Facilities Manager

Our client is an established meat processing, wholesale and retail butchery group operating across KwaZulu-Natal, operating a central processing plant in Pinetown that supplies approximately 13 company-owned butchery stores as well as external wholesale trade. This role has full accountability for a facility at the heart of the business, where carcass intake becomes finished product, and where quality, yield, and compliance decide whether the stores and the wholesale book both get fed. Duties & Responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Plant Operations and Production

• Own the daily and weekly production plan so store orders and wholesale demand are met without excess work-in-progress or write-offs
• Direct all processing departments: receiving, boning/cutting, further processing, packing, blast/chill and dispatch
• Achieve agreed yield, throughput, labour efficiency and waste targets, investigating and closing variances promptly
• Balance batch sizes, labour and machine capacity against order cut-off times for stores and wholesale customers
• Ensure cold-chain integrity from intake through processing, storage and last-mile dispatch
• Lead planned and reactive maintenance so critical plant remains available

 Wholesale Division and Store Supply

• Take operational ownership of the wholesale channel: pricing discipline, order capture, picking accuracy, credit notes and service levels
• Protect margin by controlling giveaways, overweight packs, unauthorised discounts and wholesale returns
• Run a reliable store replenishment cycle for the company butcheries, with fill-rate and on-time-in-full targets
• Standardise specifications so every store receives the same cut, pack weight, labelling and shelf life
• Coordinate promotions and seasonal spikes with extra shifts or pre-production
• Resolve wholesale and store quality or delivery complaints at root cause

 Food Safety, Quality and Compliance

• Own HACCP, prerequisite programmes, hygiene, pest control, water quality, allergen and traceability programmes for the site
• Ensure compliance with the Meat Safety Act, municipal health by-laws, NRCS/SABS labelling rules and the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Maintain readiness for Department of Agriculture, municipal and retailer audits
• Own product hold, withdrawal and recall procedures, including scheduled mock recalls
• Investigate customer and store complaints in a way that changes process, not only paperwork

 People Leadership

• Lead, roster and develop supervisors and a multi-shift hourly workforce
• Drive a safety culture: risk assessments, toolbox talks and incident investigation
• Manage performance, discipline and attendance in line with the Labour Relations Act and site agreements
• Build bench strength for scarce skills (master butcher/cutter, QA, refrigeration, dispatch planning)
• Partner with HR on recruitment, skills development and employment equity obligations

 Cost and Commercial Control

• Own factory P&L drivers: yield, labour cost per kg, utilities, packaging, maintenance and waste
• Reconcile carcass/primal intake to finished packs and by-products
• Set and police stock norms for vacuum-packed primals, packed retail lines and wholesale bulk
• Reduce shrinkage and expired stock through tighter FIFO and date coding
• Provide accurate weekly flash reports: kg produced, yield %, OTIF, complaints, labour hours and major variances

 Health, Safety and Facilities

• Ensure a legally compliant workplace under the OHSA, including machinery guarding, lock-out and chemical control
• Keep the site, drains, yards and waste streams in a condition that satisfies inspectors and neighbours
• Manage contractors on site without compromising hygiene or safety zoning

Desired Experience & Qualification

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• National Diploma or Degree in Food Technology, Meat Science, Operations/Production Management or equivalent
• At least 4 years in a factory/plant manager or senior production manager role
• HACCP and food-safety training essential; FSSC 22000 / ISO 22000 lead-implementer advantageous
• Butcher trade qualification or equivalent practical cutting competence strongly preferred
• Proven experience running a cutting plant or further-processing facility supplying multiple retail or wholesale outlets
• Hands-on experience with yield management, cold chain and high-volume dispatch
• Experience leading large hourly workforces in a food plant
• Sound knowledge of South African meat hygiene legislation and inspection regimes
• ERP/production/warehouse systems and MS Excel to a competent management standard

PACKAGE AND BENEFITS

R45,000 – R80,000 per month cost to company, negotiable depending on experience

Package may include a guaranteed portion plus a performance incentive linked to yield, OTIF, food safety and wholesale margin

WORKING CONDITIONS

Based at the processing plant in Pinetown, with occasional visits to butcheries and wholesale customers in greater Durban/KZN. Early starts and Saturday or peak-period attendance are required; this is not a strictly office-hours role. The environment includes chillers, production halls and a dispatch yard.