Plant Manager

Handary is a shelf-life specialist providing innovative solutions for food safety, quality and shelf-life extension. We are seeking a Plant Manager to lead the safe, compliant, efficient and cost-effective operation of our production site.

Tasks & Responsabilities:

The Plant Manager is responsible for the daily management, coordination and continuous improvement of the factory, ensuring that operations are safe, compliant, efficient, cost-effective and aligned with Handary’s quality, food safety and performance standards.

Key responsibilities include:

Manage daily factory operations, including production, packaging, warehouse flow, maintenance coordination, safety, hygiene and personnel management.

Execute approved production plans and ensure production orders are completed on time, in full and according to required specifications.

Monitor production output, yield, waste, downtime, labor efficiency, cost control and overall operational performance.

Ensure proper use of raw materials, packaging materials, equipment, utilities and labor resources.

Ensure compliance with ISO 22000, HACCP, hygiene rules, food safety requirements and internal quality procedures.

Maintain accurate production records, batch records, cleaning records and traceability documentation.

Work closely with the Quality team to prevent deviations, non-conformities, customer complaints and audit failures.

Support internal audits, customer audits, certification audits and regulatory inspections.

Maintain safe working conditions and ensure compliance with health, safety and environmental requirements.

Enforce the correct use of personal protective equipment, safety procedures and hygiene practices.

Lead, supervise and develop the factory team, including production, packaging, warehouse and maintenance-related personnel.

Define daily priorities, work schedules, task allocation and performance expectations.

Build discipline, accountability, teamwork and operational ownership within the factory.

Ensure production equipment, utilities and factory infrastructure are maintained in safe, clean and operational condition.

Coordinate preventive and corrective maintenance to reduce downtime and improve reliability.

Support equipment installation, commissioning, qualification and production scale-up.

Improve factory efficiency through planning, standardization, process discipline, waste reduction and resource optimization.

Coordinate with Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, Logistics, Sales, Purchasing, Finance and Management to ensure effective production execution.

Communicate operational risks, delays, material shortages, equipment issues and quality concerns in a timely manner.

Stop, report or escalate any unsafe, non-compliant or high-risk activity.

Recommend and implement improvements in productivity, quality, safety, cost control and factory organization.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Food Science, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Production Management or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in food ingredients, biotechnology, fermentation, pharmaceutical, chemical or other regulated manufacturing operations.
• Proven experience in managing factory operations, production teams and daily manufacturing activities.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 22000, GMP, HACCP, hygiene standards, food safety requirements and quality management systems.
• Good understanding of production planning, material flow, equipment maintenance, cost control and operational performance indicators.
• Experience with audits, inspections, production documentation, batch records and traceability systems.
• Strong leadership, team management and people development skills.
• Practical factory management mindset with strong operational discipline.
• High sense of responsibility, ownership, accountability and integrity.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making and execution ability.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple operational priorities.
• Clear communication skills and strong cross-functional coordination ability.
• Strong attention to quality, food safety, hygiene, safety and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to build structure, discipline, accountability and continuous improvement within factory operations.
• Results-oriented mindset with the ability to improve productivity, reduce waste and control operational costs.
• Hands-on management style with the ability to act quickly, follow up closely and ensure effective implementation.
• Fluent in English; French is strongly preferred. Other languages are considered an advantage.