Plant Head - (Edible Oils, Fats, Margarine or Refinery Operations)

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