Our strategic partner is an international company specializing in rice milling and value-added rice-based products, supplying both domestic and export markets, with a strong commitment to quality, food safety, and operational excellence.

Location: Long An, Vietnam

Summary

Our strategic partner is seeking a Factory Manager – Rice Milling Operations to independently manage a paddy-to-rice processing facility. The role oversees production, quality, maintenance, procurement, warehouses, manpower, vendors, and regulatory coordination while optimizing costs, yield, recovery, and plant performance. Reporting to the Business Head – Rice / Management, the position requires full-time residence at the factory, with accommodation provided.

Job Responsibilities

Complete Factory Operations:

• Independently oversee all daily rice-mill operations.
• Maintain smooth paddy receiving, drying, cleaning, dehusking, whitening, polishing, grading, sorting, packing, and finished-goods handling.
• Schedule and monitor daily production against the target of 300–500 MT of paddy per day.
• Maximize effective use of machinery and factory capacity.
• Track production losses, recovery, broken percentage, head rice yield, and by-products.
• Identify production bottlenecks and take corrective action.
• Maintain preventive maintenance schedules and timely servicing of critical machinery.
• Work with machinery OEMs and technical service providers as needed.

Paddy Procurement & Supplier Network:

• Build and maintain a dependable network of paddy suppliers and aggregators throughout Vietnam.
• Select suitable paddy varieties and sourcing channels to meet customer requirements.
• Evaluate paddy quality before purchasing.
• Sustain effective relationships with farmers, collectors, traders, and paddy suppliers.
• Align paddy purchasing requirements with the commercial team.
• Track seasonal supply, quality, and prices across paddy varieties.
• Accept only approved paddy that meets the factory’s requirements.

Rice Quality Management:

• Take full ownership of finished-rice quality and required standards.
• Apply strong technical knowledge of grain length and appearance, moisture, milling degree, whiteness, polishing, Head Rice Yield, broken percentage, yellow grains, chalky grains, damaged/discoloured grains, red/black grains, foreign matter, paddy percentage, immature grains, and seeds and other impurities.
• Develop and maintain suitable quality-control procedures throughout production.
• Investigate customer complaints and implement corrective actions addressing root causes.
• Keep production aligned with customer specifications and export requirements.

Commercial Responsibilities:

• Apply strong commercial judgment alongside technical expertise.
• Assess how paddy quality, yield, processing losses, and production efficiency affect commercial results.
• Track milling recovery and production costs.
• Optimize paddy selection for the best commercial yield.
• Limit waste and avoid unnecessary operating expenditure.
• Understand the economics of rice varieties and processing configurations.
• Coordinate production plans and customer requirements with the commercial team.
• Advise management on paddy procurement, production costs, and finished-rice yield.
• Make commercially viable factory decisions aligned with company objectives.

Vendor & Service Provider Network:

• Establish and maintain a reliable network of Vietnamese vendors.
• Manage suppliers of paddy, packaging materials, spare parts, machinery, maintenance services, electrical/mechanical services, transport, labour and manpower, and other factory requirements.
• Negotiate competitive rates while preserving quality and reliability.
• Secure critical spare parts and consumables when required.

People & Manpower Management:

• Lead all factory employees and workers.
• Determine manpower needs based on production schedules.
• Assign duties and shifts effectively.
• Track employee performance, discipline, and attendance.
• Train staff in production procedures, quality standards, safety, and hygiene.
• Promote accountability and operational discipline.
• Address employee concerns and maintain a productive workplace.
• Provide adequate supervision on every shift.

Government & Regulatory Coordination:

• Coordinate with relevant Vietnamese government departments and local authorities.
• Maintain required licenses, registrations, permits, and statutory compliance.
• Work with government officials, inspectors, and regulators as needed.
• Maintain compliance with applicable requirements for food safety, environment, labour, fire safety, factory operations, rice/paddy processing, and exports.

Inventory & Warehouse Management:

• Track stocks of paddy, finished rice, broken rice, and by-products.
• Keep stock records accurate.
• Apply FIFO and stock rotation where appropriate.
• Reduce stock losses, contamination, moisture damage, and quality deterioration.
• Coordinate finished-product loading and dispatch.
• Maintain warehouse hygiene and effective pest control.

• Degree or Diploma in Rice Milling Technology, Food Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Food Processing, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Additional technical training in rice milling is an advantage.
• 5–10 years of relevant experience in rice milling, rice processing, or agricultural commodities.
• Proven hands-on experience independently managing a 300–500 MT/day paddy-to-rice mill.
• Technical expertise in paddy procurement, milling operations, quality control, production planning, maintenance, inventory, manpower, and vendor management.
• Commercial understanding of production costs, yield/recovery, processing losses, and factory efficiency.
• Experience working with government authorities and managing food safety, environment, labour, fire safety, and export requirements.
• Experience in modern Vietnamese rice mills supplying or exporting to international markets is strongly preferred, with established relationships across the Vietnamese paddy/rice supply chain.
• Strong leadership, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently and take ownership of factory performance.
• Willingness to reside at the factory full-time and supervise early-morning/night shifts or respond immediately to operational issues when required. Factory accommodation is provided.