Reporting to the Group Operations Director, the purpose of the job is to provide overall leadership at the Plant with an overall responsibility of managing day to day activities in line with safety, quality, costs, productivity, staff morale and timely delivery objectives.

Department                 :           General Administration

Site                              :           Nairobi Feeds Plant

Reports to                   :           Group Operations Director

Supervises                 :            10 - Direct

Plant Operations

• Overall management and leadership of the Plant including assets and human resources.
• Manage Plant Capex and Opex budgets in line with agreed budgetary plans.
• Coordinate production of quality products in line with agreed production plans and cost to meet customer requirements.
• Liaise with the Nutritionist in the formulation process to produce products of the required specification at minimum costs.
• Set production targets for the various products and continuously align them to prevailing requirements/conditions.
• Ensure optimum stock holding of all materials, finished goods and spares consistent with requirements.
• Ensure adherence to stock management procedures and controls.
• Embed a strong risk management culture in the Plant.

Plant Efficiency

• Optimizing the use of plant and machinery to manufacture animal feeds at the prescribed product specifications.
• Oversee sustainability of the sites including strategic investment and improvement projects at the sites.
• Ensure proper maintenance of plants and machinery.
• Ensure operating units produce at optimal overall equipment effectiveness

People Management

• Lead a cross functional team within the site to ensure that it delivers within the budgeted costs and efficiencies – Goals & KPIs.
• Oversee work performance of staff including goal setting, their deployment, learning & development, staff welfare and follow disciplinary process in line with company policies.
• Ensure a competent and engaged workforce through an effective recruitment process and driving various programmes such as talent mapping, implementation of personal development plans, face-to-face feedback sessions, site meetings and succession planning.
• Coaching/mentoring employees to scale performance and engagement levels.

Food Safety

• Ensure the Food Safety Management System and customer specific quality standards are implemented and working.
• Support the Food & Safety team members at the Plant to perform their assigned responsibilities to drive a positive food safety culture.
• Ensure prompt resolution of customer complaints supported by Root Cause Analyses.
• Uphold Good Manufacturing Practices through implementation of the laid down prerequisite programmes/ procedures and staff training.

Occupational Safety, Health and Environment

• Ensure OSHA 2007 is implemented in the Plant and adhered to by all employees & outsourced contactors/visitors.
• Support the SHE Committee members at the Plant to perform their assigned duties and responsibilities.
• Drive a positive occupational safety ownership, health and welfare culture at all levels of the Plant including workplace inspection & hazard identification.
• Investigate all near misses, accidents and incidents and ensure timely reporting in line with policies & procedures.

Continual Improvement

• Ensure PaTaMu initiatives and projects are implemented leading to continual improvement.
• Ensure employees have a good understanding of Kaizen and how the PaTaMu model works.
• Continuously identify opportunities for improvement within the Plant.
• Encourage generation and implementation of PaTaMu ideas to drive a culture of innovation and creativity.
• Drive an effective accountability system in the Plant through daily work management. Utilize Daily Standard Work & Leader Standard Work

1. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS:
   1. Net Operating Profit
   2. Customer Service Index (Customer Complaints, Order Fulfillment, TAT)
   3. Plant Efficiency (OEE, Yield)
   4. Product & Service Quality
   5. Plant Costs (Labour, Utility, Repair & Maintenance, and other Overhead Costs)

1. COMMUNICATION AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Internal: UHL Leadership team – Sharing review and exchange of business information.

 Employees – Day to day Plant operations.

 Outsourced Service Providers – SLA Adherence and day to day operations.

External: Customers – Specifications, complaints and building relationships.

Suppliers- Initiating purchases, monitoring orders and deliveries.

Government /Local Authorities – Statutory and legal requirements

1. Minimum eight (8) years’ experience in production management and plant operations, four (4) of which should be at senior management level.
2. Knowledge of production planning and control with ERP – Understanding of SAP production module an added advantage.
3. Understanding for statutory and regulatory requirements in feed milling operations.
4. Good understanding of Food Safety Management Systems and experience in their application in the food industry - Knowledge and good understanding of ISO 22000
5. In depth knowledge of the working principles of all milling equipment
6. Good understanding of Continual Improvement Methodology
7. Good understanding of Financial Management
8. Good understanding of Supply Chain Operations and Management
9. Computer proficiency in Ms Office suite of applications.

Key Attributes/ Competencies:

1. Commercial acumen
2. Problem Solving Skills
3. Drive Execution
4. Technical Know How – Basic appreciation of the feed milling process.
5. Develop Self & Others

All applications should be submitted through [email protected], on or before 15th August 2024, with the job title as the subject line.

Female Candidates are encouraged to apply.