FOOD SERVICES OPERATIONS MANAGER

Key Responsibilities

• Assume overall managerial responsibility for the company’s end-to-end food manufacturing operations, covering production planning, processing, packaging, warehousing, inventory, logistics coordination, quality control and operational performance.
• Develop and execute annual and long-term manufacturing strategies aligned with business growth, production capacity, customer demand and profitability objectives.
• Design and optimise complex production planning and capacity-utilisation models to maximise manufacturing output while controlling labour, raw-material and overhead costs.
• Analyse production capacity, bottlenecks, manpower requirements, equipment utilisation and workflow constraints and implement solutions to increase overall plant productivity.
• Establish and monitor departmental KPIs, production targets, yield targets, wastage limits, labour productivity and manufacturing cost benchmarks.
• Take managerial responsibility for achieving monthly and annual production, efficiency, quality, cost and profitability targets.
• Lead the development, implementation and continuous review of manufacturing SOPs, production controls, quality systems and operational procedures.
• Evaluate existing manufacturing processes and lead process re-engineering, automation, mechanisation and technology-improvement projects to increase production capacity and reduce operating costs.
• Analyse production losses, yield variances, wastage, downtime and operational inefficiencies and develop corrective and preventive action plans.
• Manage complex operational disruptions involving machinery breakdowns, manpower shortages, raw-material constraints, production delays, urgent orders and supply-chain interruptions.
• Develop contingency and recovery plans to ensure business continuity and uninterrupted production during critical operational disruptions.
• Oversee the technical and operational performance of industrial food-processing equipment and coordinate preventive maintenance, equipment upgrades and replacement planning.
• Lead cross-functional investigations into product defects, food-safety incidents, customer complaints, production failures and quality deviations, determining root causes and implementing permanent corrective actions.
• Establish systems for monitoring raw-material consumption, production yield, inventory accuracy, wastage and finished-product losses.
• Review supplier performance, raw-material specifications and supply risks and work with management to develop alternative sourcing and supply-continuity strategies.
• Lead workforce planning for production operations, including manpower budgeting, shift structures, workforce deployment, productivity measurement, training and succession planning.
• Manage and develop supervisory and operational teams, establish performance standards and take appropriate action to address persistent performance or operational issues.
• Review production and financial data to identify opportunities for cost reduction, margin improvement and operational profitability.
• Prepare and present detailed management reports, production forecasts, operational budgets, KPI analysis, variance reports and strategic improvement proposals to senior management.
• Participate in capital expenditure planning, including evaluation of new machinery, production equipment, facility improvements and technology investments.
• Assess the commercial and operational impact of new products, major customer orders and changes in production volume before committing manufacturing resources.
• Oversee production trials and commercialisation of new products, including assessment of production feasibility, process requirements, capacity, manpower, yield and manufacturing cost.
• Ensure the manufacturing facility maintains high standards of food safety, hygiene, quality assurance and regulatory compliance, including preparation for regulatory and third-party audits.
• Establish risk-management procedures covering food safety, production continuity, equipment reliability, manpower, inventory and supply-chain risks.
• Lead internal operational audits and ensure identified deficiencies are investigated, documented and resolved within established timelines.
• Coordinate with senior management, suppliers, customers, logistics partners and relevant departments on complex operational and commercial matters.
• Make independent managerial decisions on production priorities, resource allocation, manpower deployment, workflow changes and operational corrective actions within delegated authority.
• Continuously benchmark manufacturing performance and introduce lean manufacturing, productivity improvement and waste-reduction initiatives where commercially viable.
• Lead strategic initiatives to increase manufacturing capacity and operational scalability in preparation for business expansion.
• Ensure all operational activities are conducted in accordance with applicable Singapore food safety, workplace safety, employment and regulatory requirements.
• Take overall accountability for maintaining a safe, compliant, efficient, scalable and commercially sustainable food manufacturing operation.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Food Science, Food Technology, Food Manufacturing, Hospitality Management or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant food manufacturing or industrial operations experience, including significant managerial responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale or high-volume food manufacturing operations.
• Strong knowledge of production planning, manufacturing cost control, food safety, quality management, inventory management and operational optimisation.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and make independent operational decisions.
• Strong analytical, financial, strategic planning and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience in process improvement, production optimisation, equipment planning and operational cost reduction.
• Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to work with senior management, suppliers, customers and operational teams.

Position Objective

The Operations Manager will be responsible for strategically managing and continuously improving the company's manufacturing operations, ensuring that production capacity, product quality, food safety, manpower, costs and resources are effectively managed to support sustainable business growth and profitability.