Plant Manager - Poultry

We are partnering with a leading poultry manufacturer to recruit an experienced Plant Manager to lead one of its high-volume processing facilities.

This is a pivotal executive leadership role with full responsibility for plant operations, encompassing production, food safety, quality, engineering, safety, financial performance, and people leadership. The successful candidate will drive operational excellence while fostering a culture built on accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.

This opportunity is ideal for an accomplished manufacturing leader with a proven track record of delivering results in complex protein or food manufacturing environments.

The Role

As Plant Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the safe, efficient, and profitable operation of the facility. You will provide strategic and operational leadership across all functional departments, ensuring the business consistently delivers exceptional performance while meeting customer expectations and regulatory requirements.

Working closely with senior leadership, you will develop and execute operational strategies that improve productivity, maximise yield, reduce costs, and position the site for long-term growth and success.

Key Responsibilities

Plant Leadership

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for all site operations.
• Lead a cross-functional management team across Production, FSQA, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Safety, and Warehouse functions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the facility consistently achieves operational, financial, and customer service objectives.

Operational Excellence

• Drive improvements in productivity, labour efficiency, yield, throughput, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Deliver production schedules while maintaining the highest standards of quality and customer service.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing, operational excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Utilise operational metrics and data to identify improvement opportunities and implement sustainable solutions.

Financial Performance

• Assume full responsibility for the plant's operating budget and financial performance.
• Manage labour costs, operating expenses, capital expenditures, and productivity initiatives.
• Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities while maintaining safety, quality, and service levels.
• Support long-term capital investment planning and execution.

Food Safety & Quality

• Champion a world-class food safety and quality culture throughout the facility.
• Ensure compliance with USDA regulations, HACCP, GMPs, customer specifications, and all applicable food safety standards.
• Support successful customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Drive continuous improvement in product quality, food safety systems, and operational compliance.

Safety & Environmental Compliance

• Lead the site's health and safety strategy, ensuring a safe working environment for all employees.
• Promote a proactive safety culture through leadership, accountability, and employee engagement.
• Ensure compliance with all environmental, regulatory, and company standards.
• Lead incident investigations and implement corrective actions where necessary.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing leadership team.
• Drive employee engagement, succession planning, and leadership development initiatives.
• Foster a culture focused on accountability, recognition, and continuous learning.
• Partner with Human Resources to attract, retain, and develop top talent across the facility.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with corporate leadership and shared services to support business objectives.
• Work closely with Engineering to improve asset reliability and capital project execution.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Procurement, and Sales to optimise production planning and customer service.
• Build strong relationships with customers, regulatory agencies, and key stakeholders.

About You

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, Food Science, or a related discipline preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience within poultry, protein, meat, or food manufacturing.
• Previous experience as a Plant Manager or Senior Operations Leader within a large-scale manufacturing environment.
• Proven success leading high-volume production facilities with responsibility for multiple departments.
• Strong understanding of USDA regulations, HACCP, GMPs, food safety systems, and operational compliance.
• Demonstrated experience managing P&L performance, budgets, labour planning, and capital investments.
• Strong leadership, communication, and decision-making skills with the ability to influence at all levels of the organisation.
• Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Operational Excellence programmes is highly desirable.