REPORTING TO: General Manager

LOCATION: Nairobi

Our client, in the tea processing industry, is looking to fill the position of Production Manager.

JOB PURPOSE

Responsible for ensuring sufficient availability of and efficient utilization of production resources in order to produce sufficient and quality products to meet market demand and expectations while maintaining great staff and customer experience at a minimum cost.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy formulation and execution: Formulate and execute the production strategy and budgets to ensure that production operates optimally and is aligned with the overall organizational goals and objectives.

Budgeting: Regularly prepare budgets and cost estimates for production in order to manage the cost of production in real-time.

Production Planning: Ensure timely production planning through:  

• Work closely with the sales administrator in forecasting production demand by forward planning and execution of production plans.
• Planning and organising production schedules.

Production Execution: Ensure a smooth production flow by:  

• Timely assembling of required raw and production materials in order to produce sufficient and quality products meeting market demand and expectations.
• Allocating work to production staff by dividing responsibilities and tasks across the team to make production more efficient.
• Achieve the Production Target as per the Production Plan by setting up, monitoring and verifying all production targets of the day.

Production Monitoring: Monitor production activities to ensure the production of quality products by:  

• Adhering to the specified standards in order to sufficiently meet market demand for great customer experience.
• Ensure that all quality products produced are kept in the right place in the store and registered in the system for their safety, easier access and accountability.

Production Efficiency: Attain set production efficiency by:  

• Ensuring all production machines and resources are working and in good condition to achieve set standards of Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE).
• Ensuring minimal waste generation during production by training, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating waste generation minimization activities.
• Enforcing asset care practices to enhance the efficiency and life of the production equipment.  
• Track the plant performance metrics and lead the conception and implementation of methods that improve efficiency, utilization rate, productivity year-on-year on quality, and speed cost with the aim of achieving world-class utilisation standards.
• Create an environment that supports the development and implementation of new ideas, improved methods, systems, and work processes that will lead to the reduction of production costs.
• Drive the utilization of available automation in the day-to-day operations.

Team Management: Cultivate a high-performance culture by:  

• Communicating company policies to production staff through training, sensitization and enforcing the policies in order to achieve high performance and great staff experience.
• Maintenance of discipline among production staff through training, sensitization and enforcement of production rules, regulations, and the company code of conduct for great staff experience.
• Ensuring great staff experience by assigning roles, and tasks to each and compensating them accordingly.

Compliance: Drive compliance with all safety, health and environment standards, policies, and procedures in the plant through training, reviews and taking corrective action against non-compliant employees.

Reporting: Compile production reports and any other report related to production to aid in decision-making.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (HAVE AT LEAST 5)

• Production plans produced.
• Fulfilment of production target.
• Compliance with food safety standards and statutory requirements.
• Machine downtime.
• Incident report.
• Level of Overall Equipment Efficiency.
• Production staff development plan and training.
• Inventory Management Report.
• Level of waste.
• The number of customer complaints on products.
• Adherence to the set PPEs standards.

QUALIFICATION, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND TRAITS

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology, Food Nutrition and Dietetics, Industrial Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry and Manufacturing, Production or any other relevant Production related discipline.
• Qualified and proficient in ISO 22000, and FSSC 22000 and a qualified ISO systems auditor.
• Seven (7) years of experience in a busy production industry (3) of which must have been at the supervisory level in a Food production environment.
• Leadership & Results Orientation: demonstrated exposure and experience in managing industrial relations for talent retention and promotion of the organization’s values; Driving results through people; and holding individuals accountable for results through continuous follow-through initiatives.
• Planning and Coordination: - demonstrated hands-on experience in developing and executing production plans; coordinating the day-to-day operations of a department in a manner that facilitates growth.
• Strategic mindset: able to have a long-term perspective of the organization; see the big picture and guide others towards that envisioned goal.
• Professionalism: Negotiation & Communication skills: able to engage, persuade and convince stakeholders in order to get desired decisions, information and output in line with the envisioned deliverables.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: have a business thinking and see the commercial aspects of various initiatives.
• Stakeholder Management: Able to engage effectively with internal and external stakeholders to ensure production requirements are met.

All applicants are advised to adhere to application guidelines for consideration. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

NB: Flexi Personnel does not charge candidates for job placement.