Head of Business Improvement Jobs
For a business to thrive, grow and attract the best talent, it must be on a constant mission for improvement. Improvement can manifest itself in many ways, from the small things that affect a few employees to a revolution in the way it does business that can propel it from an also-ran to a company at the top of its game. The most effective way to achieve improvement is to appoint a team or an individual whose job is solely to seek out business improvement opportunities and make them happen – in charge of this activity is the head of business improvement.
The job requires an ongoing analysis of the business and all its processes, or at least the processes within the remit of the head of business improvement. Armed with the financial figures for a given business activity, he or she observes and analyses the way it is carried out, talks with the people doing the work and try to come up with ways of improving it. This is not always a directly cost-saving or profit-enhancing measure. Sometimes an improvement might simply take the stress off certain employees, and the benefits will be long term – and the head of business improvement has the figures to prove it.
The skills required
An advanced ability to monitor and completely understand a business process and how it interacts with the rest of the business is a key attribute of a successful head of business improvement. You are able to come to a balanced appraisal of how a process works and what are the effects of making a change not only to it but also to the wider company. Where you consider that the benefits outweigh the costs, you will then have to make proposals to the board so that they can decide whether to implement them.
You are able to work on multiple processes at a time, and often change will have to be implemented gradually so that early effects can be assessed with a view to making more dramatic changes if necessary. This requires excellent analytical skills as well as a great interpersonal manner. It will be your job to convince all stakeholders that your proposals will have a benefit, which is not always easy, particularly where this might mean downsizing or relocation.
Head of Business Improvement Jobs in Dundee
Dundee is an industrious city that has changed its roles many times over the centuries. Its North Sea-facing front made it ideal for whaling, and the industries that surround it, such as boatbuilding, whale oil processing and jute manufacture (it was discovered that jute could be lubricated with whale oil). Those industries are gone now, but after World War II the city was to have something of a boom. The company NCR set up in Dundee, initially making shop cash registers, and later moving on to making banks’ cash machines. The company was also a pioneer of the now-ubiquitous magnetic strips, and also made computers.
The electronics company Morphy Richards was formed and based in Dundee after a merger, and Michelin tyre factory was also established. All this time, industry worked along shipbuilding, but by the 1980s this industry was in terminal decline. Along came Timex, who manufactured Sir Clive Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum in the city; this home computer was a huge success, owing to its colour graphics and reasonable price. However the Timex factory closed in the early 1990s.
The city was also a publishing magnet, and many a child grew up reading DC Thompson’s famous output: Beano, Dandy and the gung-ho Commando comic books. And when they grew up, they played Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, developed by Dundee’s Rockstar Games. There is also a strong biomedical and biotech industry in the city.
Dundee is such a thriving place that no short article can do it justice. And of course, all this moving of materials and products, and the servicing of its 150,000 population means that Head of Business Improvement positions are regularly required.
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Find Head of Business Improvement Jobs with Cast UK
Transformation and change are the key to continual improvement in business, but it must be approached in a skilful and sensitive manner, hence the need for good, experienced heads of business improvement. Up and down the UK, companies are looking to bring that expertise into their teams and many of them are turning to Cast UK to apply our own expertise to finding the ideal candidates.
If you are looking to take an important step in your career and become head of business improvement for a company that’s going through some exciting changes, leave your details with us by calling today on 0333 121 3345.
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