where you’ll be based. This role is based in Richmond Upon Thames, London (Hybrid Working: in the office 60% and WFH 40%).

Key Responsibilities

• Manufacturing Excellence Management
  • Lead 3PL execution of SRP co‑packing and FDU co‑packing, ensuring timely, accurate, and cost‑effective delivery.
  • Ensure material readiness, combining product, packaging, and operational planning to ensure flawless execution at 3PL sites.
  • Lead internal and external teams to deliver the highest‑quality output at the lowest cost.
  • Govern all co‑pack KPIs, including service, quality, cost, and productivity.
  • Ensure co‑pack plans align with demand, capacity, and commercial priorities.
  • Drive operational discipline, daily management routines, and structured problem‑solving at the 3PL.
• Pricing & Commercial Governance for Co‑Packing
  • Fully own the quotation process for all co‑packing activities (SRP & FDU).
  • Agree, challenge, and communicate pricing with all relevant stakeholders.
  • Negotiate best‑value rates with 3PL partners, supported by Procurement where required.
  • Implement approved price changes through a robust, compliant, and auditable process.
  • Lead the execution, documentation, and sign‑off of all pricing changes.
  • Ensure pricing governance aligns with commercial, financial, and Supply Chain requirements.
• Supply Chain Infrastructure & Systems Projects
  • Act as project lead for all Supply Chain infrastructure and systems development initiatives.
  • Drive digitalisation and Industry 4.0‑aligned improvements, maximising the potential of 3PL systems such as BlueYonder, Nulogy, and Centiro.
  • Lead cross‑functional teams to design, implement, and optimise systems that enhance visibility, accuracy, and operational performance.
  • Own project governance, risk management, timelines, and stakeholder communication.
  • Build long‑term capability and ensure new systems are scalable, compliant, and future‑proof.
• NPD & Commercialisation Process Leadership
  • Lead all manufacturing‑related elements of NPD implementation at 3PL sites.
  • Ensure robust processes, clearly communicated timelines and lead times, and effective coordination across manual and automated production lines.
  • Ensure capital investments are effectively utilised through optimal line selection, run strategy, and operational readiness.
  • Validate packaging, materials, and operational processes ahead of launch.
  • Challenge costs, timings, and feasibility to ensure commercially viable outcomes.
  • Partner with Marketing, Procurement, and Planning to ensure flawless execution of new product introductions.
  • Govern change management, trials, and first production runs.
• Production Excellence & Continuous Improvement (LPW / Lean / CI)
  • Develop and embed a LEAN culture and continuous improvement mindset across co‑packing operations.
  • Lead loss‑mapping, root‑cause analysis, and structured problem‑solving to drive performance improvement.
  • Implement LPW and other CI methodologies to deliver measurable gains in quality, cost, service, and productivity.
  • Lead daily, weekly, and monthly operational review routines with 3PL partners.
  • Drive KPI governance, ensuring accurate reporting, visibility of losses, and clear action plans.
  • Benchmark internally and externally to identify opportunities for step‑change improvement.
• Manufacturing Projects & Capital Delivery
  • Lead all manufacturing projects (capital, IT, operational) relating to 3PL operations.
  • Own the manufacturing capital expenditure budget.
  • Ensure all projects are delivered on time, in full, and to required quality and cost.
  • Provide technical leadership and challenge to ensure best‑in‑class solutions.
  • Be a member of the Supply Chain extended leadership team.
  • Be a great coach to the members of the supply chain team.
  • Collaborate effectively across functions, ensuring transparency and shared understanding of deliverables.
  • Contribute to the development of the longer-term supply chain plan.
  • Demonstrate passion, commitment, and integrity in all activities.
  • Be proactive.
• Team Leadership
  • Lead, motivate, coach, and develop a team by setting clear priorities aligned to game plan objectives.
  • Lead cross functional ways of working ultimately ensuring alignment to and focus on business game plan.

Working Relationships

This leadership role will demand strong interpersonal and influencing skills to build and maintain relationships with key internal and external contacts:

• External
  • 3rd party logistics provider, potential and existing co packers.
  • Sales - to ensure clear communication, understanding and alignment.
  • Marketing - to ensure that NPDs are delivered to the agreed time and budget.
  • Demand and Supply planning - to ensure co pack plan are aligned to customer demand and factory requirements.
  • Finance - provides accurate data for decision making governance of company assets and adherence to aligned fiscal year budget.
  • Procurement - to support flawless implementation of packaging NPDs.
  • PMO - to ensure appropriate governance for projects.
  • I.T - to ensure appropriate support and guidance for systems development.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience Preferred

• This role is level 2.2.
• Experience in similar position, preferably in FMCG environment.
• Co packer or supplier management experience.
• Capital Investment Project/Programme management experience.
• Line management experience.
• Strong communication and networking skills.
• Engineering or TPM background a benefit.
• Strong in MS Excel.
• SAP Background and experience.
• Educated to degree level, or equivalent.
• Performance driven, tenacious and goal orientated.
• Ability to work in a fast and dynamic organization while maintaining strong controls on co-packing activities.
• Able to work cross functionally and collaboratively both internally and externally.