Plant Manager – Cambridge: Lead Lean Operations & Growth

Inghams Chickens; Cambridge; On-site; AUD 146,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Inghams Chickens in Cambridge, NZ, seeks a Plant Manager to lead day-to-day operations of the processing facility and drive continuous improvement aligned with network strategy. You will oversee 5 direct reports and sit on the Senior Leadership Group.

The role focuses on food safety, quality, production planning, budgeting, and delivering efficient performance while building capability across engineering and production teams.

Qualifications

• Degree or trade qualification in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Agriculture Business, Economics, Business or similar field
• MBA is advantageous
• Proven ability to develop, communicate and implement production plans to budgets and service delivery
• Experience leading large high performance team across multiple disciplines
• Experience working within Food Production or FMCG would be highly advantageous
• Demonstrated implementation in TPM, LEAN/Six Sigma and CMMS
• Strong interpersonal skills to influence senior stakeholders
• Ability to coach and develop others and drive cultural change

Responsibilities

• Coach the team to ensure understanding of Food Safety and Quality requirements
• Inspire safety with a clear vision and reduce risks
• Lead continuous improvement in plant performance and efficiency
• Build engineering capability to support growth
• Lead projects on time, within budget and framework
• Support new product development with scheduling and resourcing of trials
• Coordinate production demand, supply and labour planning
• Reduce turnover and optimise labour cost base
• Manage budget and apply levers to hit budget
• Comply with company policies and SOPs
• Lead audit processes with support services and auditors

Skills

Production planning

Budgeting

Team leadership

Cross-disciplinary leadership

Food/FMCG experience

Lean Six Sigma

CMMS

Stakeholder management

Coaching & development

Education

Engineering / Trade qualification

MBA (advantageous)

Job description

Inghams Chickens in Cambridge, NZ, seeks a Plant Manager to lead day-to-day operations of the processing facility and drive continuous improvement aligned with network strategy. You will oversee 5 direct reports and sit on the Senior Leadership Group.

The role focuses on food safety, quality, production planning, budgeting, and delivering efficient performance while building capability across engineering and production teams.