Factory Manager in Sydney

Sonder Executive has been exclusively engaged to recruit a Factory Manager for a large scale FMCG manufacturing plant based in Sydney’s inner south west. The site runs a large, multi-shift operation, is well invested, and has a strong culture built around safety, quality and continuous improvement. With a clear strategic agenda and ongoing capital investment, the business is now looking for an experienced leader to take operational performance to the next level.

The Role

Reporting to the Site Director and sitting on the Factory Management Team, the Factory Manager is accountable for the day to day and strategic performance of site operations. This is a leader of leaders role. You will lead the Production, Planning, Sanitation & Warehouse teams, and you will own the operational results across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People and Environment.

Key responsibilities include:

• Driving all key operational metrics for the factory, including safety, quality, delivery, waste, environment, engagement and conversion cost
• Leading, coaching and developing the Team Manager group to build a highly engaged and high performing factory floor
• Owning the factory cost lines for volume delivery, salaries, casual labour, overtime and scrap
• Translating the site strategy into clear priorities and executing it through your teams, including leading the associated change management
• Leading continuous improvement activity to lift line efficiency, reduce waste and downtime, and embed structured operational excellence ways of working across the site
• Acting as project sponsor for capital investment projects within the factory
• Playing a lead role in Enterprise Agreement negotiations and managing performance in line with its provisions
• Championing a strong safety and food safety culture, ensuring all employees, contractors and visitors work to site standards
• Building engagement through visible leadership, recognition and action on employee survey feedback

Your Background

You are an experienced manufacturing leader who has led leaders and knows how to deliver results through a large workforce in a fast paced, unionised FMCG or food environment. You will bring:

• Significant experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally within FMCG or food, including leading a multi shift operation
• Proven experience as a leader of leaders, with a track record of building capability and engagement within front line management teams
• Hands on experience with Integrated Work Systems (IWS), TPM, Lean or a similar operational excellence framework
• Strong change management capability, with a working knowledge of structured methodologies such as ADKAR
• Financial acumen and a solid understanding of conversion costs, labour management and budget ownership
• A genuine safety and quality focus and the confidence to hold high standards
• Experience operating within an Enterprise Agreement environment, including performance management and ideally EA negotiations
• Strong communication skills and the ability to influence across functions, both at site and above site level
• A tertiary qualification in Engineering, Science, Business or a related discipline would be well regarded

What's On Offer

• A senior manufacturing leadership role with a well invested and growing FMCG manufacturer
• A seat on the Factory Management Team with real influence over site strategy and direction
• A competitive salary package including bonus
• The backing of ongoing capital investment and a clear operational improvement agenda
• Career progression across a broader manufacturing network