Executive, Manufacturing Development & Services

SD Guthrie International; Malaysia; Hybrid; MYR 60,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SD Guthrie International (SDGI) seeks a Manufacturing Development & Standards professional to advance standards, CAPA, and capability building across its palm oil operations in Malaysia. You will develop and refine SOPs, benchmark practices, and drive improvements with cross-functional SMEs to ensure practical, site-aligned standards.

Ideal candidates hold a Bachelor’s Degree in engineering with at least 3 years in refinery or process manufacturing, including process engineering, troubleshooting

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant engineering or technical discipline.
• Minimum 3 years in palm oil refinery, edible oils, or related manufacturing.
• Experience in process engineering, operations or manufacturing improvement.
• Direct plant exposure to palm oil refining or fractionation is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve manufacturing standards, minimum operating requirements and SOPs.
• Identify gaps, improve practices, and benchmark across operating units.
• Support CAPA, root cause analysis and implementation of improvements.
• Engage SMEs to translate knowledge into practical learning materials.
• Monitor progress and standardize best practices across BUs.
• Provide global operations support and reporting.

Skills

Manufacturing improvement

Process troubleshooting

SOP development

Root cause analysis

Technical training development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or technical discipline

Job description

We value our people and encourage everyone to grow professionally. If you think this opportunity is right for you, we encourage you to apply! Job Description:

Roles & Responsibilities

Manufacturing Development & Operational Standards

Support the development and continuous improvement of manufacturing standards, minimum operating requirements, frameworks, tools and practical methodologies across operating units.

Identify gaps and opportunities to improve manufacturing practices, operational discipline, process consistency and execution.

Work with SMEs to develop practical manufacturing standards that reflect actual operating conditions and requirements.

Benchmark manufacturing practices across operating units and externally, where relevant, to identify opportunities for improvement and replication.

Support the implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement of manufacturing standards across BUs (business units).

Manufacturing Improvement & Problem Solving

Support BUs in identifying and addressing manufacturing performance gaps, recurring operational issues and improvement opportunities.

Participate in process optimization, operational troubleshooting, Root Cause Analysis and Corrective & Preventive Action (CAPA).

Support implementation and follow up of improvement actions to verify effectiveness and sustainability.

Identify successful improvements that can be standardized and replicated across relevant BUs.

SOP Development & Governance

Develop, review and continuously improve SOPs, work instructions and other operational documents as part of the manufacturing standards frameworks.

Engage Operators, Supervisors, Engineers, SMEs to ensure documented practices are technically sound, practical and aligned with actual operating conditions.

Support governance of technical documentation including ownership, approval, revision, implementation and periodic review.

Support verification of SOP implementation and effectiveness at site.

Manufacturing Capability & Knowledge Development

Develop and enhance structured technical learning module and competency development programmes for manufacturing personnel.

Work with SMEs and experienced plant personnel to capture operational knowledge, lessons learned and manufacturing best practices.

Translate technical and operational knowledge into practical learning materials, manufacturing standards and competency requirements.

Develop learning content covering process fundamentals, critical operating parameters, equipment, abnormal operating conditions, troubleshooting and operational best practices.

Support development of competency assessments to verify knowledge and practical application.

Site Engagement, Standardisation & Best Practice Sharing

Maintain regular engagement with BUs to understand actual manufacturing practices, operational challenges and improvement opportunities.

Conduct structured site observations, assessments and discussions with operators, engineers, supervisors and technical SMEs.

Validate manufacturing standards, SOPs, technical modules and improvement methodologies under actual operating conditions.

Identify, document and evaluate successful manufacturing practices and lessons learned for potential replication across BUs.

Facilitate cross-BU sharing of technical knowledge, lessons learned and proven manufacturing practices.

Gather feedback from BUs and incorporate operational learning into the continuous improvement of MDS (Manufacturing Development & Standards), tools and capability programmes.

Global Operations Support

Support wider Global Operations initiatives where manufacturing knowledge and site engagement are required.

Participate in operational assessments, benchmarking exercises, manufacturing improvement initiatives and reviews.

Provide support to relevant Global Operations including Performance Excellence, Asset Care, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, HSE and other manufacturing-related initiatives where required.

Support cross-functional projects and special assignments related to manufacturing performance, capability and operational development.

Collaborate with other Global Operations functions to promote alignment, knowledge sharing and effective implementation of manufacturing improvement initiatives.

Reporting

Support the preparation and consolidation of MDS and relevant Glboal Operations performance reports, management updates and presentations.

Monitor and track progress of manufacturing development, improvement and capability building initiatives.

Maintain appropriate trackers and dashboards to monitor initiatives, action items, deliverables and improvement outcomes.

Other reports.

Ideal Candidate

Bachelor’s Degree in relevant engineering or technical disciple, preferably: Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering or other relevant engineering disciplines.

Minimum of 3-years working experience in palm oil refinery, edible oils, process manufacturing or related manufacturing operations.

Experience in Process Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing Improvement is preferred.

Direct plant exposure to palm oil refining and/or fractionation would be a strong advantage.

Demonstrated involvement in one or more of the following would be advantageous:

• Manufacturing improvement
• Process troubleshooting and optimization
• SOP/Work instruction development
• Root cause analysis
• Technical training development

SD Guthrie International (SDGI) produces edible oils, palm oil-based biodiesel, nutraceuticals and other palm oil derivatives for the global market.

Driven by a philosophy of “Realising possibilities, together”, SDGI collaborates closely with customers to develop bespoke solutions, including superior refined oils and fats that are tailor‑made to their needs.

SDGI owns and manages 11 refineries with a total capacity of 4 million metric ton (MT) per year and a total bulking installation capacity of 284,900 MT; four kernel crushing plants with a total annual capacity of 465,000 MT; one biodiesel plant with a production capacity of 120,000 MT per annum; one soya crushing plant with a production capacity of 132,000 MT per annum; as well as two copra mills in Papua New Guinea with a combined production capacity of 42,000 MT.

At SDGI, we are committed to partnerships focused on your success, exploring every possibility to deliver the right solutions and identify new opportunities.

We are dedicated to a future where we achieve the best results together.

With a global footprint and extensive network, SDGI offers a rewarding and fulfilling career path for dynamic and vibrant young talents.

Join us on an exciting journey to create quality products and ensure sustainable living for consumers.