JOB OVERVIEW
Job Overview: Production Manager – Cape Town (Paarden Eiland)
Schedule: Wednesday to Sunday | 08:00 – 17:30
We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Production Manager to join our Operations team in Cape Town. This hands-on role, based at our facility in Paarden Eiland, requires a driven individual to oversee the production of UCOOK operational activities and serve as the senior on-site leader over weekends. The working hours for this position are Wednesday to Sunday, from 08:00 to 17:30. The ideal candidate will have a strong work ethic, a passion for operational excellence, and demonstrated leadership and administrative skills, along with a solid understanding of food production processes.
Responsibilities include managing daily production activities, ensuring the smooth operation of production lines, maintaining product quality standards, and ensuring full compliance with health, safety, and food safety regulations. The Production Manager will work closely with supervisors and senior management to coordinate planning, quality control, maintenance, and continuous improvement initiatives. Success in this role requires the ability to lead and motivate teams, solve problems proactively, and maintain a high standard of execution within a fast-paced, quality-focused environment. This is a key leadership position within a company that values innovation, collaboration, and delivering exceptional products to its customers each week.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Primary Responsibilities
- Ultimately responsible for UCOOK’s production processes (ensuring timeous and proper execution of weekly production requirements)
- Responsible for product quality of all product that leaves that UCOOK facility
- Responsible for GMP and hygiene standards on site and have the true grit to investigate deviations to the end.
- Driving innovation and continuous improvement within production processes
- Ensuring production can deliver on strategic operations plan
- Resolve and/or escalate risks deriving from or impacting production
- Manage, mentor and coach warehouse staff
- Manage and report on the performance of warehouse staff and production activities
- Direct responsibility for food cost variances and direct labour cost
- People management, to ensure that supervisors are effectively managing their teams, that standards are maintained and to avoid wasted time or resources.
- Execute a production plan ensuring key performance indicators (KPIs) are in place and targets are met
Typical Activities
- Planning production to ensure most efficient use of resource
- Execution of production plan including but not limited to portioning, bagging, fulfilment & boxing
- Reporting on production progress and escalation of issues and incidents during production
- Communication and follow up on production targets
- Implementing and reporting on new processes / methods
- Identifying bottlenecks & adjusting/reallocating resources accordingly
- Tracking and managing staff performance
- Recording of data e.g. time & attendance, efficiencies, production metrics, food safety documentation etc including retention of all the applicable paperwork e.g. leave forms and sick notes.
- Determining and communicating production requirements to Warehouse Manager
- Procurement & Supplier Communication when required
- Implementing and maintaining health & safety and food safety standards
- Ensuring site standards are maintained including maintenance, hygiene & housekeeping both inside the warehouse and the yard
- Investigating root cause of customer complaints and implementing corrective action
- Ensuring warehouse safety/security
- Working with customer service to manage exceptions and manual changes to ensure the best customer experience possible.
- Training, Coaching, counseling and disciplining staff
- Team building & motivation
- Overseeing and managing operations employees and processes
- Reporting on production KPI’s & staff performance
- Plan production and identify areas for improvement
- Problem solving & variance investigation
- Project Management
- People Management
- Interdepartmental meetings and communication
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
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Production efficiencies
- Labour cost % NR & Overtime
- Speed of production, on time dispatch
- Customer complaints / error rates
- Number of Production errors
- Incident reports
- Food safety
- Implementation & compliance with food safety system
- Operations costs
- Wastage & write offs
- Maintenance of Opex budget for Cape Town
- Continuous improvement
- Successful implementation of initiatives to drive operational improvement.
KEY SKILLS
- Leadership & People management skills, including the ability to lead, inspire and motivate a team of people, delegate work and explain ideas as well as conflict management & experience in IR.
- Problem solving & troubleshooting
- Initiative
- Clear communication and understanding.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Organised, detail oriented & top notch critical thinking skills
- Good decision making skills and response to high pressure situations.
- Project management
- Technical skills (e.g. excel, printer setup and troubleshooting, etc.)
- Database management and analysis
- Strong excel and arithmetic skills. Commercial acumen & understanding
- A personal style that aims for perfect execution, but in a way that supports building a culture of inclusion, collaboration, responsibility, and ownership
- Team player with a can do attitude and strong work ethic
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- Ability to work with data
- Ability to work collaboratively with others
- Experience in the food industry
- Computer literacy with advanced Word and Excel skills/experience
- Practical understanding of food safety / H&S
- Strong numerical skills and attention to detail
- Ability to work in a team-oriented environment while maintaining an individual workload
- Good communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to take initiative on tasks and projects
- Eager to work and enthusiastic
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