Operations Shift Manager (Afternoon Shift)

Who are we?

Lyka is an Australian founded pet wellness company that’s shaking up an outdated industry and paving the way for happier, healthier pets. Despite medical advancements, animal lifespans are on the decline. Today, the average pet only reaches 37% of their full potential lifespan and statistics have shown us that many suffer from dental disease, cancer, and obesity. Simply put, the status quo is not enough.

As humans, we’ve experienced firsthand the positive impact fresh wholefoods can have on our health and wellbeing, and we believe our furry friends deserve the same. We're on a mission to do just that, starting with nutritionally balanced, wholefood meals delivered direct to doors around Australia. As the world’s most sustainable pet wellness company, we’re putting pets and our planet first - one bowl at a time.

Today, we are proud to share we’ve served over 100,000+ dogs & 100 million meals to puppers and their parents across Australia, and this is just the beginning. Our vision is to create multiple nutritional products, adding disease prevention meals and supplements, and expand into new markets.

Currently, we have a team of 250+ pet-obsessed people, and we're continuing to grow (yes, looking at you!). These carefully selected people are dedicated to building the next generation of technology and products to help empower pet parents to take control over their pet’s wellbeing.

Our Mission

The time we share with our pets is being cut short. Despite medical advancements, they’re getting sicker earlier. They’re dying prematurely. The industry has it backwards - prioritising treating symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. That’s where we come in.

At Lyka, we take a preventative, holistic and personalised approach to pet care. We look at the full picture, factoring in the diet, lifestyle and environment of each individual animal.

We don’t stop at symptoms, instead we dig for the root cause. We create nutrition plans unique to each pet, because it’s not just about living longer, but living well too.

Our mission is to increase the lifespan of dogs and cats.

What you'll own

Safety

• Drive awareness and compliance with Lyka's SOPs, policies and Golden SHEQ Rules
• Lead workplace inspections, GEMBA walks, and on-time action close-out
• Champion use of Lyka's SHEQ management system and continuous safety improvement forums

Quality & food safety

• Manage SOP, QA and QC documentation and audit operator performance
• Ensure FSSC, HACCP and GMP standards are upheld across all processes
• Track and investigate customer complaints and non-conformances, driving timely remediation
• Maintain accurate product quality records for full traceability

Delivery & customer service

• Own Achievement to Plan and Achievement to Schedule KPIs
• Coordinate across teams to ensure on-time delivery to a high quality standard
• Embed Lyka's Operational Management System (LOMS) and manufacturing best practice

People leadership

• Direct and develop frontline leaders and operators across your assigned shift
• Coordinate and manage manufacturing employees to achieve business targets
• Integrate shift actions with alternate shifts to ensure continuity

Continuous improvement

• Implement and actively encourage LEAN methodologies to reduce waste and increase efficiency
• Facilitate root cause analysis forums and drive corrective and preventative actions
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of HACCP and GMP standards

Requirements:
• 3+ years of leadership experience in an automated food processing or FMCG environment
• Proven experience managing a large workforce across multiple high-speed production lines
• Hands-on experience with HACCP, GMP and FSSC 22000 (FSSC highly regarded)
• Demonstrated track record of implementing LEAN methodologies
• Strong people leadership — you coach, develop, and get the best out of frontline teams
• Experience facilitating root cause analysis forums
• Mechanically minded with basic machine troubleshooting ability
• Strong operational IT skills and attention to detail
• Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, engineering or a related field (preferred)

Benefits:
• Work in a fast-growing start-up, experiencing what goes behind the scenes to sustain hyper-growth for a start-up with a physical product!
• Growth and Development - Lyka is growing extremely quickly, which means you will have the opportunity to experience different challenges every day and progressively acquire more responsibilities as our facility and team expands. We provide an annual budget for you to continue your personal development.
• Work for a sustainability focused company - we care about the health of our pets and our planet. We’re proud to be Australia’s only carbon-negative and plastic-negative pet company and we’re always looking at ways for us improve sustainability practices.
• Be part of a diverse top talent team, coming from widely different backgrounds and geographies.
• Up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave top-up.
• Wellbeing assistance and tools to take care of your mental and physical wellbeing so you can do your best work.
• Pupper parent support to care for your furry friends - flexible arrangements for new pets, pet-friendly offices, discounts, and financial allowance for dog training & care to help them live their best life.

We are committed to building inclusive and diverse teams

Lyka is an equal opportunity employer devoted to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. We celebrate diversity, are devoted to creating an inclusive environment for all staff and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application.