Manufacturing Excellence Senior Manager

PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH; Reading; On-site; GBP 80,000 - GBP 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading multinational food and beverage company is seeking a Manufacturing Excellence Senior Manager in Reading, England. The role focuses on driving strategic performance improvements, enhancing productivity through analytics, and leading cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate will have a substantial background in supply chain leadership, Lean six sigma certification, and a strong analytical mindset. The position offers a competitive salary, bonus, flexible working options, and a range of benefits, making it a great opportunity for growth in a top employer environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Bonus

Car allowance

Flexible working

Critical illness cover

Discounted gym memberships

Enhanced parental leave

Electric car schemes

Qualifications

• Tenured supply chain leader with experience in continuous improvement.
• Track record of developing others and influencing stakeholders.
• Demonstrable behaviors aligned with One PepsiCo/Way.

Responsibilities

• Monitor business performance across departments.
• Identify gaps and recommend corrective actions to meet targets.
• Lead initiatives to streamline operations and reduce waste.

Skills

Lean six sigma green belt

Data analytical mindset

Strong understanding of business finance

Project management experience

Self-starting, proactive

Education

Experience in Manufacturing and Logistics

Job description

Overview

At PepsiCo UK, we’re proud to make some of the nation’s favourite snacks and drinks—like Walkers, Quaker, Doritos, Pipers, and Monster Munch. With sites across the UK, including our Quaker mill in Cupar and Doritos factory in Coventry, we’re also home to one of the world’s largest crisp factories in Leicester. At the end of 2025 we will move our UK office to a vibrant new Reading town centre location, just minutes from Reading train station.

About the role

The Manufacturing Excellence Senior Manager is a seasoned improvement leader who translates company strategy into measurable operational gains. Working closely with cross‑functional partners, you will own high‑impact Lean/Six Sigma initiatives, build and mentor a dedicated improvement team, and embed a culture of data‑driven decision making across our organization. You will champion continuous improvement through sharing best practices, rigorously tracking losses, and ensuring continuous learning from every failure or success. Driving performance through engaging with the teams.

Responsibilities

1. Strategic Performance Management

• Monitor business performance across departments.
• Identify gaps and recommend corrective actions to meet targets.
• Create accountability framework.

2. Productivity Improvement

• Analyse workflows and operational processes to identify inefficiencies.
• Lead initiatives to streamline operations and reduce waste.
• Promote automation and digital tools to enhance productivity.

3. Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with HR, Finance, Supply Chain, and Operations to align goals.
• Support leadership teams with data‑driven insights for decision‑making.
• Facilitate change management and employee engagement strategies.

4. Data & Analytics

• Use performance data to uncover trends and opportunities.
• Create dashboards and reports for executive visibility.
• Ensure data integrity and consistency across systems.

5. Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma).
• Lead workshops and training sessions to build internal capabilities.
• Evaluate and implement best practices from industry benchmarks.

Qualifications

• Tenured SC leader with experience of Manufacturing, Logistics and continuous improvement.
• Lean six sigma green belt.
• Project management experience or qualification such as PPMM.
• Strong understanding of business finance.
• Data analytical mindset.
• Continuous improvement mindset and demonstrable behaviours congruent with One PepsiCo/Way.
• Self‑starting, proactive, driven SC leader.
• Track record of successful impact in matrixed organisations and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Experienced coach and track record of developing others.

Why Join Us?

We offer a competitive salary, bonus, car allowance, flexible working, and a wide range of benefits—from critical illness cover and discounted gym memberships to enhanced parental leave and electric car schemes. Our commitment to wellbeing and career growth makes us a Top Employer for 14 years running.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly$92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the centre of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.