Assistant Production Manager – Food Manufacturing

About the role

The Assistant Production Manager helps lead daily production and packaging operations so that safe, high-quality food is made on time and at the right cost. Working alongside the Operations Manager, you lead the shift teams, improve OEE through structured loss elimination and build a strong Autonomous Maintenance culture on the shop floor.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver daily, weekly and monthly production plans in line with safety, quality, delivery and cost targets.
• Lead production and packaging operations with visible, hands-on shop-floor leadership, ensure effective shift handovers and enforce operational standards.
• Identify production constraints, operational risks and recurring losses and put lasting corrective actions in place.
• Keep the area compliant with food safety, GMP, hygiene and EHS standards and audit-ready at all times.
• Work with Quality, Planning and R&D to close deviations and launch new products, and reduce energy, water and material waste on the lines.
• Deputise for the Operations Manager when needed.
• Improve OEE through systematic loss elimination, analyse downtime, speed, quality, waste and yield losses, track KPIs and run Root Cause Analysis using Lean methods.
• Lead the implementation and maturity of Autonomous Maintenance, including CIL, center lining, defect management and tagging, and partner with Maintenance and Engineering to improve equipment reliability.
• Coach team leaders and operators, plan shifts, skills and training, and build a safe, inclusive and engaged team.

Required profile

• Degree in Food, Chemical, Industrial or Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of manufacturing experience, ideally in food or FMCG, including leading shifts or teams.
• Solid knowledge of food safety, GMP and HACCP.
• Good English and local language skills.

Required skills

• Hands-on experience with OEE loss analysis, Lean and structured problem solving.
• Practical experience with Autonomous Maintenance strongly preferred.
• SAP or similar ERP experience is an advantage.