At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the lean strategy and drive operational excellence across multiple sites.
- Company: Join Rolls-Royce, a leader in innovation and engineering excellence.
- Benefits: Generous annual leave, retirement savings, life assurance, and share ownership opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to progress and innovation.
- Why this job: Shape the future of manufacturing with impactful change and a supportive culture.
- Qualifications: Strong expertise in lean principles and proven leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 59576 - 70089 £ per year.
An exciting opportunity has become available for a Head of Lean to join Rolls-Royce Compression Systems. The role reports to the EVP Manufacturing and forms part of the Senior Leadership Team and can be based at one of our sites in Inchinnan, Derby or Washington.
The Head of Lean is accountable for shaping, deploying and sustaining the organisation’s lean / operational excellence strategy. The role translates enterprise priorities into practical production system improvements, builds lean capability across functions, and creates the conditions for sustainable performance improvement through coaching, governance, problem solving and cultural change.
What you will be doing:
- Define and communicate a compelling vision for operational excellence, aligned to business strategy and performance requirements.
- Translate high-level strategy into local initiatives, balancing performance delivery with transformation priorities.
- Use external and internal benchmarks to make informed decisions at pace and drive meaningful change.
- Develop and deploy the lean strategy, ensuring it is understood, adopted and embedded across the organisation.
- Convert operational excellence theory into practical, real-life strategic and operational application.
- Train and coach leaders and teams on production system thinking, lean principles, problem solving and continuous improvement.
- Lead programme and change management activity to support deployment, adoption and sustainable outcomes.
- Establish structured governance, drumbeat and control mechanisms to maintain focus, accountability and pace.
- Lead a small team of Lean Leaders across multiple plants.
Preferred requirements:
- Strong lean / operational excellence expertise, with the ability to apply lean principles in complex manufacturing or operational environments.
- Proven ability to connect business strategy, operational performance and local improvement activity.
- Strong business acumen, including the ability to identify key performance levers and quantify performance gaps.
- Experience developing benefit cases, using data to inform priorities and guide decision-making.
- Ability to design and operate governance systems that provide control, cadence and clear accountability.
- Knowledge of lean operating systems and frameworks such as production systems / operational excellence systems, HSE frameworks and enterprise management systems.
- Experience developing talent and building leadership and technical capability aligned to future business needs.
- Proven ability to coach and train teams at different levels in the organisation.
- Strong storytelling, facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to adapt style for different audiences.
Why join Rolls-Royce?
At Rolls-Royce we are proud to be a business that has truly helped to shape the modern world and are committed to always being a force for progress; powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere. By joining Rolls-Royce, you'll have the opportunity to work on world-class solutions, supported by a culture that believes individuality is our greatest strength, and all perspectives, experiences and backgrounds help us innovate and enable our high-performance culture.
Regional benefits:
- Generous Annual Leave
- Retirement Savings through the Rolls-Royce Retirement Savings Trust
- Group Life Assurance provides for a lump sum benefit if you die whilst employed by Rolls-Royce
- Group Income Protection provides an income in the event that you are unable to work due to illness or injury
- Your Shares: Matched is a simple way to own Rolls-Royce shares and invest in our future, together. Buy one share, get one free!
Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.
Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.
Please be aware that the priority will be given to employees identified as being at high risk. The professional level and salary of the position will be dependent on the skills and experience of the successful candidate but is anticipated to be Level B. This job is advertised at the grades shown, and this is the desired operating level for this role. We encourage applications from candidates with relevant experience from any grade. It is advised that you inform your current manager of your application for this role.
Closing date: 3rd August 2026
Job Category: Business Improvement
Posting Date: 21 Jul 2026; 00:07
Posting End Date: 03 Aug 2026
Head of Lean in Derby employer: Rolls-royce
At Rolls-Royce, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration in our Bristol/Hybrid location. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through tailored development programmes and opportunities to engage in meaningful projects that shape the future of technology. With a focus on diversity and inclusion, we ensure that every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute to our collective success.
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