Manufacturing Plant Head

Cobden & Carter International; Dasmariñas; On-site; PHP 2,000,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Cobden & Carter International for the Dasmariñas, Cavite plant seeks a Manufacturing / Plant Head to own the end-to-end operations, including production, maintenance, quality, and materials. This hands-on leader will drive a metrics‑driven, disciplined operation while building a leadership bench for on‑going success.

You will champion safety, cost control, and on-time delivery, coordinating with R&D and Engineering to scale processes and improve performance across shifts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, or Materials Engineering, or a related technical field.
• At least 7 years of progressive manufacturing experience, including 3+ years leading a plant, production department, or multiple shifts.
• Industry background in specialty chemicals, membranes, coatings, or precision manufacturing is preferred.
• Proven ownership of full plant operations: budgeting, manpower planning, and strategic planning.
• Strong command of production planning, inventory and materials control, maintenance coordination, and KPI-based performance management.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001 and safety/environmental regulations in the Philippines.
• Demonstrated ability to develop supervisors and lead change on the floor.
• Comfortable with data: Excel or ERP-based reporting, cost analysis, and efficiency metrics.

Responsibilities

• Own total plant performance — output, uptime, cost per unit, and on-time delivery.
• Direct daily manufacturing operations across electrospinning, converting, finishing, packaging, and utilities.
• Translate the sales and production forecast into executable line schedules, manpower plans, and equipment loading.
• Control plant operating expenses and manage the plant budget, including capital requests for equipment and facility upgrades.
• Drive process stability and repeatability on precision, parameter-sensitive equipment.
• Lead Kaizen, 5S, and Lean or Six Sigma initiatives and problem-solving activities on the floor.
• Represent the plant in management, production, and cross-functional meetings and report performance to senior leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Excel/ERP reporting

KPI-based management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical/Industrial/Mechanical/Electrical/Materials Engineering

Tools

Excel

ERP systems

Job description

About the Role

The company is scaling up electrospun nanofiber membrane production, and we are looking for a Manufacturing / Plant Head to own the plant end-to-end. You will run day-to-day operations across production, maintenance, quality, and materials; build the leadership bench beneath you; and turn a growing specialty-materials line into a disciplined, metrics-driven plant. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone equally comfortable on the production floor and in front of management.

Key Responsibilities

Plant Operations

• Own total plant performance — output, yield, uptime, cost per unit, and on-time delivery against the production plan.
• Direct daily manufacturing operations across electrospinning, converting, finishing, packaging, and utilities.
• Translate the sales and production forecast into executable line schedules, manpower plans, and equipment loading.
• Control plant operating expenses and manage the plant budget, including capital requests for equipment and facility upgrades.
• Drive process stability and repeatability on precision, parameter-sensitive equipment.

People and Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, team leaders, and shift leaders; build a leadership bench that can run the plant without you on the floor.
• Set performance expectations, conduct reviews, and manage skills matrices, cross-training, and succession for critical roles.
• Instil a culture of accountability, discipline, and 5S housekeeping across all shifts.
• Assume direct supervision of production in the absence of the Production Supervisor.

Quality, Safety, and Compliance

• Enforce adherence to product specifications, SOPs, and quality standards; partner with QA/QC on deviations, root-cause analysis, and corrective action.
• Champion occupational safety, chemical handling, and environmental compliance in line with DOLE, DENR, and local regulatory requirements.
• Maintain audit readiness for ISO 9001 (and ISO 14001 / 45001 where applicable) and customer or regulatory plant audits.

Supply Chain and Materials

• Monitor inventory of polymers, solvents, substrates, and consumables; initiate and follow through on purchase requests to prevent line stoppages.
• Coordinate with procurement, warehouse, and logistics on material availability, incoming quality, and finished‑goods dispatch.
• Work with suppliers and toll partners on material qualification, lead times, and cost‑reduction opportunities.

Continuous Improvement and Reporting

• Assess current production efficiency and management practices, identify gaps, recommend improvements, and implement them to completion.
• Establish reporting standards and dashboards that measure OEE, scrap and rework, downtime, labour productivity, and cost.
• Lead Kaizen, 5S, and Lean or Six Sigma initiatives and problem‑solving activities on the floor.
• Support scale‑up of new products and processes from pilot to commercial production together with R&D and Engineering.
• Represent the plant in management, production, and cross‑functional meetings and report performance to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, or Materials Engineering, or a related technical field.
• At least 7 years of progressive manufacturing or production experience, including 3 or more years leading a plant, production department, or multiple shifts.
• Industry background preferably in specialty chemicals, advanced or technical materials, nonwovens, membranes or filtration, coatings, electronics or electrical manufacturing, or a comparable precision process industry — including suppliers and converters within these supply chains.
• Proven ownership of full plant operations: multiple departments, manpower planning, budgeting, and strategic planning.
• Strong command of production planning, inventory and materials control, maintenance coordination, and KPI‑based performance management.
• Working knowledge of quality management systems (ISO 9001) and occupational safety and environmental regulations in the Philippines.
• Demonstrated ability to develop supervisors and team leaders and to lead change on the floor.
• Comfortable with data: Excel or ERP‑based reporting, cost analysis, and efficiency metrics.
• Willing to work on‑site in Dasmariñas, Cavite, with flexibility to support shift operations.

Preferred / Advantageous

• Exposure to electrospinning, nanofiber, or other thin‑film and coating technologies, or to their upstream polymer and solvent supply chain.
• Experience scaling a process from pilot or R&D into commercial production.
• Lean, Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt), TPM, or Kaizen certification or equivalent hands‑on track record.
• Experience in an export‑oriented or PEZA‑registered manufacturing environment.

Work Set up:

• Dayshift (6 days/week)
• Onsite
• Dasmariñas, Cavite