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The Role
Lead end-to-end edible oils, fats, margarine, refinery, fractionation, packaging, utilities, and engineering operations. Own manufacturing performance, profitability, capacity strategy, inventory, costs, yield optimization, quality and food safety, asset reliability, Lean transformation, capital projects, and employee development. Manage multiple production lines and more than 200 employees while ensuring safety, environmental compliance, operational excellence, and delivery of production and financial targets.
Summary Generated by Built In
Position Title: Plant Head - (Edible Oils, Fats, Margarine or Refinery Operations)
Location: Kiambu, Kenya
Reporting To: Operations – Head
Direct Reports
• Refinery Managers
• Fractionation Manager
• Oils Packing Manager
• Fats & Margarine Production Manager
• Utilities & Engineering Manager
• QA/QC Manager
• Planning Manager
• Lean / Continuous Improvement Leads
ROLE PURPOSE
To provide strategic and operational leadership for the entire refinery, oils, fats and margarine manufacturing business by ensuring world-class levels of safety, quality, cost, delivery, inventory optimization, asset utilization and people capability development while delivering business profitability targets.
The incumbent will lead the end-to-end manufacturing value stream covering:
• Crude oil refining
• Fractionation
• Oils production
• Fats manufacturing
• Margarine manufacturing
• Packaging operations
• Utilities and engineering
• RM PM inventory management
• Continuous improvement and Lean transformation
The role is accountable for delivering operational excellence while maintaining the highest standards of food safety, product quality, environmental compliance and employee engagement.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Business Leadership: Lead DRT operations, manufacturing performance, profitability, EBITDA growth, and long-term capacity/investment strategies.
• Manufacturing Excellence: Optimize refinery, fractionation, packing, throughput, OEE, reliability, and production plan adherence.
• Supply Chain & Inventory: Optimize raw materials, WIP and finished goods, inventory turnover, working capital, and stock accuracy.
• Cost Management: Control manufacturing, labor, utilities, maintenance, logistics costs, and drive yield and cost-per-MT improvements.
• Refinery & Yield Optimization: Improve refining efficiency, reduce oil losses, and optimize chemical, steam and energy consumption.
• Quality & Food Safety: Ensure food safety compliance, First Time Right production, and reduction of complaints, rework and rejections.
• Engineering & Utilities: Drive equipment reliability, preventive/predictive maintenance, plant uptime, and utility efficiency.
• Lean & Continuous Improvement: Lead Lean, TPM, Kaizen, OEE and waste-reduction initiatives to improve productivity and efficiency.
• People Leadership: Build high-performing teams, develop talent and succession pipelines, and drive employee engagement.
• Health, Safety & Environment: Promote a zero-harm culture and ensure statutory, safety and environmental compliance.
• Project Leadership: Lead strategic capital projects, ensuring timely delivery, budget adherence and targeted ROI.
Requirements
IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE
Education
Mandatory
Bachelor's Degree in one of the following:
• Chemical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Food Process Engineering
Preferred
• Master's Degree (MBA, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Excellence)
• Professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma or TPM
Highly Desirable Certifications
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
• TPM Practitioner
• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor
• ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Minimum
• 15 years experience in FMCG manufacturing.
• Minimum 10 years in edible oils, fats, margarine or refinery operations.
• At least 5 years in a senior leadership position managing multiple manufacturing
• Candidates currently serving in roles such as Plant Head, Refinery Manager, Head of Manufacturing, Factory General Manager, or Operations Head are encouraged to apply.
Technical Competencies:
Strong expertise in edible oil refining, fractionation, hydrogenation, interesterification, margarine manufacturing, blending, quality management, utilities, energy optimization, yield & inventory improvement, SAP ERP, S&OP, Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Kaizen, OEE, and continuous improvement.
Leadership Competencies:
Strategic thinking, business & commercial acumen, change leadership, people development, stakeholder management, results orientation, operational excellence, financial acumen, and data-driven decision-making.
Scale Managed
• 200+ employees
• Multiple production lines
• Annual production exceeding 100,000 MT
• Multi-product FMCG manufacturing environment
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Food Process Engineering
- Minimum 15 years of experience in FMCG manufacturing
- Minimum 10 years of experience in edible oils, fats, margarine, or refinery operations
- At least 5 years in a senior leadership position managing multiple manufacturing operations
- Expertise in edible oil refining, fractionation, hydrogenation, interesterification, margarine manufacturing, blending, quality management, utilities, energy optimization, yield and inventory improvement, SAP ERP, S&OP, Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Kaizen, OEE, and continuous improvement
- Master's degree in MBA, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or Manufacturing Excellence
- Professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or TPM
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification
- TPM Practitioner certification
- ISO 9001 Lead Auditor certification
- ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 certification
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