Plant Manager

Miracle worker - optimisation production activities of a new milk powder plant
- Oversee production, safety, health, people, finance and customer service
- A global leader in food & beverage ingredients, in the heart of Waikato

**We need you to swing your baton to keep our plant’s resource usage, costs, safety, quality, and customer service standards on rhythm and in tune.**

Keeping one’s own ducks in a row is hard enough sometimes. Keeping an entire production plant’s is a whole different ball game, and only reserved for the best production managers.

The role is responsible for the direction of the activities of the plant to optimise the use of resources, minimise costs and maintain safety, quality, and customer service standards.
- If you’re the type of production manager that answers a rabbit-out-of-a-hat challenge by producing a cow, read on._

**About the Production Manager role**:

- **Reports** to the Operations Director.
- **Safety, Health & Environment**: Work with the Quality and Food Safety Manager to ensure food safety records are accurately captured, maintained, and reported whilst proactively working within HACCP guidelines and ensuring activities meet the regulatory and customer quality standards. Additionally, work in conjunction with the Health and Safety Advisor to ensure the plant is operating safely with respect to risk, injury, and incident reporting, and management. Support and promote a culture of safe working behaviour. Ensure the adherence to safe working systems, and that inductions, training, and instructions are provided for all staff.
- **People**:Promote and contribute to the development of staff and assist in ensuring key deliverables are achieved by directing, monitoring, and managing the effectiveness of the plant through the ongoing development of the team culture, providing technical advice, training and participating in ongoing professional development.
- **Finance**:Ensure corporate targets are met or exceeded through the development of plans regarding productivity, incremental revenue, and incremental operation costs. Manage revenue and product grade optimisation and maximise yields. Prepare and operate within the defined budgets and ensure all expenditure is pre-approved via the appropriate framework. Negotiate Capex plans with direct managers and prioritise capital expenditure.
- **Customer**:Ensure a high level of contact and effective working relationships are maintained with external customers. Represent the company on a regional basis on issues relating to commercial pursuits, community matters and industry related issues. Maintain a high level of customer service at all times. Promote the dairy industry in the district by creating a positive image for the employer through the development of stakeholder relationships.

**You are**:

- relevant tertiary qualified or proven experience in the food industry sector (manufacturing operations, food processing, or FMCG processing).
- strong leadership and team development skills.
- expert administrator with excellent decision-making skills.
- ...you are as organised as a symphony orchestra.
- methodical and analytical in your approach to problem-solving.
- knowledgeable in Quality Assurance, Occupational Health & Safety, and Environmental management programs.
- proactive and flexible in your approach to the tasks at hand.
- excellent verbal and written communication skills with a demonstrable focus on customer service.
- results-driven, proactive problem-solver, with attention to detail and a focus on quality.
- _...satisfied with being called production manager because miracle worker isn’t a real job title_

**About our employment partner**:

- OFI is a global leader in food & beverage ingredients. Pioneers at heart, they operate at the forefront of consumer trends to provide food & beverage manufacturers with products and ingredients that will delight their consumers.
- They are one of the world’s top suppliers of dairy ingredients. The Tokoroa plant will become part of a global network that spans 20 major milk consumption markets, such as South-East Asia, China, the Middle East, and Africa.
- They make real their purpose to “Be the change for good food and a healthy future”.
- OFI is looking for people who see possibility everywhere, find the opportunity in every challenge, and are driven to make it real.

Sound like you? If this role is exactly what you’ve dreamed of to advance your career, we’d love to hear from you. If, however, the position is not for you, but you know of someone who’d be great in it, please pass this advertisement to them and encourage them to apply.