At Real Pet Food Company (RPF), we’re here to feed pets the real food they deserve — food made with real, recognisable ingredients, produced ethically and responsibly, and designed to help pets live healthier, happier lives.

We believe in keeping it real. Doing the right thing by our pets, our people, our partners and our planet. That belief shows up in how we source ingredients, how we manufacture, and how we lead.

We’re a fast-growing, values-led FMCG manufacturer who has been in operation for over 30 years and who are behind some of Australia’s most loved pet food brands — Ivory Coat, Farmers Market, Nature’s Gift, Trilogy and Fussy Cat — and we’re now looking for an exceptional Site Operations Manager to lead our largest wet food manufacturing site in Yatala.

The Opportunity

This is a high-impact, high-accountability leadership role at the heart of our business.

As Site Operations Manager, you will take full ownership of the day-to-day performance and future capability of our Yatala site — a complex, fast-paced, short shelf-life operation producing fresh, raw-ingredient pet food.

This is not an easy site — and that’s exactly why it matters.

We’re looking for a leader who:

• Wants to see the business thrive, not just “run”

• Takes personal pride in building something meaningful

• Understands that while the work can be demanding, it is deeply valued — by the business, by pet parents, and by the teams who show up every day

• Has the managerial courage to challenge the status quo - you hold yourself and your team to account and lean into process improvements that contribute to positive commercial outcomes.

You will champion safety, quality and reliability, lead with care and accountability, and create an environment where people feel supported, challenged and proud of the role they play. Reporting to our Chief Operations Officer, you will have 6 direct reports and together you will form the Yatala Leadership Team.

What You’ll Be Responsible For:

Leading the Site

• Take full accountability for safety, quality, production, cost, service and people outcomes

• Lead a multi-shift, wet manufacturing environment, including raw meat processing

• Set the tone for a strong safety-first culture, with visible leadership across all shifts

• Ensure operational stability while continuously improving performance

• Lead by example and hold others to account - in a fast-paced environment we don't always 'get it right' but we can stay focused and committed to operational excellence across production, engineering, maintenance, operations, warehousing, inventory and supply chain. 

Operations, Engineering & Reliability

• Oversee all daily site operations including manufacturing, maintenance, reliability, planning, warehousing and logistics

• Drive asset performance through effective maintenance strategies, reliability engineering and OEE improvement

• Work collaboratively with your SME's to Identify and implement opportunities to reduce waste, improve labour efficiency and manage overtime responsibly

• Ensure systems, standards and processes support food safety, compliance and consistency

Continuous Improvement & Growth

• Champion a continuous improvement mindset grounded in data, root cause analysis and structured problem-solving

• Implement improvements that balance pace with sustainability — doing things properly, not just quickly

• Stay current with best-practice manufacturing and production management approaches

People & Culture

• Lead, coach and develop a strong site leadership team - this role has an amazing team of SME's who are experienced and qualified in their fields of Operations, CI, Production and Warehousing and working together you will create genuine improvements and lead by example. 

• Empower teams to grow, building clear development and career pathways

• Create a culture of accountability, respect and care

• Work closely with ANZ Operations and central support teams (Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, Corporate) to ensure alignment and shared success

About You

You are a credible, commercially astute and grounded manufacturing leader who leads from the floor as comfortably as you do in the leadership room.

You bring:

• Senior leadership experience within FMCG, fresh food, meat processing or short shelf-life manufacturing

• Proven experience leading multi-shift, high-throughput operations

• Deep capability across safety, quality, production, reliability and people leadership

• A calm, measured leadership style that builds trust quickly

• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to navigate complexity

• A proactive, problem-solving mindset — willing to challenge the status quo when it’s in service of better outcomes

Technical & Professional Background

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field, or equivalent professional experience

• Experience with retorting, pouch technology, drying or wet processing highly regarded

• Experience implementing new systems, process changes and training programs

• Proven ability to manage and execute strategies related to budgeting, planning, workforce management and operational metrics

• Lean Six Sigma capability or certification highly regarded

What Matters Most Here

At Real Pet Food, how you lead matters as much as what you deliver.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Leads with integrity, care and courage

• Takes ownership and follows through

• Believes safety and quality are never negotiable

• Invests in people and holds them to high standards

• Wants to be part of something bigger than themselves

The work isn’t always easy — but it is meaningful, respected and valued.

What’s On Offer

• A rare opportunity to lead RPF’s largest and most critical manufacturing site

• A values-led organisation where your leadership genuinely matters

• Strong support from ANZ Operations and functional experts

• Competitive senior leadership package including base salary, superannuation and performance incentives

• The chance to leave a legacy — for your team, the business, and the pets who rely on us