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.