Assistant Production Manager

Job Purpose

As an Assistant Production Manager, you will oversee daily operations at the Commissary Centre, ensuring food products are produced to the highest quality and safety standards and delivered on time to our restaurants. This role directly impacts branch revenue and is key to managing budgets, maintaining quality protocols, developing teams, and ensuring full food safety compliance. You will collaborate with QA, Operations, Finance, Warehouse, and Purchasing teams, while also engaging external stakeholders such as suppliers, vendors, and municipalities. Reporting to the Commissary Manager, this role supports operational excellence and regulatory alignment. Join our team and help deliver top-quality food products across the region.

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise and manage day-to-day food production, ensuring compliance with standardized quality, safety, and franchisor protocols.
• Control production levels to prevent underproduction or overproduction and reduce waste.
• Lead raw material and inventory control, ensuring FIFO compliance, proper storage, sanitation, and waste reduction.
• Oversee commissary/central kitchen operations, including scaling supply chains to manage volumes exceeding 100 metric tons of raw material.
• Support new product development and recipe standardization in coordination with franchisors.
• Set and enforce standards for procurement, storage, and hygiene compliance.
• Ensure all facilities, assets, and equipment are maintained, efficient, and cost-effective.
• Lead and implement food safety management systems (ISO 22000, FSSC, Codex Alimentarius, HACCP), embedding food fraud prevention and food defense best practices.
• Oversee audits, documentation, and compliance with municipal inspections, customer feedback, and international standards.
• Handle recipe compliance, distribution issues, and equipment-related challenges, taking corrective action when needed.
• Provide strong leadership across production teams, managing supervisors and driving efficiency, accountability, and performance.
• Deliver training, coaching, and clear communication to align supervisors and frontline staff with operational and safety standards.
• Apply analytical and problem-solving skills to identify process improvements, ensuring innovation and out-of-the-box solutions.
• Support scaling operations in line with business needs, including preparation for transfer to larger factory operations within the next two years.
• Apply expertise in meat, dairy, poultry, slaughterhouse, and protein industries to optimize production processes.
• Ensure restaurant supply routes are well organized and deliveries are timely.

Qualifications, Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine, Microbiology, Agriculture, or Food Technology.
• 7–10 years of experience in food production, processing, or commissary operations.
• Proven track record in leading large-scale food production and processing facilities.
• ISO 22000:2018 and ISO 9001:2015 certified Lead Auditor.
• Strong leadership presence with a demonstrated ability to drive production excellence and efficiency.
• Highly organized, adaptable, and effective under pressure.
• Flexible to work night shifts or in a shift-based environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.