Operational Excellence Lead

About Us

Portal Biotech has built the world’s only platform capable of sequencing full-length proteins at the single-molecule level. Using our nanopore technology, we read intact proteins of any size, capturing both sequence and post-translational modifications in a way no other system can. This opens up entirely new ways to understand protein biology, with applications across drug discovery, diagnostics, and biosecurity.
Our technology works and customers are engaging. We’re now focused on scaling, turning breakthrough science into products that deliver real biological insight as we move beyond Series A towards global product launch

About the role

We are seeking an Operational Excellence Lead to drive performance, stability, and continuous improvement within our pilot manufacturing operation. Based at our London site and working closely with cross-functional teams, this is a primarily on-site role combining hands-on involvement with the development of structured improvement systems.

You will be responsible for ensuring manufacturing processes are stable, efficient, and continuously improving. This role will define how performance is measured, how variation is controlled, and how improvements are identified and implemented, supporting the transition from pilot operations to a scalable manufacturing system.

In the early phase, this role will include active participation in manufacturing activities on the production line, ensuring improvement initiatives and process controls are grounded in real operational conditions.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Define and implement manufacturing performance metrics , including throughput, yield, cycle time, and downtime

• Develop and implement Statistical Process Control (SPC) frameworks

• Define control limits and monitor process stability

• Work with Process Engineering to define critical process parameters (CPPs)

• Drive the implementation of continuous manufacturing flow and line balancing

• Identify and remove bottlenecks and sources of waste

• Implement Lean tools and methodologies , including:

  • standard work

  • visual management

  • process mapping

• Establish and maintain a visual factory , providing clear visibility of performance and issues

• Lead structured root cause analysis for process and performance issues

• Develop and maintain a structured continuous improvement system

• Work with Manufacturing Systems to enable data-driven decision making

• Support standardisation and consistency across manufacturing processes

• Participate in manufacturing activities during early pilot phases to ensure practical understanding of process performance and constraints

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or a related discipline, or equivalent industrial experience

• Proven experience in operational excellence, continuous improvement, or process improvement roles

• Strong understanding of Lean principles and continuous improvement methodologies

• Experience with statistical analysis or process control approaches

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Ability to work cross-functionally and influence improvement initiatives

• Experience working in manufacturing or production environments

Desirable

• Formal certification in PEx (e.g. Green Belt, Black Belt)

• Experience implementing SPC in a manufacturing environment

• Experience in pilot or early-stage manufacturing environments

• Experience in regulated industries (e.g. medical devices, biotech, pharmaceuticals)

• Experience developing visual management systems or performance dashboards

• Familiarity with process mapping and value stream mapping

This is a hands-on role within an early-stage manufacturing team, where you will help build and refine processes based on real operational experience. You will play a key part in establishing robust, scalable systems that will underpin future manufacturing capability.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. If you are passionate about building robust manufacturing systems and contributing to the delivery of innovative scientific technologies, we encourage you to apply!