The Business: Patties Foods is a true Australian success story. With humble beginnings in 1966 as a family-owned cake shop in Lakes Entrance, Victoria, we have grown into one of Australia's most loved manufacturers, suppliers, and marketers of leading branded frozen savoury, frozen meals, and dessert products. In recent years, Patties Foods has also started exporting to Japan and the USA, introducing the great Australian taste to the global market. We have extended our manufacturing footprint, with plants in Victoria, South Australia, and New Zealand. Our company values of courage, trust, integrity, and ownership reflect our origin as a proudly local company and have helped form a strong foundation for international growth. Patties Foods' brands have become household names across the nation, but to make our great brands happen, we need great people - and that's where you come in. The Role: We have an exciting opportunity for a Day Shift Manager – Meals to join our team in Pakenham. Reporting to the Manufacturing Manager, you will lead the day-to-day operation of the Frozen Meals value stream, driving performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost. As a key member of the production leadership team, you will be responsible for leading and developing a high-performing team, ensuring production plans are executed efficiently, and embedding a strong culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and engagement. This role will play a critical part in leading the production team through a significant capital implementation, including the introduction of new equipment, production lines and products. You will work closely with Engineering and NPD to support commissioning, trials and go-live activities, ensuring a safe, structured and successful transition into full-scale operations. This is a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of site transformation, shaping how we operate into the future. Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to: Lead day-to-day operations of the Frozen Meals value stream, delivering against Safety, Quality, Service and Cost targets. Drive team performance across key metrics including OEE, labour efficiency, waste and line speed, using structured daily reviews. Champion a safety-first and quality-focused culture, ensuring compliance with GMP, HACCP and site standards. Lead the production team through a major capital implementation, including new lines, equipment and products. Support planning and execution for commissioning, trials and go-live activities in partnership with Engineering, NPD and Maintenance, ensuring a smooth transition to full production. Drive line stabilisation and performance ramp-up, embedding standards, and capability. Lead, coach and develop a high-performing, engaged team, providing clear expectations and real-time feedback. Build team capability to operate new equipment and processes, ensuring strong training, SOPs and multi-skilling. Lead problem-solving and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce waste, improve efficiency and simplify operations, influencing change and improvements across 3 shifts. Collaborate cross-functionally with Planning, Supply, Maintenance, Engineering and NPD to deliver production and project outcomes. The Person: Proven experience leading production teams in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, with the ability to drive performance and engagement. Demonstrated experience leading teams through change and transformation, ideally including capital projects, new equipment or line start-ups. Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence across operations, engineering, supply and quality teams. Well-developed problem-solving and analytical capability, able to interpret data and translate insights into clear actions for the team. A proactive decision-maker, comfortable making timely decisions under pressure, including with incomplete information. High attention to detail with a strong focus on standards, accuracy and operational discipline. A strong commitment to safety leadership, with a track record of driving safe behaviours and continuous improvement. Experience working within GMP / food manufacturing environments, with an understanding of quality and compliance requirements. This is a great opportunity to become part of a great business and help to drive a culture of success. If this sounds like an opportunity that interests you, apply now. You must have the right to work and live in Australia for this role. We do not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. No fee of any type will be paid in the event we hire a candidate whose resume is submitted by an employment agency to any of our employees without a valid written recruitment agreement. Such resumes shall be deemed the sole property of Patties Foods.