PLANT MANAGER

A leading Thai food manufacturing and restaurant chain group operating well-known domestic dining brands across 800+ SKUs. The company is scaling rapidly with plans for domestic and international expansion, transitioning from an entrepreneurial family-owned model toward corporate-level operational standards.

Samut Sakhon, Thailand | Reports to: Owner / COO

ROLE PURPOSE

Lead all manufacturing and central kitchen operations for a high-growth multi-brand restaurant group, overseeing a greenfield factory relocation and commissioning while managing production across a complex, high-SKU environment. The role carries full P&L accountability for plant performance and is responsible for elevating quality systems to Japanese and international standards in preparation for scaled domestic and overseas expansion.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Team Building

Lead and develop a cross-functional team of ~50 office staff spanning Engineering, Quality, Production, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Finance, and HR

Manage 200–300 operational floor staff, driving collaboration, engagement, and high performance across all shifts

Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational discipline throughout the plant

Build organisational capability to support the transition from entrepreneurial operations to corporate-grade manufacturing standards

Factory Relocation & Commissioning

Oversee the end-to-end greenfield central kitchen/factory relocation from the existing site to the new Samut Sakhon facility

Ensure uninterrupted supply to all restaurant outlets during the transition period

Manage all commissioning, validation, and go-live activities to meet on-time completion targets

Coordinate with engineering, construction, and equipment vendors to deliver the facility to specification

Quality & Standards Elevation

Establish and embed Japanese and international QA/QC manufacturing standards across all production lines

Drive food safety, hygiene, and regulatory compliance in line with global best practices

Implement robust quality management systems and audit-readiness protocols

Champion a zero-defect culture with measurable yield improvement and waste reduction targets

Production & Supply Chain Management

Plan and manage production operations across ~800 high-complexity SKUs serving multiple restaurant brands

Manage Phase I operations (hybrid manual and automated processes) while preparing infrastructure and workflows for Phase II advanced automation

Drive cost management, production yield optimisation, and on-time SKU delivery fulfilment

Oversee end-to-end operational supply chain planning, inventory management, and demand alignment

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Education: Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Food Science, Chemistry, or Nutrition (Master's in Business, Engineering, or related discipline preferred)

Experience: 10–15 years in plant management or central kitchen operations within food manufacturing, food retail, FMCG, or consumer packaged goods

Technical: Production planning across high-SKU environments; quality management systems (GMP, HACCP, or equivalent); phased automation implementation; ERP and manufacturing execution platforms

Leadership: Proven ability to lead large multi-layered teams (office and floor); hands-on leadership style with strong stakeholder management; track record of driving collaboration and engagement in fast-paced, scaling environments

Certifications: Relevant food safety or quality management certifications preferred

Industry: Food manufacturing, central kitchen operations, food retail, or FMCG/CPG

Competitive

Bangkok, Thailand

Factory Manager

Our client is a growing food manufacturing and export company specialising in high-end confectionery and food decoration solutions, including sugar, marshmallow, and chocolate decorations. Based in the Pattaya area and serving customers across international markets, the company partners with food manufacturers, bakeries, HORECA operators, and distributors to deliver premium, innovative products.

With a strong focus on quality, food safety, and operational excellence, the company is strengthening its manufacturing capability and is seeking an experienced and hands-on Factory Manager to lead day-to-day operations at its Pattaya facility.

Responsibilities

Lead and supervise all day-to-day operations of the Pattaya site, ensuring production, quality, service, and cost objectives are achieved.

Plan and coordinate production, manpower, warehouse, maintenance, utilities, and site resources to maximise operational efficiency and productivity.

Coordinate effectively with QA, Administration, Sales, and the company’s second manufacturing site to ensure operational alignment, customer requirements, and production priorities are met.

Manage inventory of raw materials, packaging, work-in-process, and finished goods to ensure uninterrupted operations.

Work closely with R&D to support product development, trials, scale-up, and industrialisation of new products.

Monitor operational KPIs, analyse performance, and implement continuous improvement initiatives to increase productivity and reduce costs.

Ensure compliance with GMP, HACCP, BRCGS, SMETA, Halal, Kosher, and all applicable food safety, quality, environmental, health, and safety requirements, including timely implementation of corrective actions.

Lead, coach, and manage a team of approximately 25–40 employees, ensuring clear accountability, performance, discipline, training, and development.

Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, discipline, tidiness, and continuous improvement across the site.

Proactively escalate operational issues, business risks, and customer-impacting matters to the General Manager, together with clear root causes, proposed solutions, and action plans.

Operational performance: production efficiency, productivity, OTIF, and manufacturing cost control.

Quality & food safety: customer complaints, audit performance, food safety compliance, and product quality.

Inventory management: inventory accuracy, stock turnover, and material loss/waste control.

People management: employee productivity, engagement, turnover, absenteeism, and training development.

Continuous improvement: delivery of improvement initiatives, CAPEX projects, and operational excellence objectives.

Requirements

Lead and supervise all day-to-day operations of the Pattaya site, ensuring production, quality, service, and cost objectives are achieved.

Plan and coordinate production, manpower, warehouse, maintenance, utilities, and site resources to maximise operational efficiency and productivity.

