Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE  RECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS

In search of outstanding talent in Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence for your organisation? Lime Talent specialises in connecting you with top-quality candidates across various roles within these domains. Whether you require expertise in Lean Six Sigma, process improvement, or operational excellence, we have access to a diverse pool of skilled professionals. Based in London, we offer expert guidance in recruiting for Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence positions within the Manufacturing sector across the UK and internationally.

We recognise the critical importance of finding candidates who not only possess the requisite technical skills, but also align with your organisational culture and values. Our team excels in identifying individuals who demonstrate self-motivation, strong functional expertise and a commitment to driving continuous improvement. We are committed to connecting you with candidates who possess the precise competencies needed to excel in these crucial roles within your organisation.

Why Use Us?

Established in 2013, we excel in recruiting a wide range of roles related to Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence for leading organisations and fast-growing challenger brands in the Manufacturing sector, Each member of our team is a dedicated recruitment specialist, this ensures that you work closely with someone who thoroughly understands the unique needs and intricacies of your specific requirements

You can see some of our clients below

Within Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence we cover the following sub categories:

Food & Drink

Alcoholic Drinks

Health, Beauty & Personal Care

Consumer Products

Direct to Consumer & Subscription

What our clients say

  • “Lime Talent are responsive, flexible, honest and therefore very easy to work with. When I need support for trickier roles, then Lime are my first port of call and I always recommend them as they strike a good balance of challenge/blue chip from their network.”

    UK Country Manager | Tony’s Chocolonely

  • “Lime Talent have been a fantastic partner to me as I’ve built out the UK & Europe team for Who Gives a Crap. Their ability to get a quick understanding of our business, the needs I had for the roles and the calibre of Lime’s candidate pool has been invaluable. It’s allowed us to move quickly to build out a team from scratch, hiring roles across a range of functions including commercial, marketing, strategy & insights. I simply wouldn’t have been able to do this without Lime’s support & expertise!”

    MD UK & Europe | Who gives a crap

  • “Lime Talent have remained our trusted partners for the last 5 years. Most of our hires have come through Lime with the team clearly identifying the talent that have made the business successful so far. The candidates we receive are incredibly well filtered and we know before we meet them, that they will have the requisite calibre to succeed.”

    Managing Director | Itsu

  • “Lime Talent demonstrate a high degree of honesty and openness about the risks and considerations of placing specific people and you are continually assured they take a long-term approach to working with Ferrero. Highly recommended.”

    Customer Development Director | Ferrero

  • “Lime Talent made the process as easy as possible by providing well-screened candidates along with regular updates. They also provided clear guidance on the recruitment landscape that helped us position our role as attractive to candidates with the relevant skill set.”

    Marketing Manager | Windmill Organics

  • “Lime did a good job for us and I’ve enjoyed working with them on roles. Moved quickly and have been communicative, understanding our requirements on limited information.”

    CEO | Hackney Gelato

  • “The best recruitment business I’ve worked with. Highly recommended.”

    Founder | Holy Moly

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Originally from Tipperary in Ireland, Carl graduated with a Degree in Marketing before moving to London in 2015 to pursue a career in recruitment. He joined Lime Talent in 2023 as Associate Director for Manufacturing, Engineering & Digitalization where he leads an International recruitment desk, he has a track record of placing with some of the world’s leading consumer brands along with some high growth start ups

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    Client Portfolio

    • Tony's Chocolonely
      Track Record
      We started working with Tony’s in 2018 to assist with their UK launch securing them:
      - UKI Head of Marketing
      - UK Head of Sales
      - UK Operations & Finance Manager
      Feedback
      “I used Lime Talent in the very early days of our UK launch with the team helping me hire my (now) UK leadership team who are all still with us since 2018. "
      Feedback
      "Lime Talent are responsive, flexible, honest and therefore very easy to work with. When I need support for trickier roles, then Lime are my first port of call and I always recommend them as they strike a good balance of challenge/blue chip from their network.” UK Country Manager
    • Danone
      Track Record
      Preferred supplier for roles within commercial and supply chain functions
    • who gives a crap
      Track Record
      Helping to build their EU team with roles including:
      - EU Head of Consumer
      - EU Head of Commercial
      - As well as various other roles
      Feedback
      “Lime Talent have been a fantastic partner to me as I've built out the UK & Europe team for Who Gives a Crap. Their ability to get a quick understanding of our business, the needs I had for the roles and the calibre of Lime's candidate pool has been invaluable. "
      Feedback
      "It's allowed us to move quickly to build out a team from scratch, hiring roles across a range of functions including commercial, marketing, strategy & insights. I simply wouldn't have been able to do this without Lime's support & expertise!" MD UK & Europe
    • L'Oreal
      Track Record
      Various projects from Manager to Director level within functions such as
      - eCommerce
      - Market Intelligence
      - Revenue Growth
      - Category Strategy
      - Business & Data analysis

    FAQ Section

    What is Continuous Improvement in an FMCG or consumer goods business?

