Manufacturing Manager

Role & responsibilities

1. Manufacturing & Production Management

• Own end-to-end manufacturing operations across internal and third-party manufacturing facilities.
• Plan and execute production in line with demand, inventory requirements and dispatch schedules.
• Manage production of bars, muesli/granola, oats, roasted seed/nut mixes, baked products and coated products.
• Develop and maintain robust SOPs, process standards, batch processes and operating parameters.
• Ensure production targets are achieved while maintaining required standards of quality, yield, productivity and cost.
• Monitor production performance through daily/weekly/monthly manufacturing KPIs.
• Drive continuous improvement in throughput, line efficiency, manpower productivity, yield and wastage.
• Identify and resolve production bottlenecks and recurring process issues.

2. Process & Technical Expertise

The candidate should have practical understanding of food manufacturing processes such as:

• Baking/ baking-based processes
• Roasting of grains, seeds and nuts
• Coating and seasoning
• Mixing, blending and forming
• Bar manufacturing / compression or forming processes
• Granola/ muesli manufacturing
• Oats processing
• Primary and secondary packaging
• Metal detection, weighing, sealing and other relevant food-packaging processes.
• Ability to understand process parameters and their impact on product quality, texture, taste, shelf life and yield will be important.

3. Packaging Operations

4. Third-Party Manufacturing / 3P Operations

5. Quality, Food Safety & Compliance

6. Cost & Productivity Management

7. New Product Development & Scale-Up

8. Team & Shop-Floor Leadership

Preferred candidate profile

• Minimum 6-12 years of experience in FMCG / Food Manufacturing.
• Hands-on experience managing food production operations in high-growth FMCG/ D2C food company.
• Strong understanding of production processes and packaging operations.
• Experience managing third-party / contract manufacturing operations (3P).
• Experience in production planning, manpower management, productivity improvement and cost control.
• Strong understanding of food quality and food safety systems.
• Ability to work closely with R&D, QA, procurement, supply chain and commercial teams.
• Experience with new product commercialization and scale-up.