Production Manager

About Kerry

About the role

As Production Manager, you’ll lead and inspire our production team, driving operational excellence to achieve volume, cost, and quality targets. This pivotal role requires strategic leadership, technical expertise, and a commitment to continuous improvement. You’ll be integral in planning staffing needs, optimising workflows, and fostering a safe, high-performing culture.

Key responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and develop a team of 135+ employees, fostering a positive, collaborative, and high-performance culture.
• Champion a “Safety First, Quality Always” mindset, embedding continuous improvement across all production activities.
• Provide clear direction through regular one-on-one meetings, performance appraisals, and coaching sessions.
• Proactively manage attendance and performance issues to maintain team effectiveness.
• Meet and exceed key performance indicators in safety, quality, production output, and audits.
• Implement cost control strategies by optimizing output, yield, labor utilization, and minimizing waste.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve planning, process, and equipment challenges for timely, cost-effective delivery.
• Respond promptly to equipment breakdowns, coordinating with maintenance to minimize disruption.
• Lead the resolution of customer concerns by identifying root causes and implementing corrective actions.
• Evaluate processes and methods to drive improvements in equipment performance, team utilization, product quality, and safety standards.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, food science, or a related business field.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience in a similar role, preferably within the food industry.
• Demonstrated success in managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong analytical and pragmatic problem-solving abilities.
• Proven ability to drive cost efficiency and process optimisation while maintaining compliance.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence across all levels.

Compensation Data

The typical hiring range for this role is $91,404 to $154,009 annually and is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, location, etc. In addition to your pay, Kerry offers benefits such as a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and retirement contribution (all benefits and incentives are subject to eligibility requirements).