Plant Operations Director

About the role

The Plant Operations Director leads a large‑scale food manufacturing facility, driving operational excellence, cost optimisation and continuous improvement while ensuring product quality and regulatory compliance.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee end‑to‑end plant operations, including production, maintenance, quality and warehouse coordination to meet KPIs for output, efficiency and waste reduction.
• Manage high‑volume dough‑based operations, ensuring product consistency and capacity planning using Lean Manufacturing, TPM or Kaizen.
• Maintain strict compliance with GMP, HACCP and other regulatory requirements in partnership with QA and R&D.
• Lead preventive and corrective maintenance programmes to maximise machine uptime and support plant expansion or automation.
• Collaborate with procurement and logistics to optimise raw‑material utilisation and handle seasonal volume spikes.
• Control operating budgets, implement cost‑control measures and mentor a diverse leadership team.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Technology or Operations Management (MBA or postgraduate degree is a plus).
• 12‑15 years of manufacturing leadership experience in high‑volume food production.
• Proven background in dough‑based, baked‑goods or commissary environments with strong food‑safety knowledge.
• Previous success at Plant Head, Operations Director or Manufacturing Director level, managing a large workforce.

Required skills

• Lean Manufacturing
• Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
• Kaizen
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)
• Preventive maintenance
• Corrective maintenance
• Budgeting
• Cost control