General Manager: Value Added at Astral Foods Ltd

Key Responsibilities:

• Full commercial and operational management of the Value Added Further Processing Plant, including production scheduling, staff management, and financial performance.
• Deliver margin improvement through yield optimisation, waste reduction, and insourcing of externally co-packed products.
• Lead the commissioning, ramp-up, and stabilisation of the Value Added processing facility.
• Own and manage plant budgets, cost per kg, efficiency targets, and yield performance metrics.
• Drive continuous improvement through data-based decision-making and process optimisation.
• Ensure strict adherence to Astral’s food-safety, quality, and compliance requirements.
• Collaborate with Sales, Procurement, and Technical teams to deliver cost-efficient and market-ready products.
• Build and lead a high-performance, multidisciplinary management team capable of supporting future growth and capital expansion.

Qualifications, Experience and Key Competencies:

• Degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations Management, or a related field.
• 10+ years’ senior manufacturing leadership experience, ideally within poultry, meat, or FMCG food processing.
• Proven track record in Value Added manufacturing.
• Demonstrated success in greenfield start-ups, plant turnarounds, or major capacity expansions.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with direct budget and cost ownership.
• Deep understanding of food safety systems and quality governance.
• Commercially astute, results-driven, and execution-focused.
• Comfortable making data-led decisions in a high-volume, margin-sensitive environment.
• Able to operate credibly at senior management level while remaining operationally hands-on.
• Proven ability to lead change, drive accountability, and deliver sustained performance.