Dairy Products Plant Manager
Plant Operational Strategy & P&L Governance: Direct entire manufacturing operations to fulfill master production schedules, achieving daily and monthly volume targets while strictly governing factory conversion costs, mass-balance yields, and operating budgets (OPEX/CAPEX).
Raw Milk Reception & Mass Balance Yields: Oversee raw milk intake quality, rapid platform testing (acidity, density, antibiotic screen, fat/SNF), and standardization; track mass balance across processing stages to eliminate milk fat/protein loss and minimize product giveaway.
Processing Integrity, Pasteurization & Fermentation: Ensure technical compliance across pasteurization (HTST), UHT sterilization, homogenizers, fermentation vats, cheese coagulation vats, separation, and packaging lines, maintaining strict parameter logs.
Hygiene, CIP Automation & Food Safety Systems: Enforce hygienic standards, Clean-in-Place (CIP) automated cleaning validation, and full statutory compliance with NFSA (National Food Safety Authority), FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, HACCP, and Halal standards with zero cross-contamination.
Cold Chain & Central Storage Integrity: Maintain strict temperature management across processing corridors, aging rooms, finished goods cold storage (+4°C / -18°C), and dispatch staging docks, guaranteeing cold chain continuity from intake to fleet dispatch.
Utility Uptime & Industrial Facilities Management: Ensure continuous, efficient operation of heavy auxiliary utility installations, including steam generation (boilers), industrial ammonia/chiller refrigeration plants, compressed air, water treatment (RO plants), and wastewater treatment (WWTP/effluent).
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) & Lean TPM: Deploy Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Lean manufacturing practices to maximize packaging line OEE, reduce micro-stops, optimize changeover times, and drive continuous scrap/rework reduction.
Workforce Leadership, Capacity & Safety Culture: Lead, coach, and develop a high-performance workforce across plant operations, enforcing strict PPE compliance, chemical handling safety (acids, alkalis for CIP), machine safeguarding, and zero reportable safety incidents.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science & Technology, Food Science, Agricultural Engineering, or Chemical/Mechanical Engineering. Master's degree in Food Technology or MBA is a strong advantage.
Professional Experience: 10 to 15+ years of progressive manufacturing experience within dairy processing or perishable food industries, with at least 5 years as a Plant Manager or Operations Director overseeing commercial dairy operations.
Technical Expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of dairy processing technologies (pasteurized/UHT milk, white/hard cheeses, yogurt, labneh, butter), aseptic filling, and automated CIP systems.
Regulatory & Quality Certifications: Proven track record in managing NFSA compliance, FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, HACCP implementation, and leading successful third-party and client food safety audits.
Financial & Managerial Acumen: Strong financial acumen in plant budgeting, cost-per-liter/kilo conversion calculations, yield loss mitigation, CAPEX expansion projects, and multi-line capacity planning.
Leadership & Digital Competence: Decisive leadership capable of mobilizing multi-disciplinary engineering and production workforces, proficient in ERP (SAP/Oracle), SCADA systems, and MS Excel for operational modeling.