Factory Manager

About the position

A leading food manufacturing business, supplying innovative prepared food and beverage solutions in a high-volume, 7-day operational environment, is seeking an experienced Factory Manager to lead manufacturing operations within its Fresh Juice & Beverage facility.
This role is responsible for overseeing end-to-end factory operations, driving continuous improvement, ensuring food safety and quality compliance, and delivering operational, cost and service targets through strong leadership and execution.

Educational Requirements & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or similar in Manufacturing, Operations Management, Engineering or Industrial Engineering
• Minimum 8-10 years' proven experience within an FMCG environment
• Management experience essential, with a minimum of 5 years in a senior management role
• In-depth understanding of food manufacturing processes and manufacturing excellence
• Proven experience implementing lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives
• Automation / Industry 4.0 exposure (desirable)

Key AccountabilitiesFood Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Ensure the plant operates in full compliance with food safety, health & safety and environmental legislation and standards (e.g. FSSC 22000, ISO 45001, HACCP)
• Ensure all products consistently meet agreed quality specifications and customer requirements, with minimal quality complaints and rework

Service Delivery & Operational Performance

• Achieve required OTIF service levels across all SKUs
• Deliver agreed factory cost targets (COS and overheads) and support margin and profitability goals
• Drive continuous improvement in OEE, yield, labour productivity, waste/scrap, downtime and capacity utilisation across day and night shifts

Production Planning & Execution

• Approve and oversee daily and weekly production schedules for all shifts
• Ensure optimum line loading, changeover planning and capacity utilisation
• Proactively manage deviations such as breakdowns, material shortages and absenteeism

People Leadership & Culture

• Build, lead and retain a high-performing, engaged production team aligned to company values and safety culture
• Lead, coach and develop Production Managers and their teams
• Set clear objectives and performance standards, and manage performance effectively
• Ensure strong communication, handovers and engagement across all shifts

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Drive systematic CI and problem-solving to improve safety, quality, cost, service and sustainability
• Lead structured root cause analysis for recurring operational issues
• Sponsor CI projects with measurable benefits and frontline team involvement

Maintenance, Reliability & Asset Care

• Work closely with Engineering to ensure equipment and utilities reliability and availability
• Support preventive and predictive maintenance planning, shutdowns and capital projects
• Provide operational input into equipment selection, layout changes, capacity expansions and automation initiatives

Risk Management, Governance & Reporting

• Identify and manage operational risks and ensure robust contingency plans
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, audits and governance standards
• Prepare and present regular operational performance reviews, including KPI trends, risks and improvement plans

Leadership & Behavioural Competencies

• Strong people leadership with the ability to lead through others
• Decisive and resilient decision-making under pressure
• Strong execution focus aligned to business strategy
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Effective cross-functional collaboration and influencing skills
• Clear, consistent communicator across all levels
• High levels of integrity and compliance focus

Desired Skills:

• Factory Management
• Food Manufacturing
• Production schedules
• Continuous improvement work