Technical Process Lead (Non-Potato Chip Technologies)

PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH; Reading; On-site; GBP 50,000 - GBP 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading snack and beverage company in the UK is seeking an individual to enhance operational excellence at its Reading site. This role requires significant experience in non-potato chip manufacturing technologies, along with strong leadership and analytical skills. You will be responsible for training, performance improvement, and supporting transformative projects. The ideal candidate will excel at communicating across all organizational levels and possess a customer-driven focus. Attractive benefits and competitive salary offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Bonus

Car allowance

Flexible working

Health cover

Discounted gym memberships

Enhanced parental leave

Electric car schemes

Qualifications

• Significant operational manufacturing experience on a core non potato chip technology.
• Competent in delivering performance and capability building.
• In-depth understanding of IPS and its importance within the SPARK process.

Responsibilities

• Enable Performance Excellence delivery and support site operations.
• Lead site expert trainer courses and validate front-line employee training.
• Drive loss elimination and facilitate problem solving using structured processes.
• Support transformational change projects and ensure KPI compliance during start-up.

Skills

Operational manufacturing experience

Technical Capability Building

Analytical skills

Lean Manufacturing

People leadership

Influencing skills

Communication skills

Customer driven

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.

This role is focused on supporting the site teams on each of the ‘Core’ non potato chip process technology platforms. This means covering tortilla chip process, extrusion process (BC72) and Baked Process, but could also mean lending support to the other non-core lines (e.g. SAJ/Squares etc). As such the role means a requirement for a deep technical understanding of one or more of these ‘Core’ technology within the UK along with the right knowledge and skill to support the other processes through deployment of the same standards, with identified site contacts for the technical elements.

Responsibilities

• Enabling Performance Excellence delivery specifically comprises.
• Creation of the UK Site Expert Trainer capability build strategies for all non Potato Chip Process technologies, linking in with other Technical Process Leads and the Management Operating System team on the direction.
• Support the operational/optimisation cascade of training through adherence to the standards and random assisted validation sign off of front-line employees, linking in with other Technical Process Leads on the standard template.
• Lead/co-facilitate non potato chip site expert trainer courses and support the individuals Dev plans through to certification, where needed.
• Work with Sector Teams on integrating IPS into the SPARK (TPM) DMS’s and support their understanding of the SPARK (TPM) process.
• Own loss elimination as part of the SPARK (TPM) deployment and deliver/co-facilitate both 6W2H, UPS and changeover Capability workshops during the run to target's at sites.
• Loss Elimination coaching in the zone with front line employees, shift leadership, support staff and site SLT on ‘live’ issues on both 6W2H or UPS along with improving changeover standards linked to Quality, Yield and E2E Waste losses.
• Lead some of the ‘live’ problem solving at the sites using the 6W2H or UPS processes to get to route cause and implement standards so the issue is never seen again.
• Be the point of contact for major transformation changes on non potato chip asset bases.
• Support Commercial change projects and complex trials while also capturing and analysing data to support the trials.
• Support Transformational change projects in the UK by being the non potato chip single point of contact for the vertical start-up process.
• Lead the vertical start-up Capability build in conjunction with the other Technical Process leads to train and certify Site teams to be Start-up managers.
• Support the vertical start-up project delivery ensuring all KPI’s from the Vertical Start-Up Commissioning, Qualification, and Verification process are met at each stage.
• Support the SPARK AM pillar lead on the Centre line, Clean/Inspect/Lubricate and Defect Handling DMS’s and health checks of these at the sites.
• Lead/Support LE health checks at site and coach front line employees, Shift leadership, support teams and the site site leadership on the checks, their importance and how we return any losses or gaps back to standard.

Qualifications

• Significant operational manufacturing experience and knowledge on a core non potato chip technology – SET certification preferred.
• Competent and experienced at delivering performance.
• Experience with working with sites on Technical Capability Building.
• In depth understanding of IPS, it’s importance and the link to SPARK (TPM) DMS’s (CL/CIL/DH).
• Very capable people leader: standard setting, influencing, motivating and coaching skills.
• High ability to communicate and be credible at all levels in the organisation (shop floor to senior executives).
• Broad understanding of end to end Supply Chain Operation.
• Flexible approach with a customer driven focus.
• Analytical skills, including LSS capability (preferably Green Belt) and the ability to make short and long term recommendations on the basis of available data.
• Understanding of Lean Manufacturing and its practical applications and processes.
• Influencing skills across Operations peers and seniors.

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.