Senior Manufacturing Analyst – Food Manufacturing
Location
Timahoe / Manufacturing Site
Reporting To
Site Manager
Role Purpose
The Senior Manufacturing Analyst is a senior site-based role responsible for providing advanced data-driven insight to support operational performance, decision-making, cost optimisation, and continuous improvement within a food manufacturing environment.
This role is focused on turning complex manufacturing data into clear, actionable insight for site leadership and functional teams. It goes beyond routine reporting by leading high-value analysis, strengthening performance visibility and improving data quality which will lead to better decision-making.
This key hire in our team supports our Purpose pillar of ‘Better Made’ as we continue to deliver products of superior quality while reducing customer complaints, accidents, waste and the use of natural resources all while supporting our people to optimise our costs and efficiencies.
As part of our LEAN transform journey, this role does not directly own continuous improvement deployment, audit compliance, or project delivery, but plays a critical role in enabling these through robust analysis, performance reporting, and fact-based recommendations.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Performance Analysis & Reporting
- Lead analysis of site performance across People, Safety, Quality, Output and Cost metrics.
- Design, own, and continuously improve site KPI frameworks, scorecards, and performance dashboards.
- Provide forward-looking analysis, scenario modelling, and trend-based insight to support site leadership decisions.
- Identify performance gaps, quantify losses, and highlight priority improvement opportunities through structured analysis.
- Produce clear, concise, and decision-focused performance reporting for site and senior leadership forums.
- Support consistent KPI definitions, reporting standards, and governance across the site.
Operational Insight & Improvement Support
- Provide analytical support to improvement initiatives through baseline analysis, loss identification, trend interpretation, and performance validation.
- Support root cause analysis and problem-solving activities by supplying accurate data, structured analysis, and evidence-based insight.
- Track, validate, and report benefits realisation from operational improvement activities and agreed action plans.
- Identify repeat losses, recurring trends, and systemic issues that should be prioritised for improvement.
- Drive best practice in analytical methods, reporting discipline, and insight generation across site functions.
Food Safety, Quality & Risk Insight
- Provide advanced analytics and trending of food safety and quality data, including CCPs, deviations, environmental monitoring, complaints, rework, and related performance measures.
- Highlight trends, patterns, and data signals that may indicate emerging operational, food safety, or quality risks.
- Support investigations and audit preparation through accurate data analysis, reporting, and information collation.
- Ensure reporting outputs are aligned with agreed site standards, KPI definitions, and regulatory or internal reporting requirements.
- Work closely with Quality, Operations, and other relevant functions to improve visibility of food safety and quality performance.
Cost, Yield & Waste Optimisation
- Lead in-depth analysis of yield performance, material usage, labour efficiency, waste drivers, overheads, and cost variances.
- Challenge assumptions, standards, BOMs, and loss positions through robust and fact-based data analysis.
- Support Operations, Engineering, and Finance with data-driven insight to improve material efficiency, reduce waste, and optimise cost performance.
- Analyse inventory, usage, and operational loss data to support improved accuracy and waste reduction.
- Develop reporting and analytical tools that improve visibility of cost and yield performance at line, area, and site level.
Systems, AI, Data & Digital Capability
- Act as a key site resource for extracting, interpreting, and reporting manufacturing data from core business systems such as Dayforce, IFS, and other site reporting tools.
- Maintain high standards of data integrity, consistency, and governance across manufacturing reporting processes.
- Lead the development of automated reporting, dashboards, and visualisation tools, including Power BI and other digital reporting solutions.
- Reduce manual reporting effort through simplification, automation, and improved reporting design.
- Support the development of self-service reporting capability where appropriate, while maintaining reporting control and data accuracy.
Stakeholder Engagement & Capability Building
- Operate as a trusted business partner to site leadership and functional teams by providing timely, objective, and commercially relevant insight.
- Translate complex data into clear, practical recommendations for non-technical stakeholders.
- Present analysis confidently in site forums and support stakeholders in prioritising data-led actions.
- Support the development of analytical understanding and data literacy across the site.
- Build strong working relationships across Operations, Quality, Engineering, Finance, and other support functions.
Key Skills & Competencies
- Advanced analytical, statistical, and problem-solving capability.
- Strong expertise in Excel, with advanced Power BI or equivalent visualisation capability.
- Strong understanding of food manufacturing operations, performance drivers, and site KPIs.
- Strong commercial awareness and ability to link analysis to operational and financial impact.
- Ability to interpret large and complex datasets and turn them into clear, actionable insight.
- Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence through evidence and clarity.
- High level of autonomy, judgement, accuracy, and accountability.
- Experience of working in performance-focused, improvement-oriented manufacturing environments.
Experience & Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Food Science, Industrial Engineering, Data Analytics, Accounting or a related discipline.
- 5–8+ years’ experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably within food manufacturing or another regulated industry.
- Demonstrated experience in advanced operational analysis, KPI reporting, and supporting leadership decision-making.
- Proven experience in identifying losses, trends, and improvement opportunities through structured data analysis.
Desirable
- Advanced Power BI, SQL or manufacturing analytics experience.
- Experience working with ERP, labour management, or manufacturing systems such as IFS, Dayforce, or equivalent.
- Experience supporting operational improvement activity through performance analysis and benefits tracking.
- Exposure to audit, compliance, or regulated reporting environments.
Development & Progression
This role provides progression into Group Operations performance, manufacturing analytics, site performance management, operations excellence support, or broader operational leadership roles.
This job specification supports a senior-level role and may evolve in line with site strategy and business requirements.
Work Location: In person
