Factory Manager

We are looking for an experienced and hands-on Factory Manager to lead the end-to-end operations of a large-scale Industrial / Central Kitchen facility .

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in high-volume food production, industrial kitchen operations, machinery handling, manpower management, production planning, quality control, food safety, cost management, and facility operations .

Candidates with experience in large institutional catering companies, central kitchens, QSR production facilities, or similar large-scale food service operations will be preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Take complete ownership of the day-to-day operations of the Industrial / Central Kitchen facility .
• Plan, manage, and monitor large-scale food production in line with business requirements, production schedules, and dispatch timelines.
• Manage a large workforce comprising chefs, production staff, kitchen operators, helpers, housekeeping, utility, and support teams.
• Ensure optimum utilization of industrial kitchen machinery, production equipment, utilities, and infrastructure .
• Handle and supervise equipment such as combi ovens, steam kettles, tilting bratt pans, industrial fryers, mixers, grinders, food processors, blast chillers, cold rooms, vacuum packing/sealing machines, dishwashing systems, and other automated/semi-automated equipment .
• Ensure machinery is operated safely and efficiently and coordinate with Engineering/Maintenance teams for preventive maintenance, servicing, breakdowns, and equipment uptime.
• Develop daily, weekly, and monthly production plans and capacity utilization schedules .
• Monitor production output, productivity, yield, wastage, manpower efficiency, and overall operational performance.
• Implement and maintain SOPs, production processes, workflow standards, quality parameters, and operational controls .
• Ensure strict compliance with FSSAI, HACCP, GMP, food safety, hygiene, sanitation, occupational safety, and statutory requirements .
• Monitor raw material consumption, inventory levels, storage conditions, production yield, wastage, and material variance.
• Coordinate with Procurement and Stores teams to ensure timely availability of raw materials and packaging materials.
• Ensure proper functioning of cold storage, refrigeration, utilities, drainage, water systems, waste management, and other facility infrastructure .
• Drive initiatives for cost optimization, productivity improvement, process automation, mechanization, and reduction of operational wastage .
• Establish and monitor production KPIs and prepare regular MIS and operational reports for senior management.
• Conduct regular audits of production areas, equipment, hygiene, safety, quality, and operational processes.
• Coordinate with Quality, HR, Procurement, Finance, Engineering, Stores, and Operations teams for smooth functioning of the facility.
• Handle operational escalations and ensure timely resolution of production, manpower, machinery, quality, and service-related issues.
• Support new product trials, process development, recipe standardization, capacity expansion, and scale-up activities.
• Ensure adherence to labour productivity, shift planning, attendance, discipline, and manpower deployment requirements.
• Build a culture of safety, accountability, productivity, quality, and continuous improvement within the facility.

Candidate Requirements

• 10–15+ years of experience in large-scale industrial kitchens, central kitchens, institutional catering, food production, QSR manufacturing/production, or large food-service operations.
• Experience managing a large-scale food production facility with significant manpower and production volumes.
• Strong hands-on understanding of industrial kitchen machinery and large-scale food production equipment .
• Proven experience in production planning, capacity management, manpower planning, inventory control, yield management, and wastage reduction.
• Strong understanding of food safety, HACCP, GMP, FSSAI, hygiene, sanitation, and quality management systems .
• Experience in managing multiple shifts and large production teams.
• Strong understanding of preventive maintenance and machinery uptime, with the ability to coordinate effectively with Engineering/Maintenance teams.
• Strong analytical, operational, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in MS Excel and preparation of operational MIS/KPI reports.
• Ability to manage high-pressure, time-sensitive production environments.