General Manager (Manufacturing)

Reporting to: The Managing Director/CEO

Job Purpose:

To enhance corporate objectives by providing direction for the business to operate as a competitive, efficient, and commercially relevant manufacturing operation.

Key Responsibilities

Business Turnaround & P&L Ownership

•       Lead the operational and financial turnaround of the Company — restore volume, margin, and profitability

•       Establish clear performance baselines, a credible recovery roadmap, and measurable milestones for the Group CEO

•       Take full accountability for the Company's P&L, including revenue, cost of goods, gross margin, and EBITDA

•       Develop and execute a 2-year transformation plan with clear phasing, resource requirements, and returns

 Manufacturing Excellence & Cost Transformation

•       Drive significant improvements in yield, waste reduction throughput, and cost per unit across all product lines

•       Implement lean manufacturing principles and a continuous improvement culture across the factory floor

•       Maximise utilisation of installed capacity

•       Introduce rigorous production planning, maintenance discipline, and downtime reduction programmes

 Workforce & Culture Transformation

•       Lead effectively, establishing discipline, accountability, and a performance-based culture without destabilising industrial relations

•       Diagnose and restructure the supervisory layer, particularly in production: replace, retrain, or restructure as the situation requires

•       Introduce clear performance management systems at every level — from the shop floor to senior management

•       Build a culture that values data, transparency, and continuous improvement over entrenched habits

 Data, KPI Discipline & Systems Adoption

•       Implement a robust KPI framework covering production output, quality, cost, yield, and downtime — with real-time visibility

•       Drive adoption of digital tools and reporting systems, overcoming organisational resistance to data-driven management

•       Establish a cadence of daily, weekly, and monthly performance reviews anchored in operational data

 Commercial Alignment

•       Work closely with Group commercial teams to align production schedules with market demand and customer service level commitments

•       Improve manufacturing responsiveness to demand signals, promotional activity, and new product introduction

•       Support the Group's innovation agenda — enabling new product development through flexible and efficient production capabilities

 Strategic Planning & Capital Stewardship

•       Identify opportunities for cost reduction, product rationalisation, and export growth support within the Company's manufacturing portfolio

•       Manage capital investments responsibly — prioritising initiatives with the clearest operational and financial returns

•       Represent the Company at Group leadership level, contributing to broader strategic conversations on manufacturing, procurement, and commercial strategy

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a closely related field.

• MBA or postgraduate management qualification.

• Formal qualification or certification in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies is an advantage.

 Experience

• Minimum 10–15 years' experience in FMCG or food manufacturing, with at least 5 years in a senior general management or plant leadership role

• Proven track record leading a manufacturing turnaround or business restructurings

• Experience managing large-scale, capital-intensive manufacturing operations

• Demonstrated success operating in unionized labour environments and driving cultural change in resistant organisations.

• Experience in refinery or continuous process environments with strong yield and loss control focus.

• International or emerging market manufacturing experience with similar labour and infrastructure dynamics 

Technical Competencies

• Deep knowledge of manufacturing cost structures, yield management, and loss control in a refinery or processing environment

• Proficiency in implementing KPI frameworks and production management systems

• Understanding of lean manufacturing, waste elimination, and continuous improvement tools

• Familiarity with food safety and quality management systems (HACCP, ISO, GMP)

• Working knowledge of production planning, maintenance management, and asset optimisation

 Leadership & Behavioural Competencies

•  Execution focus — relentlessly results-oriented; sets targets and holds the organisation accountable to them

•  Toughness and resilience — capable of sustaining transformation momentum in the face of organisational resistance

•   People leadership — builds capability and accountability across all levels, from the shop floor to the senior team

•  Commercial acumen — connects manufacturing decisions to market realities, margin drivers, and customer needs

•  Communication — credible with shop floor workers, union leadership, and Group executives simultaneously

•  Data discipline — leads with facts; drives adoption of data-based management and performance visibility

 Personal Attributes

•       High ownership mindset — takes personal accountability for business outcomes

•       Comfortable with ambiguity and complexity — able to prioritise and sequence in a multi-front transformation

•       Culturally adaptable — able to work effectively in a Caribbean operating environment

•       Integrity — maintains trust with all stakeholders throughout a high-pressure transformation