Production Manager

McCain Foods; Timaru; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

McCain Foods New Zealand invites a Production Manager to lead the Timaru Fry Plant, driving safety, quality and operational excellence. You will shape the production strategy, manage the team across shifts, and partner with departments to deliver reliable plant performance.

The role requires strong leadership, a track record in food manufacturing, and the ability to foster continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Relevant leadership experience in a food manufacturing or FMCG environment.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and coach teams to achieve KPIs.
• Strong knowledge of safety, quality and environmental compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Production Department and drive health and safety culture.
• Set production strategy and implement plant programmes and systems (SAP, SuM, MDI).
• Own daily production performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost and people.
• Ensure products meet HACCP, GMP and food safety requirements.
• Identify and deliver opportunities to reduce total production cost.
• Coach Shift Managers and teams with clear KPIs and succession plans.
• Drive continuous improvement and CI outcomes across the plant.
• Oversee labour relations, engagement and Our Voice action plans.
• Ensure compliance with environmental laws and McCain policies.
• Collaborate with Quality, Engineering, Projects and HR teams.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Strategic thinking

Safety culture

Education

Tertiary qualification in food manufacturing / process engineering

Tools

SAP (One McCain)

MDI

SuM

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences—together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.

In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences—together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.

About the role.

This is an opportunity to lead one of McCain’s most critical manufacturing operations and make a tangible impact every day. As Production Manager, you’ll be at the heart of the Timaru French Fry Plant, leading teams, driving performance, and shaping the future of our operation. From championing safety and quality to delivering operational excellence and continuous improvement, you’ll influence how we produce some of New Zealand's favourite food products.

As a key member of the Timaru Leadership Team, you’ll bring people together around a shared vision, develop future leaders, and create an environment where innovation, accountability, and high performance thrive. If you’re passionate about leading teams, solving complex challenges, and delivering results in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, this is a role where your impact will be seen, felt, and celebrated.

Through your actions, decisions, and leadership, you’ll set the standard for others to follow, embodying our belief that positive change, accountability, and high performance start with each of us. At McCain, ‘It Starts With Me’ is more than a mindset; it’s how we lead.

What you’ll be doing.

• Lead the Production Department’s health and safety culture, including behavioural observations, incident reporting, injury management and operational risk controls.

• Set the strategic direction for production and lead the implementation and sustainment of plant programmes, policies, standard operating procedures and systems, including One McCain (SAP), SuM and MDI.

• Own daily production performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, people and environment, including schedule compliance, line performance and overall equipment effectiveness.

• Ensure all products meet quality and food safety requirements by maintaining compliance with HACCP, GMP, internal auditing and plant quality management systems.

• Build understanding of Total Production Cost and partner with the Plant Manager to identify and deliver operational cost reduction opportunities across labour, overheads, materials and waste.

• Lead, coach and develop Shift Managers and production teams through clear KPIs, performance management, training, personal development and succession planning.

• Provide leadership for continuous improvement, ensuring gains from CI events and the MDI platform are implemented, sustained and translated into measurable results.

• Take a hands-on approach to employment relations, workforce engagement, absence management and Our Voice action plans within the Production Department.

• Ensure day-to-day production activities comply with environmental legislation, local authority requirements, corporate standards and McCain policy, including incident reporting, emergency procedures and responsible waste management.

• Collaborate across Quality, Technical, Engineering, Projects, NPD, Human Resources, Supply and Demand, Agriculture, Coldstore and other plant functions.

What you’ll need to be successful.

• A relevant tertiary qualification in food science, manufacturing, process engineering or a related discipline.

• At least three years of verifiable management experience in food science, manufacturing or process engineering.

• Experience in the FMCG food-processing sector, ideally within a potato and/or vegetable processing facility.

• Strong working knowledge of manufacturing processes, workplace safety, HACCP, GMP, quality management systems and environmental management systems.

• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach and develop people to achieve agreed KPIs and performance outcomes.

• Knowledge of Statistical Process Control, lean principles and/or Six Sigma methodology.

• Proven analytical and creative problem-solving capability, including cause-and-effect analysis, fault-finding, troubleshooting and a strong mechanical aptitude.

• Excellent organisational, communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively across functions and at all organisational levels.

• A results-focused approach and the ability to manage multiple, varied priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

About the team.

You will report to the Plant Manager and form part of the Timaru Plant Leadership Team, working alongside leaders across Agriculture, Quality, Maintenance, Engineering and other key functions. The role leads the Production Department through Shift Managers and Team Leaders and partners closely with production employees and regional support teams to deliver safe, reliable and efficient plant performance.

About McCain.

Visit www.mccain.com to learn more about McCain and how we provide opportunities to make an impact that matters.

Leadership principles.

At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.

AI & Digital Capabilities.

At McCain, AI and digital capabilities are part of how we work and innovate. We value curiosity toward emerging technologies and the thoughtful, responsible use of AI-enabled tools to improve outcomes as part of our future-ready culture.

The McCain experience.

We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you’ll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we’re better together.

Our purpose is grounded in building meaningful relationships. We’re big believers in the power of working together in person. It helps us stay connected, collaborate more effectively, and grow as a team. At the same time, we recognize the importance of flexibility. Most office-based roles follow a hybrid model, with the option to work remotely two days a week. There may be exceptions depending on the role and location, so we encourage you to speak with your recruiter for more details.