FMCG Plant Manager — Lead Performance & Automation

Blackbook Executive; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Blackbook Executive is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead a fast‑paced FMCG manufacturing site in Sydney, NSW. You will own site performance, drive continuous improvement, and develop the Site Leadership Team while ensuring safety, quality and regulatory compliance.

This hands‑on, front‑line leadership role requires strong commercial acumen, Lean/Six Sigma experience, and the ability to balance service, productivity and cost.

Qualifications

• Experience as Plant Manager, Site Manager, Operations Manager or senior Production Manager in FMCG.
• Experience leading large-scale production operations in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Background in fresh produce, short shelf-life food, or food & beverage FMCG.
• Hands-on leader who spends significant time on the factory floor.
• Proven ability to drive continuous improvement using Lean, TPM, Six Sigma or similar.
• Strong commercial sense balancing service, productivity, labour and cost.
• Experience dealing with regulatory and union interactions.
• Tertiary qualifications in Manufacturing, Science, Business, Engineering are highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Take full accountability for the site’s short, medium and long-term operational performance.
• Lead from the front with a hands-on presence across the factory floor.
• Develop the Site Leadership Team to drive a high-performance culture.
• Drive OEE, production efficiency, yield and right-first-time performance across the site.
• Work closely with Engineering to maximise equipment uptime and support future automation initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement projects focused on productivity, capacity and waste reduction.
• Optimise labour utilisation to deliver production plans cost-effectively.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP, GMP and food safety requirements across the operation.
• Work with Technical, Planning, Engineering and Logistics teams to deliver customer and production requirements.
• Build organisational capability through coaching, mentoring and succession planning.
• Lead change initiatives and support the ongoing development and automation of the manufacturing operation.

Skills

Plant management

FMCG experience

Lean / TPM / Six Sigma

Leadership on factory floor

Commercial acumen

Regulatory awareness

Safety culture

Education

Tertiary qualifications in Manufacturing, Science, Business, Engineering

Job description

Blackbook Executive is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead a fast‑paced FMCG manufacturing site in Sydney, NSW. You will own site performance, drive continuous improvement, and develop the Site Leadership Team while ensuring safety, quality and regulatory compliance.

This hands‑on, front‑line leadership role requires strong commercial acumen, Lean/Six Sigma experience, and the ability to balance service, productivity and cost.