Production Manager (Recycling)

Location: Altona North, Victoria, Australia; onsite manufacturing facility operating across three shifts, 24/5.

Company

Circular Plastics Australia transforms post-consumer PET from kerbside and recovery streams into food-grade recycled resin for packaging applications.

What you will do

• Lead, coach, and develop approximately 40 direct reports.
• Oversee manufacturing activities across a highly automated, three-shift operation.
• Drive performance across safety, quality, cost, output, and DIFOT delivery.
• Develop operational strategies, production schedules, and KPI routines aligned with business goals.
• Resolve process capability and fitness-for-manufacture issues affecting product quality and compliance.
• Embed standard work, best practices, and continuous improvement initiatives while reducing waste and improving profitability.

Requirements

• At least five years of people leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in complex, automated, low-margin, high-volume operations.
• Experience in quality- and compliance-critical environments such as food, pharma, chemical manufacturing, or an equivalent setting.
• Proficiency with manufacturing systems, including ERP and MES.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, decision-making, communication, and influencing skills.
• Experience in Australia or New Zealand manufacturing or recycling and current knowledge of Australian workplace health and safety regulations.

Nice to have

• Experience with Lean operations, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with Industry 4.0 technologies.
• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Science, or Business.

Culture & Benefits

• Safety-first, high-quality operating culture.
• Work in an FSSC 22000-accredited facility following globally recognised food safety standards.
• Focus on repeatable operating rhythms, process discipline, and continuous improvement.