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Production Manager

Vow

Vow

Product
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posted on Jul 30, 2025

Location

Sydney

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

On-site

Department

Manufacturing

About us

Vow is a cultured meat company on a mission to feed billions and create food that’s good for your tastebuds, your health and your planet.

We’re bringing together cutting edge innovations in science, engineering, culinary and design to create new meats that meat lovers can choose selfishly because it’s nutritious and delicious, and we’re doing so in a sustainable way.

The role:

We’re looking for a Production Manager to lead day-to-day operations across Vow’s manufacturing processes. In this role, you’ll be responsible for delivering safe, efficient, and high-quality production as we scale from thousands to tens of thousands of kilograms of cultured meat per year.

You’ll be working at the intersection of food manufacturing and biotechnology, overseeing the transformation of biologically-derived inputs into finished products. This includes managing a growing team of technicians and operators, refining and scaling new processes, and building the systems and routines that enable consistent, compliant production.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll be on the floor, solving problems in real time, continuously improving performance, and working closely with teams across Engineering, Quality, and Product Development. If you’re driven by operational excellence, people leadership and love building things that scale this role is for you.

The experience/skills you will bring:

  • ~5+ years’ experience leading production teams in a food manufacturing or adjacent regulated manufacturing environment (e.g. pharmaceuticals, dairy, brewing, cosmetics, fermentation etc)

  • Deep understanding of food safety systems and compliance (HACCP, GMP, SQF or equivalent)

  • Proven ability to lead and develop frontline teams in a manufacturing setting

  • Experience managing new product trials, scaling processes, and building SOPs

  • Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills in fast-moving, cross-functional environments

  • Familiarity with Lean or continuous improvement frameworks

  • Excellent communication skills and comfort working across technical and non-technical teams

  • Digitally fluent and experienced with ERP systems, production metrics, and documentation tools

  • Bonus: Experience with novel or sensitive inputs (e.g. fermentation-based ingredients, cell-cultured materials)

You will:

Lead daily operations and team performance

  • Own the daily food production schedule and execution

  • Manage, coach, and develop a team of operators and technicians

  • Champion a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous learning

Ensure quality, safety, and compliance

  • Deliver against food safety standards (HACCP, GMP) and maintain audit readiness

  • Oversee production documentation, traceability, and adherence to SOPs

Scale production and improve processes

  • Work with NPI team to translate R&D prototypes into scalable, repeatable manufacturing processes

  • Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and use data to guide decisions and improve throughput, downtime, and cost per unit

Build manufacturing systems that scale

  • Develop and continuously improve SOPs, training tools, and documentation

  • Contribute to production planning, resourcing, and cross-functional coordination

  • Help lay the groundwork for multi-site operations as Vow’s volumes grow

What success looks like:

Within 3 months, you will:

  • Take ownership of daily production and core team routines

  • Build strong working relationships with stakeholders across QA, Engineering, and R&D

  • Identify and implement quick wins to improve workflow, safety, or output

Within 6 months, you will:

  • Support delivery of a successful production trial and support its transition into scale

  • Improve key performance metrics across cost, efficiency, and team performance

  • Establish team systems that support consistency and growth

Within 12 months, you will:

  • Lead a production function capable of delivering tens of thousands of kilograms annually

  • Build a team, systems, and culture ready to support new products, new formats, and new sites

  • Help position Vow as a world leader in cell-based food manufacturing through safe, scalable, and high-performance operations

Who we are and why join:

  • We are building a diverse, mission-led dream team of “Vowzers.” Our mission is to make food products for everyone. To do that well we need a workforce that’s representative of the people we serve. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view - so we’re building a culture to match. Be yourself and come as you are.

  • Work on cutting-edge technology. We’re bringing together cutting-edge innovations in science, engineering, and food, to recreate the world’s most tantalising and unique culinary experiences. All without compromising on ethics or our planet along the way. Since our inception in 2019, we have held the title of being the first startup to cultivate meat from the cells of an undomesticated animal, been called The Spaceship of the cultured meat industry by Forbes and launched our first product under the brand Forged in some of the hottest restaurants in Singapore.

  • Work with and learn from the best. Our team includes some of the world’s top scientists, innovators, operators, and creatives with decades of industry experience. Despite our experiences though, we all strive to build, break, learn, and repeat. We see the impossible as temporary and strive to learn and support our company and fellow Vowzers' growth as much as possible.

  • We’re fully funded and ready to go. We are a growing Aussie biotech start-up backed by Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Grok Ventures, Tenacious Ventures, P7 Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and PeakBridge VC.

Vow perks and benefits:

  • Everyone is an owner. In addition to competitive base salaries, each and every ‘Vowzer’ owns equity in the company so we can all benefit from our hard work and future success.

  • Generous paid parental leave. We offer 8 weeks of paid caregiver leave and an additional 8 weeks paid leave for the birth giver.

  • Generous relocation budget & support. Support for interstate or overseas team members and their families.

  • Unlimited personal leave. At Vow we recognise that sometimes sh*t happens. We don’t want you to stress about work when you need to deal with an emergency or are struggling with something truly difficult. We offer unlimited personal leave to empower you to truly bring your best self to work every single day.

  • Heaps of tasty samples from our culinary centre. Our fantastic "food inventors" on the Vow team are always cooking up new product prototypes, and all Vowzers are given the opportunity to taste, give feedback, and learn from their culinary prowess.

  • An awesome converted warehouse “campus” in Alexandria. Complete with a glass-walled lab, 2 factories, shower and towel service, bike rack, free snacks, a culinary centre and plenty of collaboration and chill zones.

  • Human and dog friendly office! An inclusive community and culture, in a welcoming office, complete with friendly “Vowzer” dogs!

  • A variety of social clubs. We encourage all our Vowzers to build the culture with us and share what you love by creating social clubs across the business. From book clubs to hiking groups, we’re always looking for ways to learn and engage with our team.