Operational Excellence Advocate (Lean Specialist)

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Job Description

Operational Excellence Advocate (Lean Specialist)
We have an exciting opportunity to join Manufacturing Operations Lean team.
This role will support us drive change by influencing and coaching teams across Rolls-Royce manufacturing sites and functions on Lean improvement.
Full time, Derby/ Hybrid, with travel to RR location (mainly UK)
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.
Role Summary
As our Operational Excellence / Lean Specialist, your goal is to demystify lean principles and make them accessible, exciting, and sustainable across multiple manufacturing sites. You will strengthen our lean movement by being part of the team who bridge between our strategic goals and the frontline teams, turning "process improvement" into a shared language that everyone at all level can relate to.
What you will be doing:
* Connecting the dots: Develop communications for our Operational Excellence journey, translating high-level goals into relatable stories, connecting what our plant teams are delivering to support those goals.
* Drive engagement: Develop and lead internal communications celebrating improvement successes and share best practices across sites.
* Coach, influence & facilitate: Lead hands-on workshops and Kaizen events. Your job isn't to fix the problem yourself, but to give our teams the confidence and tools to fix it themselves.
* Manage change: Support our plants to sustain their progress towards becoming lean enterprises, by embedding a structured change management process and being a champion of the key behavioural changes we need to make.
* Champion our Production System: Coach and support the uptake of our production system across the business and maintain documentation, including best practice examples.
* Standardise the vibe: Work across multiple plants to ensure that while each site is unique, our "Continuous Improvement" culture feels consistent, supportive, and energised.
* Listen & adapt: Spend time on the shop floor to understand the real-world barriers to Lean adoption, feeding those insights back into our strategy.
Who you are:
* The Connector: You have a "people-first" mindset. You are able to talk shop with a technician and then present a progress update to a Site Manager.
* The Storyteller: You know that a 10% reduction in waste is great, but a story about how a team reclaimed an hour of their day is what actually inspires change.
* Lean-Literate: Passionate about lean, you have a good understanding of the Lean toolkit (5S, VSM, Kanban, PDCA) and are willing to learn, but you prioritize the mindset over the jargon.
* Industry Curious: While aerospace experience is a plus, your passion for world class manufacturing and safety is what matters most.
* Mobile & Energetic: You enjoy the variety of working across different sites and don't mind the travel required to build face-to-face relationships.
Position Qualifications:
* Lean Knowledge: Competent understanding of Lean tools (Green Belt or Lean equivalent preferred, but not required)
* Communication: Exceptional verbal and written skills; ability to create engaging visual content or presentations in multiple media, to create a following from diverse backgrounds.
* Influence: Proven ability to lead without formal authority and manage change.
* Project management: Capable of effectively leading projects by integrating various functions in the organisation.
* Travel: Willingness to travel 20% of the time across our plant network.
Preferred Requirements:
* Strong Integration / Programme Management / Delivery mindset.
* Data driven improvement methods & tools.
* Business breadth
Regional Benefits:
* Work in a safety-first environment where doing the right thing and keeping it simple are core principles.
* Join a culture that values making a real difference through your work.
* Develop your career as a mid-career professional blending technical expertise with strong personal qualities.
* Thrive in a role that encourages integrity, accountability, resilience, and curiosity.
* Collaborate and build relationships in a team-focused environment while also working independently.
* Take initiative, lead, and make smart decisions with confidence and support.
* Grow through continuous learning, openness to improvement, and exposure to challenging opportunities.
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.

As part of our selection process, candidates in certain locations may be asked to complete an online assessment, which can include cognitive and behavioural aptitude testing relevant to the role. If required, full instructions for the next steps will be provided.

Job Category

Business Improvement

Posting Date

16 Apr 2026; 00:04

Posting End Date

29 Apr 2026