Operations Excellence Specialist - 6657

Cambridge University Press Ltd.; Whittlesford; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading academic publisher in the UK seeks an Operations Excellence Specialist to drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean Six Sigma principles. You will optimise processes, facilitate workshops, and collaborate with leaders to implement new technologies. Ideal candidates should have experience in designing training programs and strong stakeholder management skills. This hybrid role offers competitive salary and benefits, aiming to enhance operational excellence within the educational sector.

Benefits

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance

Discretionary annual bonus

Group personal pension scheme

Life assurance up to 4× annual salary

Green travel schemes

Qualifications

• Experience designing and delivering continuous improvement trainings.
• Strong facilitating and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to translate strategy into tactical execution.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate workshops and training to engage stakeholders.
• Utilise data to identify issues and implement technology solutions.
• Collaborate with Lean Six Sigma practitioners to drive change.

Skills

Continuous Improvement

Lean Six Sigma methodologies

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Facilitation skills

Digital collaboration tools

Tools

Miro

Microsoft Teams

Job description

Job Title: Operations Excellence Specialist

Salary: £37,900 - £49,300

Location: Whittlesford, UK/Hybrid

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 35 hours per week

Overview

Ready to drive a culture of continuous improvement? Join us as an Operations Excellence Specialist, where you will lead initiatives that embed Lean Six Sigma principles into everyday practices—designing impactful training, optimising processes, and driving measurable improvements that elevate our operational excellence.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world‑leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

About the role

Reporting to the Operations Excellence Lead, you will play a key role in driving improvements by facilitating workshops, trainings and supporting strategic initiatives. You will use your expertise in Continuous Improvement, Lean, and project management to deliver key projects and embed a lean mindset across the organisation. Your focus will be on optimising processes—designing efficient workflows, reducing inefficiencies, and identifying opportunities for automation. You will work closely with senior leaders and cross‑functional teams to align processes with strategic goals. This role is pivotal in implementing new technologies, re‑engineering workflows, and driving transformation through automation and digital solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate workshops and training to engage stakeholders, promote process optimisation, and embed a culture of continuous improvement and innovation across the organisation.
• Utilise data‑driven performance monitoring to proactively identify issues and support implementation of technology‑enabled solutions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and Lean Six Sigma practitioners, supporting the adoption of AI and automation to drive sustainable change.

This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40‑60% of their time collaborating and connecting face‑to‑face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long‑term health condition.

About you

We are looking for someone with proven experience in designing and delivering continuous improvement trainings. You will have strong facilitating and stakeholder management skills, and the ability to translate strategy into tactical execution. Most importantly, you will bring a hands‑on, can‑do attitude when proactively finding solutions to challenges.

• Demonstrated experience applying Lean Six Sigma methodologies, alongside designing and delivering effective training and capability‑building programmes.
• Strong analytical, facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex data and processes into clear, actionable insights.
• A proven track record of leading end‑to‑end process design and optimisation initiatives, facilitating workshops, and driving improvements through to implementation.
• Confidence in using digital collaboration tools such as Miro and Microsoft Teams to engage stakeholders, run virtual workshops, and enable cross‑functional working.
• A proactive and innovative mindset, with a strong commitment to continuous improvement, embedding best practice, and delivering measurable impact within an education‑focused environment.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience and knowledge of change management principles and methodologies.

Rewards and benefits

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance.
• Discretionary annual bonus.
• Group personal pension scheme.
• Life assurance up to 4× annual salary.
• Green travel schemes.

We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme’s Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long‑term health condition, and best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long‑term health condition.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for.

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now.

Application process

The closing date for all applications will be 26th January 2026. We will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place week commencing 2nd February 2026. If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect: first stage interviews will be held in person at our office in Whittlesford, second stage interviews will also be held in person at our office in Whittlesford and will include a task to prepare for.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long‑term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

Commitment to equality and diversity

We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. As such, applications must be submitted via our official online application procedure. Please refrain from sending your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or require additional support with submitting your online application, contact the Recruiter.

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.