Divisional Director of Excellence (Manufacturing)

Location: United Kingdom

Company

John Crane, a business of hirify.global, provides mission-critical flow control solutions, including mechanical seals, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies for energy and process industries.

What you will do

• Translate Group Excellence strategy, standards, and frameworks into executable divisional business plans.
• Lead cross-functional Lean, continuous improvement, transformation, and structured problem-solving initiatives.
• Advise the Divisional Leadership Team and coordinate with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Commercial, Service Operations, Digital, and HSE functions.
• Build operational excellence capability through coaching, mentoring, and development programmes.
• Lead and prioritise the Divisional Excellence team and associated resources.
• Establish governance, performance management, value tracking, business continuity, and operational resilience practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related discipline.
• Significant senior leadership experience in operational excellence, transformation, continuous improvement, or a related discipline.
• Experience in complex manufacturing and/or aftermarket service environments within global organisations.
• Formal Lean or Continuous Improvement certification, such as Lean Leader or Six Sigma Black Belt.
• Expertise in Lean methodologies, continuous improvement frameworks, structured problem-solving, governance, and execution.
• Proven ability to lead organisational change, develop teams, influence senior stakeholders, and quantify and sustain business value.

Nice to have

• Postgraduate qualification such as an MBA or equivalent.

Culture & Benefits

• Inclusive environment supported by employee resource groups for Veterans, Pride, Black Employee, Women@Work, and Neurodiversity networks.
• Recognition through the annual Smiths Excellence Awards and Smiths Day celebration.
• Commitment to equality, ethics, diversity, and support for employees across global operations.