Factory Manager

About the role

Our client is looking for an experienced Factory Manager to lead a fast‑paced food manufacturing plant in South Africa. The role requires a strong operational leader with deep FMCG experience, a focus on food safety, lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities

• Ensure full compliance with food safety, health & safety and environmental regulations (e.g., FSSC 22000, ISO 45001, HACCP).
• Maintain product quality to specification, minimizing complaints and rework.
• Drive On‑Time‑In‑Full (OTIF) performance through effective production planning, line balancing and capacity management.
• Lead KPI management, variance analysis and cost optimisation across COS, overheads, yield and productivity.
• Oversee implementation of lean, TPM, Kaizen and 5S initiatives to improve efficiency and reliability.
• Manage ERP/MES systems, production reporting and data‑driven decision making.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering.
• 8–10 years of FMCG manufacturing experience, including at least 5 years in a senior management role.
• Proven ability to lead large teams, coach staff and hold them accountable.
• Decisive, resilient under pressure and skilled in problem‑solving and decision‑making.
• High integrity with a strong focus on compliance, safety and food‑safety standards.

Required skills

• HACCP and GMP food‑safety systems.
• Lean manufacturing, TPM, Kaizen, 5S.
• Problem‑solving tools: fishbone, 5‑Why, A3.
• ERP and MES platforms.
• Excel and Business Intelligence reporting tools.
• OEE, reliability engineering and maintenance concepts.
• Automation and Industry 4.0 exposure.