A leading diversified consumer goods company is recruiting a qualified and experienced professional for the position of Head of Food Production & Operations. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership across manufacturing operations, food production, quality, operational excellence, and supply chain integration to support business growth and operational efficiency.
Company: Deloitte Nigeria (Recruiting on behalf of Client) | Location: Lagos, Nigeria | Job Type: Full-time | Industry: FMCG / Manufacturing / Retail |
About the Company
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 neighbourhood store into one of Nigeria’s Top 10 supermarket chains, recognised for its strong sales performance and rapidly expanding store network.
Job Title: Head of Food Production & Operations
The Head of Food Production & Operations will be responsible for providing strategic leadership across all manufacturing operations, ensuring world-class food production standards, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, product innovation, and sustainable business growth.
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 company’s 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.
Qualifications
Candidates should possess the following qualifications and experience:
- 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 will be an added advantage.
- Professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, HACCP, ISO 22000, GMP, or related disciplines are highly desirable.
- Minimum of 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.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should apply online via the SmartRecruiters Careers Portal using the link below:
https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/Deloitte6/744000142155029-head-of-food-production-operations
Application Closing Date: Not Specified