Coordinate effectively with QA, Administration, Sales, and the company’s second manufacturing site to ensure operational alignment, customer requirements, and production priorities are met.

Manage inventory of raw materials, packaging, work-in-process, and finished goods to ensure uninterrupted operations.

Work closely with R&D to support product development, trials, scale-up, and industrialisation of new products.

Monitor operational KPIs, analyse performance, and implement continuous improvement initiatives to increase productivity and reduce costs.

Ensure compliance with GMP, HACCP, BRCGS, SMETA, Halal, Kosher, and all applicable food safety, quality, environmental, health, and safety requirements, including timely implementation of corrective actions.

Lead, coach, and manage a team of approximately 25–40 employees, ensuring clear accountability, performance, discipline, training, and development.

Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, discipline, tidiness, and continuous improvement across the site.

Proactively escalate operational issues, business risks, and customer-impacting matters to the General Manager, together with clear root causes, proposed solutions, and action plans.

Operational performance: production efficiency, productivity, OTIF, and manufacturing cost control.

Quality & food safety: customer complaints, audit performance, food safety compliance, and product quality.

Inventory management: inventory accuracy, stock turnover, and material loss/waste control.

People management: employee productivity, engagement, turnover, absenteeism, and training development.

Continuous improvement: delivery of improvement initiatives, CAPEX projects, and operational excellence objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in food science, Food Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field.

Minimum 5–8 years’ experience in food manufacturing, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or management role.

Experience managing production, planning, warehouse, and maintenance operations in a food manufacturing environment.

Solid knowledge of GMP, HACCP, BRCGS, and food manufacturing best practices.

Strong leadership, problem-solving, and people management skills with a hands-on approach.

Strong command of both Thai and English, with the ability to communicate effectively with English-speaking stakeholders.

Proficient in Microsoft Office and ERP systems (Odoo).

Competitive

Mueang Chonburi, Thailand

R&D Manager

Position Overview

Our client is an international food ingredients and coatings business with a well-established operation in Thailand, serving protein processors, food manufacturers, and leading Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brands. The business is focused on innovation and continued growth, with a strategic emphasis on nutrition and sustainability, and works closely with its global headquarters on new product direction.

The R&D Manager is a hands-on technical leader for the Ingredients & Coatings segment, positioned as a Segment Lead. Leading a team of 4–5 R&D specialists, the role combines personal ownership of larger customer accounts and laboratory prototyping with coaching and developing the team. It manages the full New Product Development cycle — from customer brief through formulation, scale-up, and commercialization — acts as the primary technical contact for assigned customers, and serves as a bridge to the global organization on innovation-led projects.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and mentor a team of 4–5 R&D specialists, allocating projects across the team while remaining personally hands-on in the laboratory and at the bench.

Manage the end-to-end New Product Development (NPD) process — from customer brief through formulation, prototyping, scale-up, factory trials, and production support during commercialization.

Take direct ownership of larger and key customer accounts, delegating smaller accounts to R&D supervisors within the team.

Work closely with protein processors and food manufacturers to understand their production lines, machinery, and processes, advising which process or product set-up is most suitable.

Support QSR customers (such as KFC, McDonald’s, and Burger King), understanding SKU and format requirements (for example, frozen versus retail formats) and how products are prepared in factories or at restaurant locations.

Source and evaluate new raw materials and ingredients; develop prototypes and prepare samples for customer evaluation.

Conduct product tastings with customers, gather feedback, and iterate to improve products.

Lead cost-reduction and reformulation projects on existing products as internal initiatives.

Receive and manage briefs from the Business Development (BD) team, providing technical support for new customer opportunities and product briefs.

Proactively generate and present new product concepts and innovation ideas to customers, with a focus on nutrition and sustainability, and participate in brainstorming sessions for innovation within the segment.

Act as a technical bridge to the global headquarters, delivering assigned global projects and attending monthly global meetings.

Communicate project status, risks, and timelines, and negotiate priorities and resource allocation with the Sales and BD teams across personal and team workloads.

Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and quality standards, working through internal systems and CRM.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related field.

3–5 years of working experience in a relevant field, such as food product development, formulation, or application.

Strong experience in food product development and application, with hands-on laboratory and formulation expertise.

Background in food ingredients — such as dry ingredient manufacturing, functional ingredients, or health and nutrition ingredients — ideally with experience in ingredients and coating technologies. Experience in food innovation and application development is also welcome.

Proven experience managing projects from concept through commercialization, including scale-up and factory trials.

Customer-facing technical support experience, ideally with protein processors, food manufacturers, and/or QSR customers.

Team leadership, people management, and coaching experience.

Proactive, innovative, and open-minded, with the ability to drive nutrition and product innovation initiatives.

Strong communication and prioritisation skills, able to manage multiple projects and stakeholders across Sales, BD, and customers.

Comfortable remaining hands-on, with a significant proportion of time spent in the laboratory and at the bench.

Excellent command of English; Thai language ability is an advantage given the Thailand base and global collaboration.

Competitive

Mueang Samut Prakan, Thailand

Project Scheduler (Site-Based)

Expertise and Skill Tags

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