Production Manager

Background

Natural Extracts Industries Ltd (NEI) is a social enterprise company pioneering the sustainable flavour extract manufacturing industry in Tanzania, focusing on vanilla, cocoa, and coffee. The company works in all areas from cultivation, to post-harvest processing, to value-add manufacturing and to international sales and marketing.  The supply chain currently integrates over 8,000 farmers from eight regions in Tanzania and two regions in Uganda, and through this sourcing model NEI aims to deliver long-term socioeconomic impact, increasing smallholder household net income by 50%, on average.  The company is undertaking an aggressive growth journey, featuring European and US market expansions (including partnerships and potential joint ventures), establishing a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, and expanding supply-side volumes.

Job Summary

The Production Manager will be required to have an entrepreneurial outlook, natural gravitas, self-initiative, and an ownership mindset as the driving forces to success and aligning the team toward a unified vision of excellence.

Duties & Responsibilities

The Production Manager will have the following responsibilities:

1. Oversee daily departmental activities, including problem solving, to consistently achieve output, quality, and delivery KPIs, with accountability for variances.
2. Oversee the procurement, maintenance, and optimal use of departmental assets to ensure reliability, quality, and food safety, without exceeding budget constraints, with accountability for asset performance and costs.
3. Lead, coach, and develop production staff to achieve departmental targets/KPIs and build future capability.
4. Manage departmental labor relations and resolve workplace issues, including participation in disciplinary processes as complainant or chairperson, in line with Tanzanian labour law.
5. Ensure that all departmental work instructions, safety rules, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are developed, regularly updated, and kept valid in alignment with legal requirements, company policies, and relevant certification standards (e.g., FSSC 22000, GCLA), with accountability for their currency and applicability
6. Prepare and manage departmental budgets to improve and sustain gross margins without compromising employee well-being, quality, or food safety, with accountability for budget adherence.
7. Produce regular KPI reports on departmental performance (process, quality, food safety, sustainability, capacity utilization, talent pipeline) and present analysis and recommendations to senior management.
8. Translate company objectives into departmental targets, KPIs, and actionable plans, with accountability for delivery.
9. Foster a departmental culture that reflects the company’s values: Integrity, Creativity, Passion, Sustainability, and Inclusivity.
10. Provide leadership to ensure that production planning, scheduling, and inventory management are aligned with the company’s sales strategy and financial objectives, with clear accountability for variances.
11. Ensure that departmental employees are recruited, onboarded, and confirmed in line with company policies, equipped with the required competencies, and developed to be promotable to at least one higher role within the company.
12. Define and maintain clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations, including job descriptions, KPIs, PIPs, and reviews, in alignment with company objectives and full compliance with Tanzanian labour laws.
13. Collaborate and communicate effectively across all levels to ensure departmental KPIs and company objectives are met, while maintaining a healthy succession pipeline.
14. Ensure strict compliance with safety, health, environmental, and all regulatory standards, with accountability for departmental adherence.
15. Ensure compliance with all relevant certification standards (e.g., FSSC 22000, Ecovadis, Rainforest Alliance, Organic, B-Lab), with accountability for maintaining certifications.
16. Act as the subject matter expert on production methods, equipment, and Lean methodology for process improvements.
17. Collaborate with other functional heads to optimize cross-departmental workflows and ensure company objectives are achieved.
18. Perform any other duties as assigned by peers, management, directors, or investors.
19. Adhere without exception to all valid and up-to-date work instructions, safety rules, and SOPs as approved under the company’s Food Quality and Safety Management System (FQSMS)
20. Apply Lean Six Sigma principles to drive decision making, process analysis, problem solving, and continuous improvement.
21. Develop and manage systems to track and analyze production data (costs, variances, quality, efficiency) in alignment with departmental KPIs and company objectives, with accountability for accuracy and insights.
22. Ensure accurate and timely data capture in ERP/production systems and provide leadership to ensure its effective use for reporting, compliance, process improvement, and decision making, with accountability for data integrity.

Desired Qualifications & Experience

1. Bachelor's degree, preferably in Engineering, Agro-processing, Food Science, Manufacturing or related fields.
2. Minimum 5 years managing high-volume planning and production operations within the food, agro-processing, or related technical industries.
3. Regulatory & Quality Expert: Expert knowledge of local (Tanzanian/Ugandan) and international food laws, and deep applied experience with FSSC 22000 or equivalent food safety systems.
4. Operational Excellence: Demonstrated command of Lean methodologies, continuous improvement, and effective systematic problem-solving.
5. Systems Acumen & Analysis: Proficiency in leveraging ERP/CRM systems and applying strong analytical thinking to drive data-driven decision-making.
6. Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills, fluent in both English and Kiswahili, with a commitment to social impact.