Plant Manager

About the role

Plant leadership and performance

• Set the annual operating plan, align production capacity, workforce, budgets, and improvement priorities, and lead the Operations Manager and department heads.
• Oversee production, maintenance, quality, sanitation, warehousing, and site safety; ensure capacity meets sales forecasts and customer commitments.
• Own the operating budget, monitor costs and financial performance, and develop capital proposals for equipment, automation, infrastructure, and capacity expansion.
• Maintain food safety and quality systems, including HACCP, GMP, allergen management, traceability, and audit readiness.
• Ensure product specifications and controls across bakery processing, freezing, packaging, and cold storage.
• Manage safety hazards, incidents, corrective actions, equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, utilities, and cold-chain systems.
• Lead continuous improvement and sponsor product introductions, commissioning, factory expansion, and operational readiness.
• Coordinate with Sales, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, and HR; develop workforce capability and business continuity plans.
• Review plant KPIs and report performance, risks, corrective actions, and investment priorities to the CEO/COO.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Food Technology, Business Administration, or related discipline; equivalent education and substantial relevant experience may be considered.
• At least 10 years of progressive manufacturing experience, including 5 years in a senior plant, factory, or operations leadership role.
• Industrial bakery manufacturing leadership and strong hands-on knowledge of frozen bakery operations are essential.
• Experience with croissants, laminated dough, pastries, and other frozen bakery products is highly preferred.
• Facility or multi-department management experience with accountability for budgets, people, and performance is required.

Technical and professional skills

• Strong understanding of automated bakery production, freezing systems, cold storage, equipment reliability, and capacity planning.
• Practical knowledge of HACCP, GMP, and food safety management systems is required; FSSC 22000 or BRCGS experience is an advantage.
• Experience improving efficiency, controlling costs, reducing waste, and maintaining product quality and delivery performance is required.
• Budgeting, capital expenditure evaluation, and investment or expansion project delivery experience is required; start-up, commissioning, or capacity expansion experience is preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Dynamics 365, manufacturing performance reporting, and Microsoft Office is required.
• Strong English communication skills are required; Arabic is an advantage.

Key competencies

Location

• The plant is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.