Plant Manager

Ready to take full ownership of a large-scale, export beef processing operation?

We are seeking a proven Plant Manager to lead our Grantham facility, driving performance across processing, boning, and logistics in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you will be accountable for safety, production, people, and profitability - ensuring the plant consistently delivers against operational and commercial targets.

About Us:

Stanbroke is a reputable family-owned Australian cattle and beef business. Our operations span Northern Queensland, with extensive cattle properties, backgrounding operations in Southern Queensland, state-of-the-art feedlots, a fully accredited beef processing facility, and global marketing capabilities. We offer a full range of grain-fed and grass-fed beef categories and export to over 40 countries worldwide.

About Your Role:

As Plant Manager, you will lead a workforce of 1000+ employees and a senior leadership team of up to 10 direct reports across operations, engineering, QA, and support functions.

You will take end-to-end responsibility for plant performance - from livestock receival through to finished product ensuring alignment across supply, production, and customer requirements.

What You’ll Be Responsible For:

• Leading all plant operations including processing, boning, rendering, value-add and loadout
• Delivering production targets across throughput, yield, and efficiency
• Driving cost control, labour optimisation, and plant performance
• Ensuring compliance with export, QA, food safety, and animal welfare standards
• Building and leading a high-performing leadership team
• Managing workforce planning, performance, and industrial relations
• Partnering with Engineering to maximise plant reliability and minimise downtime
• Aligning operations with livestock supply, customer specifications, and export schedules
• Identifying and implementing continuous improvement initiatives across the site
• Plant upgrades focused on efficiency, automation, and capacity growth
• Opportunity to play a key role in shaping future plant capability

About You:

You are an experienced operational leader with a strong track record in large-scale meat processing or food manufacturing environments.

You bring strong commercial nous and the ability to lead from the front, driving accountability and performance across a complex operation.

You will have:

• Proven experience managing large, multi-department operations
• Experience with export markets and QA/compliance requirements
• Demonstrated ability to lead large teams and senior leaders
• Strong financial and commercial acumen
• A hands-on, visible leadership style
• Lead performance improvement across a large-scale export processing facility
• Drive reductions in downtime and improve plant efficiency
• Lift yield performance and cost per head outcomes
• Driving accountability, structure, and performance discipline across the site

Why Join Us?

• Lead a large, high-performing processing facility
• Be part of a fully integrated Australian beef business
• Drive meaningful impact across operations, people, and performance
• Work in a role with real scale, complexity, and opportunity
• Opportunity to grow your career within a large, vertically integrated business, with scope to take on broader leadership and strategic responsibilities over time
• Come in, take ownership, fix performance, and build the future of the site

If you’re ready to take ownership of a major operation and deliver results at scale, we’d like to hear from you.