Position Summary
The Plant Manager will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end operations of a micro food-processing facility. This role requires strong technical knowledge of food-grade handling, production processes, quality management, regulatory compliance, and workforce supervision. The ideal candidate must ensure efficient, safe, and hygienic processing of Mahua flowers and related value-added products while maintaining sustainability-driven, community-integrated operations.
Key Responsibilities
1. Production Management
- Plan, schedule, and manage daily processing operations (100–200 kg/day).
- Supervise receiving, sorting, cleaning, drying, processing, packaging, and storage.
- Ensure all production targets, product specifications, and timelines are met.
- Optimize plant efficiency, reduce wastage, and maintain high product purity.
- Troubleshoot production issues to minimize downtime.
2. Quality Assurance & Food Safety
- Implement and enforce strict food-safety protocols for food-grade Mahua and other products.
- Maintain hygiene, sanitation, and pest-control standards across the facility.
- Conduct in-process quality checks (moisture control, purity, contamination control).
- Ensure traceability systems for raw material sourcing and finished goods.
- Coordinate third-party lab testing for nutritional and purity certifications when required.
3. Compliance & Regulatory Management
- The Plant Manager must ensure full compliance with:
- FSSAI standards and licensing for food processing.
- Food-grade handling, labelling, and packaging norms.
- Factory Act & Labour Regulations applicable to micro facilities.
- Environmental compliance—waste management, water usage, and safe disposal.
- Fire safety, EHS (Environment, Health, Safety) protocols.
- Maintenance of all statutory registers, records, and documentation.
4. Equipment & Maintenance
- Oversee operation and routine maintenance of processing equipment:
- Sorting & cleaning units
- Dryers / solar dryers / dehydration machines
- Grading and packaging machines
- Maintain equipment logs, AMC schedules, and breakdown records.
- Ensure power, water, and utility systems run efficiently.
5. Inventory & Supply Chain Coordination
- Monitor raw material inflow (Mahua flowers / forest-produce batches) using accurate weighing, logging, and batch tracking.
- Manage inventory for packaging materials, consumables, and spare parts.
- Coordinate dispatch, storage, and safe handling of finished products.
6. Team Leadership & Workforce Management
- Supervise plant helpers, sorters, packers, and machine operators.
- Conduct daily briefings on safety, hygiene, and production goals.
- Provide training for food handling, quality standards, and operational discipline.
- Foster a positive, compliant, and productivity-focused workplace culture.
7. Reporting & Documentation
- Maintain daily production and quality reports.
- Track yield, wastage, moisture levels, processing time, and product grade outcomes.
- Submit weekly reports on production metrics, challenges, and improvement plans.
Required Qualification & Experience
Education
- Diploma /B.Sc in Food Technology, Food Processing, Agriculture, Biotechnology, or related field
- 3–7 years experience in a food-processing unit, preferably micro or agro-based.
- Experience handling 100–200 kg/day operations is strongly preferred.
- Working knowledge of FSSAI norms, food safety standards, and micro-unit compliance.
Technical Competencies
- Understanding of dehydration, drying, sorting, grading, and food-grade handling.
- Knowledge of GMP, HACCP, SOPs, and hygiene protocols.
- Familiarity with micro-processing machinery and preventive maintenance.
- Strong documentation ability for compliance and audits.
Soft Skills
- Leadership & team management
- Problem solving & process improvement mindset
- Strong communication
- Discipline, accountability, and ethical work practices
Salary Range
As per industry standards; based on location & experience.