Almarai Company — the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy company, the #1 FMCG Brand in the MENA region, and the largest food and beverage manufacturing and distribution company in MENA — is seeking an exceptional senior leader to join their team as Divisional Manufacturing Improvement Manager at their Al-Kharj, Riyadh facility. Reporting to the Head of Manufacturing, this role will lead the deployment of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, HPWS, and change management strategies across multiple Almarai production areas — driving world-class operational excellence, eliminating losses, and building a sustainable continuous improvement culture focused on Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Sustainability, and Morale (SQCDSM). A minimum of 10 years of manufacturing excellence experience in food, dairy, or FMCG industries is required.
About Almarai — World’s Largest Dairy & #1 MENA FMCG Brand
Founded: 1977 — over 5 decades of sustainable growth guided by “Quality You Can Trust”
Scale: 46,000+ Quality Makers across GCC, Egypt, and Jordan — SAR 22 billion in sales (2025)
Portfolio: 20+ brands including Almarai, L’usine, 7DAYS, ALYOUM, Nuralac, Seama, Premier Chef, and more
Products: Dairy, juices, baked goods, poultry, infant formula, dates, fish & seafood, and bottled water
Ranking: #1 FMCG brand in MENA — market leader across all categories in GCC, Egypt, and Jordan
Career Opportunity — Manufacturing Excellence Leadership at Almarai
Senior Role: Lead Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and HPWS deployment across multiple Almarai dairy and food facilities
Global Standards: Drive SQCDSM manufacturing excellence at the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy company
Cross-Functional: Partner with manufacturing, engineering, quality, HSS, HR, and project teams across Almarai
Career Growth: Strong progression to Head of Manufacturing, VP Operations, or Group Manufacturing Director at Almarai
Position Overview
This Divisional Manufacturing Improvement Manager role at Almarai in Al-Kharj is one of the most senior and impactful manufacturing leadership positions available in the Saudi Arabia food and dairy industry. The successful candidate will lead manufacturing improvement and technical training teams — deploying Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), High-Performance Work Systems (HPWS), and structured change management programmes across multiple production areas. The role directly partners with manufacturing, engineering, quality, HSS, HR, and project teams to improve operational performance, eliminate production losses, enhance workforce capability, and embed a sustainable continuous improvement culture. All initiatives are aligned to Almarai’s SQCDSM framework — ensuring that every improvement drives measurable gains in Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Sustainability, and Morale. With a minimum of 10 years’ experience in Manufacturing Excellence, CI, TPM, or Lean leadership and preferred Six Sigma Black Belt or TPM Coach certification, this is a career-defining opportunity with the world’s most admired dairy company.
Why This Role Matters: As Divisional Manufacturing Improvement Manager at Almarai, you lead the operational transformation of the world’s largest dairy company’s production facilities — deploying Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and HPWS programmes that eliminate waste, improve quality, reduce costs, and build the manufacturing capability that allows 46,000 Quality Makers to consistently deliver products trusted by consumers across 11 markets. This is manufacturing excellence leadership with genuinely world-scale impact.
Key Responsibilities
Continuous Improvement Strategy Deployment
- Lead the deployment of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, and HPWS strategies across Almarai’s dairy and food manufacturing facilities
- Develop, champion, and embed a sustainable continuous improvement culture focused on SQCDSM across all production areas
- Design and implement structured CI roadmaps — translating strategy into practical, measurable, and time-bound improvement programmes
- Drive significant measurable improvements in manufacturing performance, productivity, quality, waste reduction, and equipment reliability
Team Leadership, Coaching & Capability Development
- Lead, develop, and inspire manufacturing improvement and technical training teams across multiple Almarai production sites
- Coach managers, team leaders, and frontline production staff in Lean, TPM, Six Sigma, and HPWS methodologies and practices
- Facilitate CI workshops, Kaizen events, problem-solving sessions, and capability-building programmes across the manufacturing organisation
- Build a deep internal pipeline of CI-capable leaders and practitioners across Almarai’s dairy and food manufacturing divisions
Loss Elimination & Operational Performance Improvement
- Identify, quantify, and systematically eliminate production losses across all SQCDSM dimensions using structured CI methodologies
- Apply Six Sigma DMAIC, Lean tools, and TPM pillars to address root causes of quality, cost, downtime, and safety performance gaps
- Deliver a strong track record of measurable cost savings, productivity improvements, and OEE gains across target production areas
- Monitor and track CI programme performance using data-driven KPIs — reporting progress to the Head of Manufacturing
Cross-Functional Partnership & Change Management
- Partner closely with manufacturing, engineering, quality, HSS, HR, and project teams to align CI initiatives with operational priorities
- Lead structured change management processes — engaging stakeholders, managing resistance, and driving sustainable behavioural change
- Support food safety and quality compliance by integrating ISO 9001, ISO 22000, HACCP, and GMP requirements into CI programmes
- Collaborate with project teams on new capacity investments and process improvements to embed CI from the design stage
Qualifications & Requirements
Educational Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Industrial Engineering, Engineering, Business Administration, Biotechnology, Chemistry, or related field
- Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, TPM Coach certification, or equivalent CI qualification would be a significant advantage
Experience Requirements
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in Manufacturing Excellence, Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, TPM, or Lean leadership
- Experience must include food, dairy, FMCG, or process manufacturing industries — direct dairy or food manufacturing preferred
- Proven experience leading and implementing Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, HPWS, and change management programmes at scale
- Sound knowledge of ISO 9001, ISO 22000, HACCP, GMP, and related food manufacturing quality management frameworks
Essential Competencies
- Strong leadership track record — developing teams, coaching managers, and building CI capability across large manufacturing operations
- Demonstrated ability to deliver measurable manufacturing improvements in productivity, quality, waste reduction, and cost savings
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making skills across complex multi-site manufacturing environments
- Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills for driving change across senior and frontline manufacturing teams
About Almarai Company — Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Almarai Company is one of the most admired, successful, and respected organisations in the world — the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy company, the #1 FMCG brand in the MENA region, and the market leader across all its categories in the GCC, Egypt, and Jordan. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Riyadh, Almarai reported SAR 22 billion in sales and SAR 2.4 billion in net income in 2025 — growing consistently across five decades under the guiding principle of “Quality You Can Trust.” With over 46,000 Quality Makers and a portfolio of more than 20 beloved brands across dairy, juices, bakery, poultry, infant formula, dates, fish, and bottled water, Almarai offers the Divisional Manufacturing Improvement Manager a career-defining opportunity to shape manufacturing excellence at a truly world-class and globally respected food company.
Career Excellence: Join Almarai at Al-Kharj — lead Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and HPWS continuous improvement across the world’s largest dairy company, drive SQCDSM manufacturing excellence, and build a distinguished career at the #1 FMCG brand in the MENA region.
Who Should Apply?
- Lean / Six Sigma Leaders: With 10+ years dairy, food, or FMCG manufacturing CI leadership experience seeking Almarai Saudi Arabia roles
- TPM / HPWS Managers: With Total Productive Maintenance or High-Performance Work Systems deployment experience in food manufacturing KSA
- Black Belt / TPM Coach Certified: With operational excellence leadership backgrounds and multi-site CI programme management experience
- Manufacturing Excellence Directors: Looking for a senior SQCDSM leadership role at the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy company
- FMCG Continuous Improvement Leaders: With ISO 22000, HACCP, GMP, and food manufacturing quality framework knowledge in GCC or international markets
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