Bakery Plant Manager (Based in Tuas)

We are establishing a new bakery plant in Singapore, and we are seeking a highly capable Plant Manager to lead this greenfield project from the ground up. The Plant Manager will be responsible for overseeing the commissioning, setup, and operations of the bakery facility, ensuring it achieves world-class standards in safety, quality, cost efficiency, and people management.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leader to play a pivotal role in shaping and running a new facility, from construction to steady-state operations.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Setup & Commissioning

• Lead the setup and commissioning of the new bakery plant, working closely with project, engineering, and equipment suppliers.
• Develop and implement plant SOPs, operating standards, and policies.
• Oversee installation and testing of bakery production lines, utilities, and support systems.
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, safety regulations, and food industry standards (e.g., HACCP, ISO22000).

2. Operations Management

• Lead daily plant operations including production, quality, engineering, supply chain, and maintenance.
• Drive production efficiency, waste reduction, and continuous improvement initiatives (LEAN, Kaizen, Six Sigma).
• Ensure product quality and safety are consistently met.
• Monitor KPIs such as OEE, yield, production costs, downtime, and customer service levels.

3. People Leadership

• Recruit, develop, and mentor a strong operations team to support long-term plant success.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure staff training on technical, safety, and quality standards.

4. Budget & Cost Control

• Manage the plant budget, including CapEx and OpEx, ensuring cost competitiveness.
• Optimize resource utilization (labour, raw materials, energy, equipment).
• Partner with procurement on vendor management and cost efficiency in raw materials and packaging.

5. Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for HQ, government agencies, and external partners.
• Collaborate with R&D and Commercial teams to support new product development and innovation.
• Build strong relationships with auditors, regulators, and industry bodies.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, or related discipline (Master’s degree is a plus).
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in food manufacturing, with at least 5 years in a plant leadership role; bakery or flour-based product experience highly preferred.
• Proven track record in greenfield, commissioning, or expansion projects.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, GMP, HACCP, ISO standards, and EHS compliance.
• Hands-on, results-oriented leader with ability to roll up sleeves in a start-up environment.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical mindset with experience in lean manufacturing, process improvement, and cost optimization.