Job Description

The Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing the overall day-to-day operations of a food manufacturing facility, ensuring production efficiency, manpower optimisation, food safety compliance, cost control and timely fulfilment of customer requirements.

The role requires the ability to manage a fast-paced, multi-B2B food manufacturing environment, overseeing multiple customer accounts with different products, specifications, order volumes and delivery requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Oversee daily food manufacturing and production operations across multiple departments.
Ensure production targets, order quantities and delivery timelines are achieved.
Manage and coordinate production schedules based on customer orders and business requirements.
Oversee operational requirements for multiple B2B customers simultaneously.
Ensure different B2B customer specifications, packaging, labelling, quantity and delivery requirements are correctly fulfilled.
Manage changing customer demands, urgent orders, promotional volumes and peak production periods.
Plan manpower requirements and ensure efficient deployment of employees across production areas and shifts.
Monitor manpower productivity, attendance, overtime and operational efficiency.
Coordinate closely with Production, QA, Warehouse, Logistics, Procurement, Maintenance, R&D, Sales/Business Development and HR.
Ensure sufficient raw materials, packaging materials, manpower and production capacity are available to support operations.
Monitor production output, productivity, wastage, yield, downtime and operational costs.
Identify production bottlenecks and implement improvements to enhance productivity and workflow.
Reduce unnecessary overtime, wastage, rework and production losses.
Support the onboarding and operational setup of new B2B customers.
Assess production capacity and operational feasibility for new customer accounts.
Coordinate new product trials and commercial production launches.
Ensure operations comply with company SOPs, GMP, food hygiene and food safety requirements.
Work closely with QA to support HACCP, SFA, BRCGS, ISO or other applicable food safety requirements.
Support customer, regulatory and certification audits.
Investigate operational issues, production errors, customer complaints and non-conformities.
Conduct root-cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions.
Coordinate with Maintenance on equipment breakdowns and preventive maintenance.
Identify opportunities for automation, process improvement and operational cost savings.
Monitor operational KPIs and provide regular reports to Management.
Highlight manpower shortages, production capacity constraints, customer fulfilment risks and other operational concerns.
Lead and guide supervisors, team leaders and operational employees.
Perform other operational duties and projects assigned by Management.

Requirements

Diploma or Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Engineering, Business Management or a related discipline.
Preferably 5 years or more of experience in food manufacturing, production or operations.
Prior supervisory or managerial experience in a food manufacturing environment is preferred.
Experience managing multiple B2B customer accounts and operational requirements is highly preferred.
Able to manage multiple customer orders, production schedules and competing deadlines simultaneously.
Strong understanding of food manufacturing and production processes.
Knowledge of GMP, HACCP, food hygiene and food safety requirements.
Familiarity with SFA requirements and food safety management systems such as BRCGS or ISO will be an advantage.
Strong production planning and manpower planning skills.
Good understanding of production productivity, yield, wastage and cost control.
Able to manage a sizeable operational workforce across different departments or shifts.
Strong leadership and people-management skills.
Good problem-solving, analytical and decision-making abilities.
Able to handle operational issues independently and work effectively under pressure.
Strong cross-functional coordination and communication skills.
Good customer and commercial awareness, particularly within a B2B manufacturing environment.
Able to adapt quickly to changing production volumes and customer requirements.
Experience with continuous improvement, automation or process optimisation will be an advantage.
Proficient in Microsoft Office and comfortable using ERP, production, inventory or workforce management systems.