Factory Manager

Factory Manager - Sauces & Shelf-Stable Foods

Company: Our Client (A leading specialist in shelf-stable Western & Asian sauces, pastes, and condiments)

Location: Sungai Buloh, Selangor,

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced and operationally focused Factory Manager to take end-to-end responsibility for the client's food manufacturing facility. This pivotal leadership role oversees all daily operations across Production, Maintenance, and Logistics, ensuring the manufacture of high-quality sauces, pastes, and frozen/chilled products. A deep understanding of food safety compliance, retort technology, and cold-chain management is essential for success.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Leadership & Management

• End-to-End Oversight: Oversee and manage all daily operations across the production floor, including poultry, meat, chilled & frozen, mayonnaise, and hot sauce sections, as well as the Maintenance and Logistics departments.

• Performance Targets: Lead, coordinate, and monitor operational activities to consistently achieve demanding targets for productivity, quality, and efficiency.

• Resource Planning: Plan, allocate, and manage all factory resources, manpower, and complex production schedules effectively.

• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement (CI) initiatives, leveraging methodologies like 5S, to enhance overall operational performance and cost efficiency.

• Cross-Departmental Synergy: Collaborate closely with department heads (R&D, QA/QC) to ensure seamless communication and operational alignment.

• Maintenance & Downtime: Monitor equipment maintenance schedules, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance, especially for specialized retort and freezer equipment.

2. Compliance, Licensing, & Specialized Processes

• Food Safety Standards: Ensure all manufacturing and operational activities strictly comply with HACCP, GMP, FSSC 22000, and Halal standards.

• Safety & Environment: Enforce workplace safety rules and maintain compliance with DOSH, DOE, and other statutory requirements.

• Licensing Management (Crucial): Understand, uphold, and ensure compliance with all necessary guideline licenses required for the operations of both the food manufacturing entity and the trading/distribution entity.

• Retort & Cold Chain: Demonstrate expert knowledge and ensure strict regulatory adherence within the retort technology process and the negative-degree freezer section of the warehouse.

3. Reporting & Strategy

• Reporting: Prepare comprehensive operational reports to support management decision-making and performance reviews.

Requirements

Experience & Background (Top Requirements)

• More than 7 years of progressive experience in operations or factory management within the food processing or manufacturing industry.

• Crucial: Proven experience working specifically within sauce manufacturing or an identical food processing environment.

• Specialized Technical Knowledge: Mandatory experience with retort technology and the operational and regulatory requirements of cold chain (chilled & frozen) food production.

• Licensing Expertise: Demonstrated understanding of the different guideline licenses required for both manufacturing/production entities and distribution/trading entities.

• Industry Preference: Highly preferred experience in handling poultry, meat, chilled & frozen, Mayonnaise, and hot sauce production environments.

• Proven ability to lead and coordinate logistics and maintenance functions.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor's Degree or Diploma in Operations Management, Food Science, Engineering, or a related field.

• Specialized training or certification in FSSC 22000, HACCP, GMP, and Halal standards is required.

• Strong leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent communication and coordination abilities across all departments.

• Results-driven and able to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.