Operations Manager

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.