Production Shift Manager

Sonder Executive; Bathurst; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Sonder Executive seeks a senior Shift Manager for a major manufacturing site in NSW, Australia. You will lead a production shift of up to 30 people, including Area Managers, focusing on safe, high-quality, and on-time delivery aligned to the production plan.

You will champion TPM, lean methods and digital tools to boost OEE and reduce waste, while developing the next generation of site leaders and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in a manufacturing or production setting.
• Strong focus on safety, quality and compliance.
• Experience with TPM/lean and continuous improvement systems.
• Ability to drive performance outcomes using data and root-cause analysis.
• Comfort leading large teams up to 30 and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Willingness to work rotating shift patterns.

Responsibilities

• Own shift performance delivering safe, quality, and efficient outcomes.
• Act as senior escalation point on shift, balancing safety, quality, service and cost.
• Coach Area Managers and shift team to build leadership and high-performance culture.
• Lead safety, quality and food safety incident response and escalation decisions.
• Maximise equipment performance and reliability; coordinate operations and maintenance.
• Drive TPM pillars and digital ways of working on the line.

Skills

People leadership

Safety & quality mindset

Shift management

Operational excellence

Data-driven decisions

Education

Engineering/Operations degree preferred

Tools

TPM

Lean Manufacturing

Digital tools

OEE tracking

Job description

The Company

Our client is a global leader in the FMCG industry, operating one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities of its kind in Australia. With a strong reputation for product quality, safety and continuous improvement, they have built a culture centred on people, engagement and a genuine ambition to be best in class.

Located in the Central West of NSW, the site continues to invest in its people, technology and ways of working, including TPM and digital manufacturing systems. They are currently seeking an experienced and driven Shift Manager to lead a production shift and play a key role in the site’s performance and transformation.

The Role

Reporting to the Operations Manager, this is a senior operational leadership role with full accountability for the performance of a production shift, leading a team of up to 30 including Area Managers across multiple production areas.

• Lead and own the performance of the shift, delivering safe, quality and efficient outcomes in line with the production plan across a large-scale, high-paced manufacturing operation
• Act as the senior leader and primary escalation and decision-making point on shift, making trade-offs across safety, quality, service and cost to optimise overall performance
• Lead, coach and develop Area Managers and the wider shift team, building leadership capability, engagement and a high-performance culture with clear accountability
• Create and lead a strong culture of safety, quality and compliance, owning the response to significant safety, quality and food safety incidents including escalation and decision making
• Maximise equipment performance and reliability through effective coordination of operations and maintenance, owning key metrics including OEE, waste and labour utilisation
• Lead the implementation and maturity of TPM pillars, including Autonomous Maintenance, factory operating system routines and Education & Training — embedding them into daily operations alongside digital ways of working
• Coach and facilitate structured problem solving to address root causes, role modelling a growth mindset and continuous improvement culture across the shift
• Manage shift resources including crewing, rostering, overtime and casual labour, controlling costs and waste against an annual shift budget of approximately $2.8M

Your Background

To be successful in this role, you will bring proven shift or production leadership capability, a strong safety and quality mindset and a genuine passion for developing people and driving operational excellence.

• Proven people leadership experience within a manufacturing or production environment, including performance management, coaching and team development
• Experience in FMCG, food or other high-paced process manufacturing is highly regarded
• A tertiary qualification in Engineering, Operations or Plant Management is preferred but not essential
• Experience with TPM, lean manufacturing or structured continuous improvement systems
• A solid understanding of quality, food safety and compliance standards in a manufacturing setting
• Demonstrated ability to drive performance outcomes through data, digital tools and root cause problem solving
• Strong decision-making and critical thinking capability, with the confidence to lead, elevate and act as the single point of accountability on shift
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to align teams, functions and stakeholders, and the flexibility to work a rotating shift roster

What’s On Offer

This is an outstanding opportunity to join a world-class manufacturing business in a genuine senior leadership role, where you will own the performance of your shift, develop future leaders and be a key driver of the site’s journey to best in class — all within a culture that invests heavily in its people and their careers.