Factory Operations Manager

Karisa Consults Limited - Our client, a growing food manufacturing company, is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Summary

• The Company is seeking a young, dynamic, solutions-driven and hands-on Factory Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day execution of its factory operations in Kuje, Abuja.
• This is a critical leadership role for an individual who can think independently, solve problems quickly, lead people from the front, enforce operational discipline, and build a factory culture based on accountability, records, reporting, quality, productivity and continuous improvement.
• The ideal candidate must have experience in a manufacturing, food processing, FMCG, bakery, packaging or production environment.
• The candidate must also be comfortable managing different categories of staff, from production workers and team leads to supervisors, quality officers, stores officers, maintenance staff and security/facilities personnel.
• This role is not for someone who only wants to sit in an office. The Company requires a factory leader who is visible on the floor, understands the details of production, insists on proper controls, follows up on records, uses data to make decisions, and is willing to lead by example — including enforcing basic disciplines such as attendance, sign-in procedures, shift handovers, stock records, reporting and hygiene standards.
• The Factory Operations Manager will be responsible for ensuring that the factory runs efficiently, safely, transparently and profitably.

Core Purpose of the Role The purpose of this role is to create a single point of accountability for factory execution. The Factory Operations Manager will ensure that:

• Production targets are met daily, weekly and monthly. Factory workers, team leads and managers are properly supervised.
• Quality standards are maintained at every stage of production.
• Raw materials, packaging materials and finished goods are properly controlled. Maintenance issues are anticipated and resolved quickly.
• Records are accurate, timely and useful for decision-making.
• Factory problems are solved proactively, not passed upward unnecessarily.
• The CEO is no longer the day-to-day coordinator of factory activities.

Key Responsibilities

Factory Leadership and People Management:

• The Factory Operations Manager will provide firm, fair and visible leadership across the factory. Responsibilities include: Lead all factory departments, including pre-production, baking, packaging, quality, stores, maintenance, security and facilities.
• Supervise Production Managers, QA/QC, Stores & Inventory, Maintenance and Security/FM. Set daily expectations for all departments and follow through on execution.
• Drive discipline around attendance, punctuality, shift handovers, reporting and productivity.
• Manage different staff personalities and resolve workplace issues professionally.
• Coach team leads and supervisors to become more accountable and effective.
• Create a culture where staff understand targets, standards and consequences.
• Lead from the front and intervene directly when basic factory discipline is weak.
• Ensure staff understand that no task is beneath leadership where factory discipline is concerned.

Production Planning and Execution:

• The Factory Operations Manager will be accountable for ensuring that production plans are converted into actual output.
• Translate company sales and business goals into practical production plans.
• Coordinate daily production across pre-production, baking and packaging.
• Ensure production managers receive clear daily targets.
• Monitor planned versus actual production output. Identify causes of production shortfalls and implement corrective action.
• Ensure raw materials, packaging materials, labour and equipment are ready before production begins.
• Track output, yield, downtime, wastage and labour productivity.
• Reduce avoidable delays, idle time, rework and poor coordination between departments. Ensure finished goods are available on time and in the right quantity.

Problem-Solving and Continuous Improvement:

• The Company requires an out-of-the-box thinker who can diagnose problems and create practical solutions.
• Responsibilities include: Identify recurring factory bottlenecks and propose workable solutions. Solve problems quickly without waiting for the CEO to intervene on routine issues. Use data, observation and staff feedback to understand operational problems.
• Challenge inefficient ways of working and introduce better systems.
• Develop simple process improvements that reduce waste, cost, delays and errors.
• Escalate only material issues that require CEO decision-making. Take ownership of problems until they are resolved.
• Drive a factory culture of "find the issue, fix the issue, document the issue, prevent the issue."

Controls, Records and Reporting:

• The Factory Operations Manager must understand that a factory cannot run properly without controls, records and reporting.
• Responsibilities include: Ensure daily factory reports are completed accurately and on time.
• Review attendance records, production records, inventory records, quality records and maintenance reports.
• Ensure sign-in/sign-out procedures are followed by all relevant staff. Enforce proper documentation for materials issued, goods received, goods dispatched, wastage, rejects and downtime.
• Review daily variances between expected and actual material usage.
• Ensure factory records are not treated as paperwork, but as management tools. Submit daily, weekly and monthly reports to the CEO.
• Use records to detect gaps, inefficiencies, losses, stock issues and staff performance concerns Work with the Business Operations & Administration Manager and Data/Documentation Officer to improve factory data systems.

Inventory, Stores and Stock Control:

• The Factory Operations Manager will oversee inventory control as one of the factory's most important areas of discipline. Responsibilities include:
• Ensure raw materials, packaging materials and finished goods are properly recorded.
• Review opening stock, receipts, issues, consumption, wastage and closing stock.
• Ensure Stores & Inventory reports are accurate and reconciled. Investigate material variances, unexplained losses, shortages and excess usage.
• Ensure stock is issued only through approved procedures. Prevent leakages, poor documentation, theft, stock-outs and overstocking.
• Ensure finished goods are properly received from production and released for dispatch. Support periodic stock counts and inventory reconciliations.

Quality, Food Safety and Compliance:

• The Factory Operations Manager will ensure that output is not achieved at the expense of quality.

Responsibilities include:

• Work closely with the QA/QC team to enforce food safety and product quality standards.
• Ensure hygiene, sanitation and production standards are followed.
• Review quality issues, rejects, rework and customer complaints.
• Ensure non-conforming products are identified, isolated and properly handled.
• Support corrective and preventive action plans.
• Promote a factory culture where quality is everyone's responsibility.
• Ensure production teams comply with SOPs and quality checks.

Maintenance, Utilities and Factory Readiness:

• The Factory Operations Manager will ensure that machines, utilities and factory infrastructure support reliable production. Responsibilities include:

• Oversee maintenance planning and follow-up. Monitor equipment uptime, downtime, breakdowns and repairs

• Ensure preventive maintenance is carried out. Review generator performance, diesel usage and utility costs.

• Ensure maintenance issues are recorded, escalated and resolved quickly.

• Coordinate maintenance support to reduce production disruptions.

• Ensure spare parts and basic repair needs are anticipated.

• Technology, Systems and Data Use: The ideal candidate must be comfortable with technology and willing to use digital tools to improve factory performance. Responsibilities include:

• Use basic digital tools for reporting, monitoring and communication. Support the adoption of factory dashboards, spreadsheets, inventory systems or simple ERP tools.

• Ensure production and inventory data are captured accurately. Use data to monitor trends and make better decisions.

• Work with the Business Operations team to improve data quality and reporting. Encourage staff to adopt simple technology-enabled workflows. Identify opportunities to digitise manual factory processes.

• Key Performance Indicators The Factory Operations Manager will be measured against clear operational and leadership KPIs, including:

• Production KPIs Daily production target achievement. Weekly and monthly output performance. Production efficiency. Yield performance.

• Reduction in downtime. Reduction in rework and production losses.

• Packaging completion against plan.

• Inventory and Control KPIs Inventory accuracy.

• Timely stock reconciliation. Reduc