Continuous Improvement Engineer

Continuous Improvement Engineer Location: Sittingbourne, Kent Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30am–4:00pm, Friday early finish £competitive + benefits Contact: Emily or Sammy, Pearson Whiffin Recruitment Please note: Candidates must have the right to work in the UK without sponsorship. A growing, highly specialised manufacturing business in Kent is looking for a Continuous Improvement Engineer who genuinely enjoys making things better, not just talking about improvement in meetings. This is a role for someone who likes being out on the shop floor, challenging processes, solving problems properly and getting buy-in from teams across the business. You’ll be joining a company that is investing heavily in improvement, modernisation and long-term growth, where your ideas won’t disappear into a spreadsheet and never be actioned. You’ll work closely with operational, engineering and quality teams to identify inefficiencies, improve processes and help drive a stronger continuous improvement culture across the site. The business operates within a complex, precision-led manufacturing environment, so this role would suit someone who enjoys technical challenges and can balance hands-on practicality with analytical thinking. What you’ll be doing: • Leading and supporting Lean and CI projects across manufacturing operations • Driving improvements around efficiency, waste reduction, workflow and productivity • Using structured problem-solving tools to investigate recurring issues and implement long-term fixes • Working directly with shop-floor teams to improve processes and standards • Supporting Kaizen activities, visual management and process mapping • Analysing operational data and KPIs to identify trends and opportunities • Helping embed a proactive, improvement-focused mindset across the business What we’re looking for: • Experience within a manufacturing, engineering or production environment • Strong understanding of Lean / Continuous Improvement methodologies • Someone practical and hands-on who enjoys being visible on the shop floor • Experience using tools such as 5 Why, 8D, DMAIC, Kaizen or Six Sigma • Confidence influencing people across different departments and levels • A proactive mindset with the ability to challenge processes constructively • Strong communication and problem-solving skills Lean qualifications or Six Sigma accreditation would be beneficial, but attitude and approach are just as important as certifications. Why this role stands out: • Genuine opportunity to influence change and see the impact of your work • Growing business with strong investment and ambitious plans • Collaborative environment where improvement ideas are listened to • Early finish Fridays • Long-term progression and development opportunities • Varied role with a mix of strategic improvement and hands-on involvement This role would suit someone currently working as a Continuous Improvement Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Process Engineer, Lean Engineer or similar within a technical manufacturing environment. METPERM