Production Manager – High‑Volume Food Manufacturing

About the role

The company is a well‑established food production organisation seeking a Production Manager to own day‑to‑day manufacturing performance and drive the next stage of operational growth. Based in Wollongong, this senior role reports to the General Manager and acts as the operational second‑in‑command.

Key responsibilities

• Lead day‑to‑day production across a high‑volume food manufacturing operation.
• Act as the operational 2IC to the General Manager and develop frontline production teams and Team Leaders.
• Ensure production plans are delivered safely, efficiently and to specification.
• Drive improvements in labour utilisation, efficiency, waste reduction and productivity.
• Develop and implement systems to improve visibility of production performance and monitor KPIs.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across processes, equipment utilisation and workflow.
• Maintain high standards of food safety, quality and compliance, working closely with Maintenance, Transport, Supply and Purchasing functions.
• Identify operational issues, lead root‑cause analysis and corrective actions, and build a culture of accountability.

Required profile

• Experienced Production Manager or senior Production Leader within FMCG or food manufacturing.
• Proven people leader who can coach, develop and hold teams accountable.
• Strong technical understanding of FMCG production practices and processes.
• Commercially and operationally minded with a focus on efficiency and labour utilisation.
• Comfortable operating autonomously, making decisions and implementing change.
• Effective communicator able to build relationships across all organisational levels.

Required skills

• HACCP knowledge.
• ISO 22000 experience.
• Use of operational KPIs and data‑driven performance improvement.