Group Manufacturing Manager
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 26, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 16, 2026.
GROUP MANUFACTURING MANAGER
Mt Hagen, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
Executive appointment · Residential, single status · Expatriate package including housing, vehicle and annual return airfares.
An entire manufacturing division. Not a slice of one.
Cakum Global is recruiting a Group Manufacturing Manager for a long-established trading group in the Papua New Guinea highlands. The group operates across retail, wholesale, distribution and food manufacturing and service. This role carries full strategic and P&L accountability for its manufacturing arm.
What you would be running
- A red meat processing operation, including a smallgoods facility
- A central bakery supplying the group and the wider region
- A fresh produce distribution business
- Group engineering and maintenance
- Group quality assurance, through a dedicated QA Manager
Around 230 people. Five direct reports. A seat on the executive team, reporting to the Group General Manager.
What the role involves
You will own the division's budgets and drive performance against them - product costing, margin, yield and productivity. You will direct HACCP and ISO 9001 systems and embed a food safety culture that holds up under audit. You will lead the range review and new product development processes that determine what the group sells and at what margin. And you will build the management layer beneath you.
This is a hands-on executive role where the standard is set by your own commitment to lead by example.
What we are looking for
- Degree or equivalent experience in Engineering, Supply Chain or Operations/Manufacturing
- 10+ years leading a HACCP or ISO certified manufacturing environment
- 5+ years of genuine P&L accountability in a medium to large business
- Strong manufacturing accounting and ERP capability
- Breadth - you have run more than one manufacturing discipline, not a single plant
- The temperament for working in an emerging market: comfortable with ambiguity, with the ability to be decisive, and show resilience
The location
Mt Hagen sits in the Papua New Guinea highlands. This is a residential, single-status posting, not a fly-in fly-out rotation. It suits people who want real scope and willing to live and work in this unique, beautiful and culturally rich Highlands region of PNG. Secure accommodation, a vehicle and annual return airfares are provided, and the package is structured to protect the holder against currency movement.
To apply
Apply online to Cakum Global. Everyone who meets the core criteria will receive a set of role-specific questions and an honest view of where they stand.
Cakum Global - People for Challenging Environments