National Operations Manager

About the role

This is a senior enterprise‑leadership position reporting to the Executive Leadership Group, responsible for end‑to‑end manufacturing operations across a geographically dispersed network of sites in Australia.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop a workforce of more than 800 employees, fostering a safety‑first, quality‑focused, continuous‑improvement culture.
• Define and execute an operational vision aligned with the broader business strategy and long‑term growth plans.
• Own the full P&L for site operations, optimizing labour, materials and overhead to meet budgeted performance.
• Drive operational excellence through lean manufacturing, structured problem‑solving and disciplined continuous‑improvement methodologies.
• Oversee manufacturing, engineering, quality and safety functions across all sites.
• Champion a proactive, risk‑based safety agenda, making safety a non‑negotiable value.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, environmental and quality standards, including ISO, BRC and HACCP.
• Build leadership capability at all levels through coaching, development and succession planning.

Required profile

• Extensive senior leadership experience in FMCG, food manufacturing or complex industrial environments, managing multi‑site operations.
• Deep expertise across manufacturing, engineering, quality and safety disciplines.
• Proven track record of delivering performance improvements using lean, CI and problem‑solving methods.
• Strong commercial acumen with hands‑on P&L management and budget delivery experience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large, diverse workforces and drive cultural change.
• Capability in organisational design and workforce planning.

Required skills

• Lean manufacturing
• Continuous Improvement
• ISO standards
• BRC certification
• HACCP certification
• Problem‑solving methodologies
• P&L management