Senior Manager, Central Kitchen

FFM Berhad; Malaysia; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

FFM Berhad is looking for a Central Kitchen Manager to lead the development and operational management of their Central Kitchen in Malaysia. This role requires over 10 years of experience in large-scale kitchen management, excellent project management skills, and proficiency in Mandarin. Responsibilities include the setup of production systems, quality assurance, and logistics management. The successful candidate will join a dedicated team to optimize operations and create quality food products, ensuring market competitiveness and compliance with safety standards.

Qualifications

• Over 10 years of experience in large-scale kitchen management and operations.
• Ability to communicate in Mandarin, essential for coordination with suppliers.
• Experience with airline catering is an added advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end development of the Central Kitchen from planning to operational readiness.
• Oversee logistics, production planning, and quality management.
• Establish procurement processes and manage vendor relationships.

Skills

Strong logical analysis skills

Project management skills

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Market analysis ability

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Culinary, Food Science, or related field

Master’s degree (advantage)

Job description

Make your mark, create lasting change, and be a part of a team that is dedicated to making a meaningful impact.

We are seeking a Central Kitchen Manager to be part of the management team, responsible for the end-to-end setup and operational leadership of our Central Kitchen (CK). This role will lead the establishment of systems, team structure, and processes from the ground up, and subsequently oversee full-scale operations to ensure efficiency, quality, and cost optimization.

Responsibilities

Project Development, Construction & Setup

• Lead the end-to-end development of the Central Kitchen, from initial planning and construction through to operational readiness.
• Oversee preliminary planning, mid-phase construction, and final commissioning, ensuring timelines, budgets, and specifications are met.
• Drive facility layout design, workflow optimization, and infrastructure planning to support efficient large-scale production.
• Lead equipment selection, installation, and commissioning, ensuring alignment with production requirements.
• Establish and manage production capabilities for:
• Student meals
• Prefabricated/ready-to-eat dishes
• Cold chain and hot chain bento
• Baked goods
• Rice and noodle products

Strategic Planning and Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to the development of the company’s strategic objectives and translate them into actionable operational plans and initiatives.
• Drive operational excellence through continuous improvement frameworks such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and Kaizen.
• Lead the adoption of innovation, digitalization, and automation to improve productivity and enhance competitiveness.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to operations, supply chain, and compliance.
• Optimize resource allocation, control operational costs, and drive operation efficiency.

Procurement Management

• Lead the establishment of procurement processes, systems, and governance frameworks.
• Develop vendor sourcing strategies, supplier management systems, and acceptance standards.
• Drive a structured cost optimization framework without compromising quality or supply continuity.

Operations & Systems Management

• Establish and implement production and operational systems, including:
• Quality management systems
• Cost control frameworks
• Performance tracking and assessment systems

SOPs and operational workflows

• Ensure systems are standardized, scalable, and continuously improved.

Production & Operational Execution

• Oversee production planning and execution, ensuring efficient allocation of manpower, materials, and equipment.
• Monitor performance against KPIs using data, ensuring production targets and service levels are consistently met.
• Identify and resolve operational issues, track abnormalities, and implement corrective actions.
• Lead response and decision-making during operational disruptions or emergencies.

Logistics Management

• Oversee end-to-end logistics, including distribution planning, cold chain management, and delivery execution.
• Address operational bottlenecks and implement continuous improvements in logistics efficiency and reliability.

Quality, Safety and Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with food safety management system such as FSSC, HACCP, GMP, Halal, MUI, VHM, SFA and other certification or regulatory requirements governing food manufacturing operations and licenses.
• Ensure fair labor (e.g.: SEDEX compliance) and all employment terms are according to regulatory standards.
• Champion a proactive safety culture and ensure a safe working environment through regular safety audits, risk assessments, and training.

People Leadership and Culture Development

• Build, lead, and develop a competent, motivated and high performing team at all levels of the organization.
• Promote teamwork between departments by having shared/common goals across departments.
• Foster a workplace culture centered on safety, accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Set clear performance expectations and KPIs, conduct performance reviews, and provide coaching, feedback, and career development opportunities.
• Champion leadership development and succession planning through mentoring, coaching, and talent management initiatives.
• Implement discipline upon factory staff and workers and continuously assess training needs and developments.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

• Actively collaborate with customers and stakeholders to meet dynamic market changes and demands.
• Actively engage and expand product offerings.
• Collaborate closely with senior management across the group, suppliers, and customers to align business operations with broader commercial goals.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with regulatory bodies, industry associations, and key external partners.

General Leadership and Support

• Model and uphold the company’s culture, values, and ethical standards, inspiring trust and accountability at all levels.
• Demonstrate adaptability and collaboration in supporting group-wide initiatives and cross-functional projects.
• Undertake special assignments and additional responsibilities as delegated by senior management from time to time.

Qualification, Experience and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Culinary, Food Science, economics, business management or food-related fields. Master’s degree is an advantage.
• More than 10 years of experience in large-scale central kitchen park project preparation management/production and operation, proficient in production and operation, PMC plan management, lean production management, 5S site management, production safety management, team goal management, etc.
• Ability to communicate in Mandarin (spoken and written) is essential, as the role involves frequent coordination with China-based suppliers, designers, and affiliated teams.
• Experience with airline catering would be an added advantage.
• Familiar with project preparation and construction, production and operation, supply chain management, property management, etc.
• Have excellent communication and coordination skills, strong logical analysis skills, research and analysis skills and project management skills.
• Have rich business negotiation skills, keen market insight and analysis ability, project screening ability and development coordination ability.
• Able to make and assess personal/team decisions and align actions with organisation’s vision and mission.
• Able to establish and maintain open/trusting relationships with colleagues and stakeholders to nurture collaborative partnerships and work towards a common goal.
• Able to contribute and encourage new ideas and approaches to support business growth; demonstrate openness to and enthusiasm for new initiatives and appropriately challenges the status quo; adapt and improvise quickly, appropriately, and decisively to internal/external changes.
• Able to display accountability for team and personal decisions/outcomes and take proactive actions to achieve results with dedication to follow through on commitments; create plans and manage resources to accomplish and deliver self and team’s commitments.
• Able to understand and prioritise stakeholders’ needs/expectations and develop solutions to improve service delivery.
• Able to appreciate the complex interrelationships between external factors and internal business operations and develop strategic plans in response to market shifts and shocks anchored on organisation's vision, purpose, and strategy.
• Able to nurture the culture of learning organisation.