Job description

The Assistant Processing Plant Manager is responsible for supporting the Processing Plant Manager in overseeing all poultry processing operations, ensuring efficient workflow from bird reception through to final product dispatch. This includes assisting in maintaining compliance with food safety, quality standards, operational efficiency, and regulatory requirements across all processing stages.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

Strategy Support & Execution

• Support the implementation of departmental objectives and KPIs in line with the organization’s overall strategy.
• Assist in monitoring departmental performance and highlight deviations, supporting corrective actions where required.
• Contribute to the execution of operational plans to achieve production and efficiency targets.

Budget & Cost Control

• Assist in monitoring departmental expenditures and ensuring operations remain within approved budget limits.
• Support in tracking cost variances and preparing preliminary analysis for review by the Processing Plant Manager.

Policies & Procedures

• Support the implementation of departmental policies and procedures in compliance with organizational standards, food safety regulations, and industry best practices.
• Ensure adherence to established SOPs across all processing activities.

Processing Plant Operations

• Assist in coordinating poultry processing operations including bird reception, slaughtering, cutting, evisceration, chilling, freezing, packaging, and dispatch preparation.
• Support monitoring of production planning and assist in ensuring alignment with sales and customer demand requirements.
• Assist in ensuring proper maintenance of cold chain conditions throughout processing, storage, and transportation stages.
• Monitor day-to-day processing activities to ensure compliance with food safety standards including HACCP, GMP, SSOP, and hygiene protocols.
• Support supervision of production lines including grading, portioning, deboning, packaging, and product handling activities.
• Assist in ensuring proper implementation of quality control checks across all processing stages.
• Support enforcement of health, safety, security, and sanitation standards across the plant.
• Assist in monitoring loading activities to ensure correct temperature control and product integrity during dispatch.
• Report operational issues, deviations, and risks to the Processing Plant Manager in a timely manner.
• Perform any other duties assigned by the Processing Plant Manager.

People Management Support

• Assist in workforce planning and coordination with HR for staffing requirements.
• Support in monitoring attendance, leave planning, and manpower allocation across shifts.
• Participate in performance evaluation processes and provide input on employee performance.
• Support identification of training needs and follow up on training implementation.
• Assist in task delegation and coordination of daily responsibilities across teams.

Reporting

• Assist in preparing operational and performance reports for submission to management.
• Review basic reports from supervisors and provide initial feedback or escalation to the Processing Plant Manager.

Skills

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science, Poultry Science, Food Science, or related field.
• Master’s degree is an advantage.
• Minimum 6–8 years of experience in poultry processing or food manufacturing operations.
• Prior supervisory or assistant managerial experience is preferred.