Senior Production Manager

Pedros Chicken; Pinetown; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Pedros Chicken in South Africa seeks a Senior Production Manager to lead poultry and sauce production within our Distribution Centre. You will drive output, yield, product specifications and strict food safety and traceability standards while enabling high-performing production teams.

Key responsibilities include managing daily production operations, monitoring KPIs, maintaining stock accuracy, implementing corrective actions, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and compliance

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a Production Management role within a food manufacturing or high-volume environment.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, hygiene, sanitation and quality control.
• Experience managing production output, productivity, yield targets and KPIs.
• Experience with stock control, variance management and traceability.
• Experience leading large production teams including Supervisors and Team Leaders.
• Strong people management, coaching and disciplinary abilities.
• Excellent planning, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Strong administrative and reporting skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee daily poultry and sauce production operations in line with production plans.
• Drive achievement of production output benchmarks, productivity targets and yield.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, hygiene, sanitation and cross-contamination controls.
• Monitor product quality and ensure specifications are met.
• Manage stock counts, stock accuracy, yield tracking and variance investigations.
• Maintain full product traceability from receiving to finished goods.
• Handle non-conforming products, supplier claims and NCRs with timely corrective actions.
• Ensure equipment, knife control, scale calibration and temperature requirements are met.
• Review daily production reports, checksheets and trackers.
• Lead and develop Supervisors and production teams; drive performance and development.
• Foster accountability, continuous improvement and high-performance culture.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels and team structures to support production.

Skills

Production management

People management

Food safety

Quality control

Planning & scheduling

Team leadership

Tools

MS Office

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Production Manager to lead and manage poultry and sauce production operations within our Distribution Centre. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring production output, yield targets, product specifications, food safety, hygiene standards, stock accuracy, traceability and people performance are consistently achieved while driving operational excellence and compliance across all production departments.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage and oversee daily poultry and sauce production operations in line with production plans and operational requirements.
• Drive the achievement of production output benchmarks, productivity targets and yield performance.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, hygiene, sanitation, housekeeping and cross-contamination control standards.
• Monitor and maintain product quality and ensure products consistently meet required specifications.
• Manage daily stock counts, stock accuracy, yield tracking and the investigation of production variances.
• Maintain full product traceability from receiving through to finished goods.
• Manage non-conforming products, supplier claims and NCRs, ensuring corrective actions are implemented within required timelines.
• Ensure equipment, knife control, scale calibration and product temperature requirements are effectively managed.
• Review and ensure the accurate completion of daily production reports, checksheets, registers and trackers.
• Lead, manage and develop Supervisors, Team Leaders and production teams.
• Drive employee performance through effective performance management, coaching, training and development.
• Manage employee discipline and address performance or operational non-compliance.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels and team structures are maintained to support production requirements.
• Drive a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, operational excellence and high performance.

Requirements:

• Proven experience in a Production Management role within a food manufacturing, FMCG or high-volume production environment.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience in food safety, hygiene, sanitation and quality control.
• Experience managing production output, productivity, yield targets and operational KPIs.
• Strong understanding of stock control, variance management and product traceability.
• Experience managing product specifications, non-conformances and corrective actions.
• Proven experience leading and managing large production teams, including Supervisors and Team Leaders.
• Strong people management skills, including performance management, employee development and disciplinary processes.
• Excellent planning, problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Strong administrative and reporting skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and demanding production environment.
• A hands-on leadership style with a strong focus on operational excellence, compliance and continuous improvement.