Head of Production (Meat Industry)

Head of Production

Prestons, NSW | Full Time

Build the Next Chapter of Bravofoods

Bravofoods is one of Australia's fastest-growing premium meat wholesalers, supplying leading clubs, pubs, restaurants, caterers, hotels, and foodservice operators throughout NSW and the ACT. Operating from a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility, we have invested heavily in people, systems, automation, and infrastructure to support our rapid growth.

We are seeking an experienced Head of Production to lead our operation through its next stage of development. This is a role for a leader who wants to build, not just maintain the status quo.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the General Manager, you will:

• Lead an established production team and drive systems, structure, accountability, and continuous improvement initiatives to support significant future growth.

• Challenge existing processes and develop leaders within the production management structure.

• Improve productivity, strengthen accountability, and help build a production operation capable of supporting Bravofoods' next phase of growth.

• Develop leadership capability and create clear accountability throughout the operation.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership & Culture: Lead, mentor, and develop Production Managers, Team Leaders, and production staff while building a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.

• Operational Performance: Drive labour efficiency, production output, workflow optimisation, scheduling improvements, and process consistency across the facility.

• Commercial Outcomes: Improve yield performance, reduce waste, optimise labour utilisation, and contribute to stronger business profitability.

• Strategic Growth: Work closely with senior leadership to support future expansion, automation opportunities, capacity planning, and operational scalability.

• Quality & Food Safety: Maintain the highest standards of food safety, HACCP compliance, workplace safety, and customer quality requirements.

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

• Strengthen leadership capability across the production team

• Improve labour productivity and operational efficiency

• Increase yield performance and reduce waste

• Enhance production planning and scheduling processes

• Improve accountability and KPI visibility

• Drive meaningful continuous improvement initiatives

• Support improved DIFOT (Delivery In Full, On Time) performance

• Create a production environment capable of supporting substantial future growth

About You

You may currently be a Head of Production, Manufacturing Manager, Plant Manager, Senior Production Manager, or Production & Manufacturing Leader within food manufacturing, meat processing, protein production, or a related manufacturing environment. You understand that success is built through strong leadership, disciplined execution, operational excellence, and the development of capable teams. Most importantly, you are motivated by the opportunity to build something rather than simply maintain it.

Essential Experience

• Minimum 7-10 years' experience in a senior production, manufacturing, or food processing leadership role

• Experience leading and developing large operational teams

• Strong labour planning and workforce management capability

• Proven experience implementing operational improvements and process change

• Strong commercial and financial understanding

• Experience developing KPI frameworks and performance reporting

• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills

• Strong problem-solving and decision-making ability

Highly Regarded

• Meat processing or food manufacturing experience

• Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement experience

• Experience in automated production environments

• Experience supporting rapid business growth and operational scale-up

Why Join Bravofoods?

• Direct access to senior leadership and decision-making

• Significant investment in technology and infrastructure

• Genuine influence over operational strategy

• Modern, purpose-built production facility

• Strong business growth trajectory

• Opportunity to build and shape a high-performing production operation

• Career growth into broader operational leadership opportunities

• The ability to leave a lasting mark on one of Australia's fastest-growing foodservice businesses

About Bravofoods

Bravofoods operates across two production shifts from its Prestons facility, servicing customers throughout Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle, Hunter Valley, Canberra, the South Coast, and regional NSW. Our customers operate in real time, and success in this role requires balancing manufacturing discipline, operational efficiency, and foodservice responsiveness while consistently delivering quality products on time and in full.

Ready to build the next chapter with Bravofoods? Apply now to join our leadership team!