Process Improvement Practitioner

Department:  Productivity Support Department (PSD)

Location:  Yorkshire (with the potential for some nationwide travel)

Grade:  Grade 3

Salary (£): From £44,000

Hours:  36 hours- Mon-Thu 08:00-16:00 / Fri 08:00-15:45

Other: Head Office Bonus / Uniform Allowance

About The Role:

As a Process Improvement Practitioner, you'll play a key role in supporting NDL's mission to embed a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. Working alongside the Process Improvement Lead, you'll help identify inefficiencies, support optimisation projects, and explore opportunities for data-driven, automated, and AI-enabled solutions to business challenges.

This role is ideal for someone curious, analytical, and eager to learn. You'll work cross-functionally, applying structured thinking and creativity to real operational challenges.

Key Responsibilities:

• Process Improvement & Analysis:
  • Support the mapping and evaluation of business processes to identify waste and inefficiency.
  • Assist in time-and-motion studies, root cause analysis, and basic workflow assessments.
  • Help visualise "as-is" and "to-be" processes to support redesign efforts.
• Data & Insight Support
  • Gather and interpret operational data to uncover trends and improvement opportunities.
  • Support performance tracking using defined KPIs and metrics.
  • Present insights clearly and concisely to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Digital & Automation Exploration
  • Work on tasks involving automation, coding, or AI—guided by the team and your interests.
  • Experiment with basic scripting, automation platforms, or AI tools to support efficiency.
  • Contribute ideas on how emerging technology might be applied in practical, scalable ways.
• Project Delivery Support
  • Assist in delivering Lean or Six Sigma-based improvement projects across departments.
  • Organise and support workshops, meetings, and data-gathering sessions.
  • Document findings and contribute to solution design and implementation planning.
• Team Collaboration
  • Engage with teams across warehousing, logistics, engineering, and production.
  • Build strong working relationships to understand challenges and propose improvements

Candidate Requirements:

Essential:

• Strong interest in process improvement, with a desire to always seek better ways of working and a desire to continually challenge the status quo.
• Curious, driven, and self-motivated, with a willingness to learn new tools, concepts, and ways of working.
• Analytical mindset with excellent attention to detail; comfortable working with data, solving problems, and thinking critically.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Adaptable, reliable, and capable of managing your own time, workload, and priorities.
• Be willing to undertake formal training for qualifications in Work Measurement, Method Study and Productivity (including 4 weeks training away in Manchester)

Desirable:

• Experience working in a logistics environment, particularly within warehousing or distribution
• Process Improvement Methodologies (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma, 5S)
• Proficiency in programming languages such (e.g Python, R, or SQL for data manipulation, analysis, and modelling).
• Process Mapping and / or Data Visualisation Tools (e.g Lucidchart, Power BI, Tableau or Matplotlib for presenting insights and findings).

Conclusion:

This role is a key part of NDL's journey toward operational excellence and smarter, tech-enabled ways of working. As a Process Improvement Practitioner , you'll help shape how we identify and solve problems, using data, structured thinking, and emerging technologies to make a real impact.

Your curiosity, drive to learn, and ability to think critically will directly support improvements in efficiency, quality, and performance across our operations. By working collaboratively across teams and exploring opportunities for automation and innovation, you'll play an important role in embedding a culture of continuous improvement that drives lasting value for the business.

This is more than a support role — it's a development opportunity for someone eager to grow, contribute ideas, and help build the future of how we work at NDL.

About The Team:

We're a department of 28 people and cover all NDL sites - you'll join a close-knit, collaborative team that values curiosity, creativity, and continuous learning. We share knowledge, support each other's development, and work together to solve real operational problems. This is a great place to grow your skills and make a real difference.

Additional Information:

• Uniform allowance of £450 per season
• 25% staff discount
• Up to 70% off at our staff shops
• Contributory pension scheme
• Head Office Bonus