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. Principal Duties / Responsibilities Manufacturing Strategy & Operational Excellence - Develop and execute The company’s manufacturing strategy in alignment with the company's growth objectives. - Lead production planning and execution to consistently deliver products on time, in full, and to specification. - Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Continuous Improvement initiatives across all production facilities. - Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), production efficiency, labour productivity, and manufacturing throughput. - Optimize manufacturing capacity to support new stores, increased demand, and future business expansion. - Establish standardized operating procedures and best practices across all manufacturing sites. - Develop production performance dashboards to monitor key operational metrics and drive data-based decision-making.  Operational Risk, Sustainability & Business Continuity   - Identify and proactively mitigate operational, quality, and supply chain risks affecting manufacturing performance. - Develop and maintain business continuity plans for production operations. - Improve energy efficiency, utility management, and environmental sustainability initiatives. - Ensure operational readiness for equipment failures, supply disruptions, and emergency situations. - Promote workplace safety and ensure compliance with Occupational Health & Safety standards. - Lead incident investigations and implement preventive actions to eliminate repeat occurrences.    Leadership, People Development & Culture - Build and lead high-performing production teams across all manufacturing units. - Develop succession plans for all critical manufacturing positions. Coach Production Managers and Supervisors to improve leadership effectiveness. - Embed the GAMEON values and a high-performance culture within manufacturing operations. - Drive employee engagement, capability development, and accountability across the production workforce. - Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, teamwork, and operational discipline.Product Innovation & Manufacturing Capability - Support Research & Development and Commercial teams in the successful commercialization of new products. - Ensure manufacturing readiness for new product introductions. Improve speed-to-market for new product launches. - Evaluate emerging manufacturing technologies and production methodologies. - Lead capital investment planning for production expansion and modernization. - Build manufacturing capability to support the long-term growth strategy.  Supply Chain Integration & Product Availability - Collaborate with Supply Chain, Procurement, Logistics, and Retail Operations to improve end-to-end product availability. - Improve production forecasting accuracy and production scheduling. - Ensure raw material availability to support uninterrupted production. - Minimize production-related stock-outs and emergency production runs. - Support Sales and Commercial teams during peak demand periods and new product launches. - Drive cross-functional Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) processes.  Manufacturing Productivity & Cost Leadership - Drive year-on-year improvements in manufacturing productivity and operational efficiency. - Optimize material utilization, production yield, and labour deployment. - Reduce manufacturing waste, rework, and conversion costs without compromising product quality. - Lead annual manufacturing cost improvement initiatives. - Monitor and manage manufacturing budgets, cost variances, and operational expenditure. - Identify automation and technology opportunities to improve operational performance.Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance - Champion a world-class food safety culture across all manufacturing operations. - Ensure compliance with NAFDAC, SON, HACCP, GMP, ISO standards, and all applicable regulatory requirements. - Lead Quality Assurance and Quality Control systems to ensure consistent product quality. - Drive continuous improvement in product quality, first-pass yield, and customer satisfaction. - Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality deviations and food safety incidents. - Ensure full traceability, product integrity, and recall readiness across all manufacturing operations.  - Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Production Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline. - MBA or Master's degree in Operations Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, or Business Administration is an advantage. - Professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, HACCP, ISO 22000, GMP, or related disciplines are highly desirable - Minimum 12–15 years of progressive experience in food manufacturing or FMCG operations. - At least 7 years in a senior manufacturing leadership role with responsibility for multiple production lines or manufacturing sites.  - Demonstrated success in driving operational excellence, manufacturing productivity, quality improvement, and cost optimization within a high-volume food manufacturing environment. - Proven experience leading large, multidisciplinary teams and delivering transformational manufacturing initiatives.