Plant Manager

Overview

Educational Requirements

• **Bachelor’s degree**
• in one of the following:
• **Food Science / Food Technology**
• **Industrial or Mechanical Engineering**
• **Agricultural Engineering**
• (relevant to potato processing)
• **Preferred**
• : MBA or postgraduate diploma in Operations/Industrial Management

Professional Experience

• **10+ years**
• of experience in food manufacturing or FMCG, with at least:
• **5 years**
• in a senior leadership/operations role
• **5–7 years**
• specifically in
• snack food or potato chips production
• **Start-up experience**
• : Strongly preferred experience in setting up a new plant or production line from scratch
• **Middle East or developing market experience**
• is advantageous, especially with knowledge of local supply chain dynamics and labour management

Technical Knowledge

• Deep familiarity with:
• Potato washing, slicing, frying, and flavouring machines
• Packaging machinery (vertical form-fill-seal, nitrogen flushing, etc.)
• Production line automation (SCADA, PLCs)
• Knowledge of
• raw material handling
• ,
• oil management
• , and
• seasoning control
• Understanding of
• potato varieties
• suitable for chips production and storage

Quality & Compliance

• Expertise in:
• Food safety systems:

Haccp

Iso 22000

Gmp

• Iraq’s food safety and regulatory standards (e.g., Iraqi Ministry of Health & Environment)
• Experience managing
• audits
• ,
• traceability
• , and
• product recalls

Operations & Leadership

• Ability to:
• Set up SOPs and production workflows
• Hire, train, and lead factory staff
• Manage procurement, local vendor relationships, and logistics
• Control costs and improve efficiency (Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, etc.)

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and communication, especially for building and motivating a local team
• Fluency in

Arabic

English

• proficiency strongly preferred
• Capable of working under pressure and solving operational issues quickly
• Culturally aware and capable of navigating the Iraqi business landscape

Additional Experience

• Involvement in
• factory construction, layout design, and equipment installation
• Relationships with regional suppliers (potatoes, packaging materials, flavouring agents)
• Knowledge of
• environmental standards and waste management