Head of Food Production & Operations

Our Client is one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing diversified consumer goods companies, with interests spanning modern retail, quick service restaurants (QSR), entertainment, and manufacturing. Founded in 1982 in Ibadan, the company has grown from a single neighborhood store into a Top 10 national supermarket chain, recognized for its strong sales performance and expanding store network.

Job Description

Principal Duties / Responsibilities

Manufacturing Strategy & Operational Excellence

1. Develop and execute The company’s manufacturing strategy in alignment with the company's growth objectives.
2. Lead production planning and execution to consistently deliver products on time, in full, and to specification.
3. Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Continuous Improvement initiatives across all production facilities.
4. Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), production efficiency, labour productivity, and manufacturing throughput.
5. Optimize manufacturing capacity to support new stores, increased demand, and future business expansion.
6. Establish standardized operating procedures and best practices across all manufacturing sites.
7. Develop production performance dashboards to monitor key operational metrics and drive data-based decision-making.

Operational Risk, Sustainability & Business Continuity

1. Identify and proactively mitigate operational, quality, and supply chain risks affecting manufacturing performance.
2. Develop and maintain business continuity plans for production operations.
3. Improve energy efficiency, utility management, and environmental sustainability initiatives.
4. Ensure operational readiness for equipment failures, supply disruptions, and emergency situations.
5. Promote workplace safety and ensure compliance with Occupational Health & Safety standards.
6. Lead incident investigations and implement preventive actions to eliminate repeat occurrences.

Leadership, People Development & Culture

1. Build and lead high-performing production teams across all manufacturing units.
2. Develop succession plans for all critical manufacturing positions. Coach Production Managers and Supervisors to improve leadership effectiveness.
3. Embed the GAMEON values and a high-performance culture within manufacturing operations.
4. Drive employee engagement, capability development, and accountability across the production workforce.
5. Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, teamwork, and operational discipline.

Product Innovation & Manufacturing Capability

1. Support Research & Development and Commercial teams in the successful commercialization of new products.
2. Ensure manufacturing readiness for new product introductions. Improve speed-to-market for new product launches.
3. Evaluate emerging manufacturing technologies and production methodologies.
4. Lead capital investment planning for production expansion and modernization.
5. Build manufacturing capability to support the long-term growth strategy.

Supply Chain Integration & Product Availability

1. Collaborate with Supply Chain, Procurement, Logistics, and Retail Operations to improve end-to-end product availability.
2. Improve production forecasting accuracy and production scheduling.
3. Ensure raw material availability to support uninterrupted production.
4. Minimize production-related stock-outs and emergency production runs.
5. Support Sales and Commercial teams during peak demand periods and new product launches.
6. Drive cross-functional Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) processes.

Manufacturing Productivity & Cost Leadership

1. Drive year-on-year improvements in manufacturing productivity and operational efficiency.
2. Optimize material utilization, production yield, and labour deployment.
3. Reduce manufacturing waste, rework, and conversion costs without compromising product quality.
4. Lead annual manufacturing cost improvement initiatives.
5. Monitor and manage manufacturing budgets, cost variances, and operational expenditure.
6. Identify automation and technology opportunities to improve operational performance.

Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance

1. Champion a world-class food safety culture across all manufacturing operations.
2. Ensure compliance with NAFDAC, SON, HACCP, GMP, ISO standards, and all applicable regulatory requirements.
3. Lead Quality Assurance and Quality Control systems to ensure consistent product quality.
4. Drive continuous improvement in product quality, first-pass yield, and customer satisfaction.
5. Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality deviations and food safety incidents.
6. Ensure full traceability, product integrity, and recall readiness across all manufacturing operations.

Qualifications

1. Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Production Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline.
2. MBA or Master's degree in Operations Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, or Business Administration is an advantage.
3. Professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, HACCP, ISO 22000, GMP, or related disciplines are highly desirable
4. Minimum 12–15 years of progressive experience in food manufacturing or FMCG operations.
5. At least 7 years in a senior manufacturing leadership role with responsibility for multiple production lines or manufacturing sites. 
6. Demonstrated success in driving operational excellence, manufacturing productivity, quality improvement, and cost optimization within a high-volume food manufacturing environment.
7. Proven experience leading large, multidisciplinary teams and delivering transformational manufacturing initiatives.