Process Engineering & Production Support Manager

Responsibilities

1. Strategic Process Management

• Lead and manage end-to-end manufacturing operations for non-dairy cream, whipping cream, margarine, and specialty fat systems.
• Oversee critical processing stages including emulsification, homogenization, pasteurization/UHT, fat crystallization, votator systems, texturizing, and filling/packaging.
• Ensure products consistently meet performance, quality, and stability standards aligned with Japanese market and corporate expectations.

2. Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Drive plant performance through monitoring of KPIs such as yield, OEE, downtime, waste reduction, and cost optimization.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) for process deviations,quality issues, and customer complaints.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives including Kaizen, 5S, Lean Manufacturing, and PDCA methodologies.
• Support new product industrialization and process scale-up in collaboration with R&D.

3. Quality, Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with GMP,HACCP, regulatory requirements, and internal corporate standards.
• Maintain accurate, structured documentation and reporting in accordance with Japanese corporate governance practices.
• Lead audit preparation and follow-up actions (internal, external, and customer audits).

4. Leadership & People Management

• Manage and develop a team of engineers and production support staff.
• Establish clear performance objectives and provide coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.

5. HQ Coordination & Reporting (Japanese Reporting Structure)

• Report operational and technical performance to the Plant Manager and functionally to headquarters in Japan.
• Prepare structured monthly and quarterly technical reports, improvement proposals, and deviation analyses.
• Facilitate clear communication between plant operations and HQ to ensure alignment on standards, product performance, and improvement initiatives.

Requirements / Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in food engineering, Food Science, Dairy Technology, Chemical Engineering, or a related field; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in non-dairy cream, margarine, or specialty fat manufacturing, with at least 3–5 years in a managerial or leadership role.
• Strong technical expertise in UHT processing, homogenization, emulsification systems, fat crystallization, and structured fat technologies.
• Demonstrated experience managing production support or process engineering teams in a manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with Japanese corporate reporting structures or structured multinational environments is preferred.
• Strong analytical,problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and cultures.