Factory Manager - Johor Bahru

About Kerry

Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

As the Factory Manager at Kerry Plentong, you will be responsible for leading high-performing teams to consistently deliver customer excellence, meet contractual obligations, and drive key operational metrics. This role holds full P&L accountability and plays a critical part in shaping the strategic direction, performance, and development of the operations function.

Reporting to : Operations Director

• Lead and enforce compliance with customer policies, procedures, and contractual agreements to ensure operational alignment and service excellence.
• Own and manage all operational aspects of contractual commitments, ensuring customer expectations are met with realistic, practical deliverables.
• Monitor and drive performance against key metrics and service-level agreements (SLAs) to support business objectives and ensure continuous customer satisfaction.
• Develop and implement robust contingency and business recovery plans to ensure operational resilience and service continuity.
• Deliver accurate and timely reporting of operational performance and SLAs to executive leadership.
• Serve as the final escalation point for resolving high-impact operational issues swiftly and effectively.

Strategic & Financial Leadership:

• Hold full P&L responsibility with a focus on:
• Maximizing profitability and operational efficiency
• Managing cost of revenue
• Enhancing resource utilization across functions
• Embedding strong cost control initiatives
• Translate business strategy into actionable operational plans to drive long-term growth and success.

People & Organizational Leadership:

• Provide visionary leadership and strategic direction to the Operations Management team, ensuring excellence in service delivery and performance.
• Design and implement an agile organization structure that supports business needs and enables scalability.
• Drive a strong performance management culture through clear goal-setting, development planning, and regular progress reviews.
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment, training, and capability building to ensure the team is equipped to meet evolving business demands.
• Mentor and guide senior managers, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Create a high-performing, inclusive, and engaging workplace environment that supports talent development and retention.

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Engineering / Food Science / Microbiology
• Minimum 10 years’ related manufacturing experience – must have some background in Food or Pharma
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a managerial role - Food related Managerial is most desirable
• Technical knowledge in Food Hygiene standards, HACCP and AIB requirement
• Experience in food manufacturing industry with knowledge and experience in spray drying is a distinct advantage.
• Strong leadership with excellent communication skills
• Customer service orientated
• Analytical with good problem solving ability
• Ability to adapt to a changing and quick paced environment
• Good business acumen and commercial understanding
• Process and procedurally oriented