Continuous Improvement Analyst

Job title: Continuous Improvement Analyst

Location: Manchester

Contract length: 12 months (potential extension up to 2 years)

Work Structure: Hybrid (3 days in the office)

Randstad Sourceright, a leading provider of RPO & MSP Recruitment Services is currently recruiting for a Continuous Improvement Analyst to join a World leader offering Products, Solutions and Services across the entire Energy value chain on behalf of a well established manufacturing organisation to play a key role in supporting Manufacturing Operations.

The Continuous Improvement Analyst ensures commercial consistency, accuracy, and efficiency across UK tendering and pre-construction processes. Operating as an internal quality and process reviewer, the role audits live and completed bids against gate requirements, validates cost build-ups and risk provisions, and builds Excel-based probabilistic resource forecasting models to predict headcount demand. Additionally, the position drives continuous improvement initiatives, using structured root-cause analysis and workflow automation to eliminate manual rework, standardise bid templates, and enhance cost transparency across the project portfolio.

Some of the duties will include but are not limited to:

• Inspect live and finished tenders to ensure deliverables are complete, internally consistent, and fully aligned with gate requirements.
• Check cost build-up logic, escalation, indexation, contingency, and risk allocations across the tender portfolio.
• Compare pricing and quantities across live tenders and past built projects by type, complexity, and location to eliminate discrepancies.
• Review technical inputs, such as comparing as-built cable schedules against live project quantities, to catch material planning errors early.
• Review and update tendering documentation, standard templates, checklists, and gate deliverable definitions.
• Develop and maintain Excel-based resource forecast models that pull project types into actionable demand views.
• Account for win probabilities, framework standings, and sales stages to forecast realistic headcount demand rather than maximum theoretical capacity.
• Compare forecasted demand against current employee capacity to highlight required recruitment or contractor needs.
• Run win/loss/delay scenarios for major pipeline opportunities to support strategic hiring and subcontracting decisions.
• Refresh, publish, and present monthly capacity updates to management.
• Identify and prioritize process improvement projects across the tendering lifecycle using data-driven root-cause analysis.
• Automate manual, repetitive tasks to eliminate rework and free up time for estimators and bid managers.
• Calculate the expected business benefit of each initiative before launch and measure the realized return after implementation.
• Host debrief sessions after bid completions to convert feedback into updated templates, procedures, and pricing norms.

Essential Requirements:

• Practical knowledge of commercial terms, cost build-ups, margin analysis, risk/contingency provisions, and escalation/indexation treatments.
• Strong capability to review tender documents, spot cost errors or inconsistencies across projects, and audit technical data (such as cable schedule quantities).
• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel to build, structure, and maintain complex resource forecasting models and scenario planning tools.
• Demonstrated ability to use structured, evidence-based root-cause analysis tools to identify process gaps rather than relying on anecdotal evidence.
• Experience identifying manual workflow bottlenecks and automating repetitive tasks to reduce rework and improve bid efficiency.
• Ability to build business benefit cases before initiating improvement projects and measuring realized outcomes post-implementation.
• Bachelor's degree or comparable hands-on career experience in commercial, engineering, or analytical disciplines.
• Willingness to critically evaluate bids and comfortably challenge upward when errors, risks, or inconsistencies are identified.
• Skilled in producing clear process documentation, translating complex analysis into plain language, and handling confidential commercial data appropriately.

Desirable Requirements:

• Direct experience working within pre-construction, tendering, or commercial bidding environments in the energy, renewables, power transmission, or heavy infrastructure sectors.
• Exposure to reviewing electrical, civil, or engineering deliverables (such as cable schedules and equipment layouts) during the pre-construction phase.
• Formal certification in Lean Six Sigma (such as Green Belt) or recognized continuous improvement methodologies.
• Hands-on experience using workflow automation or visualization software (e.g., Power BI, Power Automate, or VBA) to streamline manual tendering tasks.
• Proven track record of developing probabilistic pipeline conversion models and capacity planning tools for resource-intensive engineering/bidding teams