Head of Plant - FMCG

Boyden; Konak; On-site; TRY 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Boyden is seeking a hands-on, experienced Head of Plant for a leading multinational beverage company, based in İzmir. The role will lead the beverage manufacturing site and Site Leadership Team, overseeing Production, Quality, Maintenance, Safety, Sustainability, Project Management and Continuous Improvement.

It will be accountable for delivering plant performance across safety, people, service, quality, cost and sustainability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field
• 10+ years manufacturing experience with plant leadership
• Experience in food & beverage FMCG environments
• Experience leading multidisciplinary operations across production, maintenance, quality, safety and CI
• Experience managing unionised workforces and labour relations
• Experience budgeting labour, overhead and capex with strong cost control
• Proven productivity improvements, cost savings and performance gains
• Knowledge of HACCP/food safety systems and ISO 14001
• Multinational exposure preferred; fluent in Turkish and English
• Based in İzmir or willing to relocate

Responsibilities

• Lead the plant and Site Leadership Team to align priorities with business strategy.
• Translate objectives into targets across safety, people, service, quality, cost and sustainability.
• Review scorecards and implement corrective actions.
• Oversee production execution to meet demand while improving productivity and asset utilisation.
• Optimize capacity, demand planning and product allocation across beverage plants.
• Manage budgeting and forecasts; align with site leadership and overhead forecasts.
• Lead capital expenditure budgets and project delivery.
• Oversee maintenance, engineering priorities and asset reliability.
• Lead plant quality, food safety programs (HACCP, VA, AIB) and product recall readiness.
• Champion health, safety and ISO 14001 compliance; drive ESG initiatives.
• Drive sustainability agenda, ERP programme and continuous improvement.
• Develop capability calendars with site leaders and engage HR on labour relations
• Coach and develop Site Leadership Team and stakeholders through change programs.

Skills

Leadership

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Change leadership

Analytical thinking

Coaching & development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

We are seeking a hands-on, experienced Head of Plant for one of the leading multinational food and beverage companies in the market.

Based in İzmir, the Head of Plant will lead the beverage manufacturing site and its Site Leadership Team, overseeing Production, Quality, Maintenance, Safety, Sustainability, Project Management and Continuous Improvement. The role will be accountable for delivering plant performance across safety, people, service, quality, cost and sustainability.

The successful candidate will combine strong manufacturing expertise with sound financial judgement and an engaging leadership approach. Working closely with Supply Chain, Finance, HR and regional manufacturing teams, they will strengthen operational discipline, develop organisational capability and deliver sustainable improvements in a unionised environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Plant Leadership and Operational Performance

• Lead the plant and its Site Leadership Team, aligning functional priorities with business strategy and annual operating commitments.
• Translate manufacturing objectives into clear targets across safety, people, service, quality, cost and sustainability.
• Review the monthly plant scorecard and operations report, identify performance gaps and ensure timely corrective and improvement actions.

Production and Capacity Planning

• Oversee production execution to meet demand, service and quality requirements while improving productivity and asset utilisation.
• Work with Supply Chain and manufacturing leadership to optimise product allocation, capacity and demand across beverage plants.
• Evaluate production and investment alternatives to achieve the most effective balance of capacity, manufacturing cost and capital requirements.
• Maintain effective controls over technical materials, maintenance scheduling and operational readiness to support reliable production.

Financial Planning and Cost Management

• Prepare direct labour, manufacturing overhead and capital expenditure budgets as part of annual operating planning and strategy processes.
• Align budgets with manufacturing leadership and maintain accurate annual and in-month forecasts, addressing deviations promptly.
• Manage plant expenditure and resource allocation, linking manufacturing activities and capability development plans to overhead forecasts.
• Lead the Funding the Growth programme at site level and report verified savings monthly to market and business unit leadership.

Maintenance Engineering and Capital Projects

• Lead maintenance and engineering priorities to improve equipment reliability, line performance and production continuity.
• Oversee plant capital expenditure within approved budgets, implementation plans and agreed project phasing.
• Ensure effective coordination between operations, engineering and project teams throughout installation, commissioning and handover.
• Prioritise technical improvements that strengthen safety, quality, productivity and long-term manufacturing capability.

Quality and Product Safety

• Lead the plant's quality and food safety programmes, including HACCP, AIB, VA and consumer complaint management.
• Ensure consistent compliance with product specifications, hygiene standards and applicable quality and food safety requirements.
• Lead the manufacturing response within product safety and product recall task forces, in line with the company's crisis management framework.

Health Safety and Environmental Management

• Champion occupational health and safety, embedding clear accountability and safe working practices across the plant.
• Ensure that the plant and its teams meet GEHSMS and ISO 14001 requirements and relevant procedures and instructions.
• Provide the resources needed to implement, maintain and continually improve health, safety and environmental management systems.
• Chair environmental management review meetings, assess ISO 14001 performance and ensure that agreed actions are completed.

Sustainability and Continuous Improvement

• Lead the plant sustainability agenda, including the company's ERP programme, and track progress against agreed objectives.
• Embed continuous improvement routines that reduce losses, improve resource efficiency and strengthen manufacturing performance.
• Contribute to regional Starfleet and site expert trainer programmes, sharing best practices and building local expertise.

People Capability and Stakeholder Management

• Coach and develop the Site Leadership Team, building accountability, succession and organisational capability throughout the plant.
• Develop capability and manufacturing activity calendars with site leaders, aligning training and improvement priorities with operating plans.
• Partner with HR on employee engagement, union relations and local authority and community relationships, providing leadership in critical situations.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• At least 10 years of relevant manufacturing experience, including leadership responsibility in plant management or production.
• Strong background in food and beverage manufacturing or a closely related FMCG production environment.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary operations across production, maintenance, quality, safety and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a unionised workforce and maintain constructive employee and labour relations.
• Experience preparing and managing labour, manufacturing overhead and capital expenditure budgets, with strong forecasting and cost control discipline.
• Proven delivery of productivity improvements, cost savings and measurable operational performance gains.
• Sound knowledge of food safety and quality systems, including HACCP, and experience managing audits and corrective actions.
• Practical understanding of occupational health, safety and environmental management systems; familiarity with ISO 14001.
• Experience delivering capital projects, developing manufacturing capability and working within a multinational organisation.
• Fluent in written and spoken Turkish and English.
• Based in İzmir or willing to relocate.
• Strategic perspective combined with a hands-on approach to plant operations.
• Visible leadership and a consistent commitment to safety, quality and operational discipline.
• Strong analytical judgement and timely, evidence-based decision-making.
• Financial and commercial awareness, with clear ownership of cost and performance.
• Ability to coach, engage and develop multidisciplinary teams.
• Change leadership and the ability to sustain continuous improvement.
• Effective communication, stakeholder management and influence across functions and cultures.
• Resilience, accountability and sound prioritisation in a demanding manufacturing environment.

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and its responsibilities. It is not an exhaustive list, and other duties may be assigned as needed to meet the company's objectives.