Plant Manager

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

The Company

My client is a fast‑paced FMCG manufacturer with a strong reputation for producing high‑quality fresh consumer products. With a focus on operational excellence, continuous improvement and ongoing investment in manufacturing capability, an exciting opportunity has become available for a Plant Manager to take full accountability for site performance.

This role is based in Sydney, NSW.

The Role

Reporting into the National Operations function, the responsibilities of the role includes:

• Taking full accountability for the site’s short, medium and long-term operational performance
• Leading from the front with a highly visible and hands‑on presence across the factory floor
• Leading and developing the Site Leadership Team to drive a high‑performance culture
• Driving OEE, production efficiency, yield and right‑first‑time performance across the site
• Working closely with Engineering to maximise equipment uptime and support future automation initiatives
• Driving continuous improvement projects focused on productivity, capacity and waste reduction
• Optimising labour utilisation to consistently deliver production plans in a cost‑effective manner
• Ensuring compliance with HACCP, GMP and food safety requirements across the operation
• Working closely with Technical, Planning, Engineering and Logistics teams to deliver customer and production requirements
• Building organisational capability through coaching, mentoring and succession planning
• Leading change initiatives and supporting the ongoing development and automation of the manufacturing operation

Your Background

In order to be successful in this role, you will be:

• An experienced Plant Manager, Site Manager, Operations Manager or senior Production Manager within FMCG
• Experienced leading large‑scale production operations in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment
• Ideally from a fresh produce, short shelf‑life food, food & beverage or similar FMCG background
• A highly visible and hands‑on leader who is comfortable spending significant time on the factory floor
• Proven in driving continuous improvement through Lean, TPM, Six Sigma or similar methodologies
• Experienced managing change, improving operational performance and developing high‑performing teams
• Strong commercially, with the ability to balance service, productivity, labour and cost
• Comfortable operating in environments involving regulatory and union interaction
• Passionate about safety and food safety, with a track record of embedding these into site culture
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Manufacturing, Science, Business, Engineering or a related discipline will be highly regarded

What’s On Offer

In return, you will be given the opportunity to take genuine ownership of a significant FMCG manufacturing site, leading a high-performing operation through a period of continued improvement, automation and growth.

This is a highly visible leadership position where you will have the opportunity to influence site culture, operational performance and the future direction of the manufacturing operation.