    Continuous Improvement (CI) focuses on systematically improving operational processes to increase efficiency, reduce waste and enhance performance. In FMCG and consumer goods businesses, this often includes manufacturing optimisation, supply chain efficiency, cost-to-serve reduction, service level improvement and process standardisation across multiple sites or partners.

    CI plays a critical role in protecting margin and supporting scalable growth, particularly in high-volume, low-margin environments.

    What is the difference between Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence?

    Continuous Improvement typically refers to ongoing, incremental process improvements using structured methodologies such as Lean or Six Sigma.

    Operational Excellence is broader and often more strategic, encompassing end-to-end transformation initiatives, performance frameworks, governance structures and long-term efficiency programmes across supply chain and operations.

    In larger or investor-backed organisations, Operational Excellence functions may sit at board or executive level, reporting directly to a COO or Supply Chain Director.

    What salary does a Continuous Improvement or Operational Excellence professional earn in the UK FMCG sector?

    Typical UK salary ranges are:

    • Continuous Improvement Manager: £50,000–£75,000 + bonus
    • Senior CI / Operational Excellence Lead: £70,000–£95,000 + bonus
    • Head of Operational Excellence / Transformation Director: £100,000–£140,000 + bonus + LTIP

    Compensation varies depending on site complexity, manufacturing footprint, international exposure, transformation scope and team responsibility. To provide an accurate market benchmark, it’s important to understand the scale of the operational environment and strategic remit of the role.

    Lime Talent also provides tailored FMCG salary benchmarking support to help businesses structure competitive and performance-aligned reward packages.

    What skills and experience do FMCG businesses look for in Continuous Improvement hires?

    Employers typically look for:

    • Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent process improvement methodologies
    • Experience within manufacturing, supply chain or logistics environments
    • Data-driven performance analysis and KPI management
    • Cost reduction and efficiency programme delivery
    • Change management and stakeholder engagement capability
    • ERP and systems optimisation exposure

    At more senior levels, leadership of multi-site transformation programmes and cultural change initiatives becomes critical.

    When should a consumer brand hire dedicated Continuous Improvement or Operational Excellence leadership?

    Common triggers include:

    • Rapid growth creating operational inefficiencies
    • Margin pressure requiring cost optimisation
    • Multi-site or multi-3PL complexity
    • ERP or system implementation
    • Preparation for investor scrutiny or exit
    • Operational restructuring or integration following acquisition

    As businesses scale, informal process improvements are no longer sufficient. Structured Operational Excellence frameworks provide resilience, consistency and measurable performance gains.

    How does Operational Excellence structure evolve as a business grows?

    In smaller organisations, process improvement may sit within operations or supply chain management. As complexity increases, dedicated CI Managers are appointed to drive structured improvement programmes.

    In larger or PE-backed environments, this often evolves into Head of Operational Excellence or Transformation Director roles, responsible for cross-functional performance, governance and long-term efficiency strategy aligned to EBITDA improvement.

    How do Lime Talent recruit Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence professionals?

    Lime Talent specialises in FMCG and consumer brand recruitment across supply chain and operations. Our approach includes targeted market mapping, methodology capability assessment (Lean, Six Sigma, transformation experience) and structured evaluation of change leadership capability.

    We focus on identifying candidates who can deliver measurable operational impact while embedding sustainable performance cultures.

    Why do growth-stage and investor-backed brands prioritise Operational Excellence hires?

    As consumer brands scale, operational inefficiencies become more visible to investors and board-level stakeholders. Structured improvement programmes can unlock margin expansion, improve service levels and strengthen cash flow.

    Appointing experienced Operational Excellence leadership enables businesses to move from reactive firefighting to proactive performance optimisation.

    How long does it take to hire a Continuous Improvement or Operational Excellence professional?

    Most searches take 4–8 weeks depending on seniority, site complexity and transformation scope. Senior transformation or multi-site leadership roles may require a longer search to ensure strategic and cultural alignment.

    Can Lime Talent support interim Continuous Improvement or transformation hires?

    Yes. We regularly place interim CI Managers and Transformation Leads, particularly during ERP implementations, post-acquisition integration, restructuring programmes or accelerated cost reduction initiatives.

    What types of FMCG businesses do you support with Continuous Improvement recruitment?

    We work with:

    • VC and PE-backed consumer brands
    • Founder-led scale-ups
    • Mid-size FMCG manufacturers
    • International businesses expanding operational footprint

    Global consumer goods organisations