Operational Excellence Business Partner - Distillation

Operational Excellence Business Partner (BP) - Distillation

Your Manager: Senior Operational Excellence BP

Team: Operational Excellence

Location: Miltonduff, Elgin

Be part of something big

We are Pernod Ricard, a leading company in the global wines and spirits industry with over 19,000 employees globally. We own 16 of the world's top 100 Spirits Brands and hold one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry with 240 premium brands available in over 160 countries, including: Absolut vodka, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater, Malfy and Monkey 47 gins, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes as well Jacob's Creek, Brancott Estate and Campo Viejo wines.

Your new team

Pernod Ricard's Gold Brand Unit is the Group's Aged Spirits & Champagne division, bringing together the prestigious portfolios of Irish Distillers, Chivas Brothers, Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouet and North American Distillers.

With a global team operating across over 40 sites, and brands spanning Irish, Scotch and American Whisk(e)y, Cognac, Champagne and wine, the division unites exceptional craftsmanship and deep expertise across iconic terroirs in Ireland, Scotland, France and North America.

Its portfolio, rooted in heritage and provenance, embodies Pernod Ricard's commitment to excellence from Premium to Ultra-Prestige, delivering some of the world's most celebrated and enduring spirits and champagnes

The Operational Excellence team support our Aged Spirits & Champagne business unit to facilitate the implementation of our Continuous Improvement program. They are a team of 8 who are based at our sites across the UK & Ireland.

Your unique contribution

The Operational Excellence (OpEx) Business Partner will support departments within the Distillation & Maturation function to facilitate the implementation of our TRACC Continuous Improvement program.

You will have three main areas of responsibility:

Business Support

• Lead on the area Loss & Waste analysis with the Area Managers to identify the improvement strategy for the next 12 weeks - 12 months.
• Provide guidance and support in the implementation of the Operational Excellent program and liaise and coordinate between site leadership and local task forces to ensure that activities are consistently aligned.
• You will also support the creation and implementation of standards for best practice and take the lead to deliver strategic productivity saving projects.
• Lead or support cross functional working sessions to improve business process and reduce waste in the organisation.

Change Facilitation - to facilitate the change process, this will involve:

• providing insights in support or challenge to action/project owners
• assisting with identifying and resolving key risk issues
• providing logistical support for run and improve focused meetings
• ensuring that Operational Excellence Program is optimised to support and assess the change process.
• lead on the OpEx Assessments
• monitoring and reporting on practice and performance progress at meetings of the site leadership and task forces.

Training Support

• Support the training and development of key change agents, at various levels in the business
• Support internal trainers in the coordination and delivery of training activities.

Who you'll be working with

Internally, you'll collaborate with colleagues in Distillation & Maturation, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality and Health and Safety as well as other functions such as HR and Finance.

The role covers both the Malt distilleries & Strathclyde Grain distillery. Therefore, travel will be required across both areas.

Externally, you will collaborate with contractors, suppliers, and vendors to ensure delivery of services to the highest standard.

Your blend of talent

This position could be right for you if you:

• Have previous experience in a similar role, supporting change through continuous improvement or operational excellence, ideally within the FMCG industries.
• Experience in Distillation or another process industry
• Can demonstrate strong leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to influence and inspire others.
• Have good communication and problem-solving skills.
• Have strong facilitation skills and encourages creativity in individual and group settings.

Our mix of benefits

For your health, we offer private medical insurance, income protection and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme.

Our lifestyle benefits include generous annual holiday allowance plus public holidays, your employee pension, share incentive plan, share ownership plan, life assurance and more!

You can access lots of gifts & discounts, including an allowance each year to spend on our brands in our staff shop, our reward & recognition scheme and employee discounts from a range of high street retailers.

We have regular events in our very own office bar, employee-run networks, a culture of flexibility and trust and a variety of tools and resources to help you focus on your wellbeing and mental fitness.

Conviviality: the Pernod Ricard Way

We have our own way of doing things. We call it conviviality! It's our way of being, and something unique you feel and experience when working for Pernod Ricard.

We're committed to conviviality, and with this, you'll be Proud to Belong to our Pernod Ricard family. You'll be Empowered to Perform, supported to succeed, and acknowledged for the value you bring.

We combine all this with our Commitment to Care: we are unlocking the magic of human connection to transform our industry and make a positive impact on the world though our strong focus on sustainability and responsibility.

We're committed to diversity and inclusion

People are at the heart of everything we do at Pernod Ricard and are the foundation of our collective spirit as 'Createurs de Convivialite'.

We promote diversity and inclusion throughout our business and supply chain. In our teams, we proactively foster a diverse work force and an inclusive culture - an environment where we can truly be ourselves.

We will assess your application for this role based on your skills, experiences and achievements, not your gender, age, ethnic or educational background or any other such factors. Please feel free to leave these off your CV and application form if you so wish.

Similarly, if you would like to discuss opportunities for flexible working or require accommodations or support to complete our application process, please let us know.

Responsible drinking

As 'Createurs de convivialite', we want to turn social interactions into genuine and friendly experiences of sharing and wellbeing.

In our culture, we want to create diverse teams in which our differences contribute to our success. Therefore, all are welcome at Pernod Ricard, regardless of your religious beliefs or personal choices on the consumption of alcohol.

In our business, we work together with industry members, civil society, governments, local authorities and UN bodies to promote responsible drinking.

Closing Date for Applications:

28th April 2026

Job Posting End Date:

Target Hire Date:

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