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

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