Head of Operations at Universal Careers

The Head of Operations directly reports to the General Manager. He will be responsible for helping to achieve the company’s target through the proper management of all Support Functions of the company by improving the operational systems, processes and policies in support of organizations mission, specifically, supporting information flow and management, business process and organizational planning.

Working with and driving initiatives in the Management team and interacting with the Board of Directors, the position also contributes to the development and implementation of organizational strategies, policies and practices that contributes to both the short and long-term operational excellence. 

Duties:

1. Production

Contract Review / Capacity Planning

• Ensure production departments have sufficient time to manufacture and deliver on time according to the customer’s request.
• Planning & Scheduling of Workload
• Communicating with all the relevant people / departments and co-coordinating all relevant inputs (people, plant and processes) to ensure production output and on time delivery targets are achieved.
• Manage customer order / schedule requirements.
• Pre-plan production and deploy a daily prioritised work schedule to the shop floor with appropriate time deadline targets.
• Set, monitor & review work load schedule
• Production Control
• Monitor & review production progress against deadline targets to ensure on time delivery.

2. Quality Control

• Ensure production/quality processes, equipment being used and the working environments are all conducive to producing a high quality product / service.
• Monitor production activity to ensure that the appropriate manufacturing methods are employed and that sufficient due care is taken in order to meet quality specifications.
• Ensure rejected product / non-conformance is rectified as high priority.
• Ensure the correct non-conformance paperwork is raised and processed with every reject.

3. Purchasing & Supply Chain Management

Purchasing

• Sourcing, negotiating and managing the purchase of all materials and services for production together with the purchasing committee and the GM.
• Managing the Purchasing function department to ensure material is purchased cost effectively and available for production when required.

Supply Chain Management

• Coordinate all aspects of Supply Chain which includes; plan and strategy; the source (of raw materials or services); manufacturing (focused on productivity and efficiency); delivery and logistics; and the return system (for defective products).
• Ensuring that products are manufactured correctly and in a cost effective way and delivered on time in accordance to customer specification and quality requirements.
• Ensuring that the shop floor has the necessary manpower, competence, skill, knowledge, plant and tooling required in order to achieve production targets.

Inventory Management

• Organising, planning and co-ordinating all inventory management activities
• Ensure incoming products/supplies are processed and managed appropriately according to company procedure.
• Ensure materials are ready and available for production as and when required.

4. Maintenance

• Ensure all equipment and electronic of the company are properly maintained in a scheduled and preventive manner to guide against undue breakdown or damages.
• Achieves electrical and mechanical maintenance operational objectives by contributing information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; resolving problems; completing audits; identifying trends; determining system improvements; and implementing change.
• Enhances facilities services and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

5. Human Resource

Recruitment & Employment

• Ensure all recruitment and employment is carried out in accordance to company procedure and in compliance with current employment law.

Staff Training & Development

• Establish goals and objectives for self and team and implement accordingly to help support / improve job performance (experience, ability, competence).
• Be aware of and promote manufacturing best practice and performance standards.
• Develop and monitor performance standards.

Performance Management & Annual Appraisals

• Monitor, review and address personnel under performance, maintaining appropriate records in accordance with company procedures.
• Conduct and record annual performance appraisals.
• Ensuring that the appropriate systems and processes are in place to measure and manage staff performance and to coach and develop a high performance workforce.
• Discipline & Grievance
• Monitor, review and address personnel under performance, liaising with the General Manager and maintaining appropriate records in accordance with company procedures as required.
• Address any staff discipline or grievance issue, maintaining appropriate records in accordance with company procedures.
• Operational Performance
• Monitor and manage his departments KPI’s
• Develop & implement operational improvements
• Developing a high performance workforce

6. IT

• Monitor and ensure IT department functions within Company policies
• Ensure that all security requirements are met (passcodes, etc)
• Ensure that operating status/maintenance of all IT equipment is in good order
• Liaise with Management to ensure that IT provides full support to other departments (Finance and Sales reporting)

Desired Skills and Experience

Person Specification:

Key Attributes:

• Hold a pertinent university degree (A post graduate degree will be an added advantage).
• Experienced in general Operations management and Manufacturing
• At least 10 years of experience in overall operations function having held executive roles (at least 3 years) in recognized innovative organizations.
• Experience in a fast growth environment and a decentralized environment.
• Experience at working in a “performance based” environment in order to foster it within the team.
• Accuracy – Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly.
• Problem solving – Brings a problem solving mindset to any challenging situation.
• Strategy Aptitude – Ability to comprehend complex strategic topics and specialized information.
• Working Under Pressure – Ability to deliver against set objectives while operating on some occasions in stressful situations.
• Agility – Ability to deal with shifting priorities and issues inherent to a fast growing organization.
• Demonstrated skills, knowledge and experience in the design and execution of business plans and strategies.
• Communication - Demonstrated skills in both written and oral presentations.
• Commitment to working with shared leadership and in cross-functional teams.
• Ability to supervise and manage multiple projects at the same time.
• Strong creative, strategic, analytical, organizational and personal negotiation skills.
• Possess the required skills and standing to serve on the Management Committee.
• Ability to efficiently interact with Board members.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Senior executive experience and presence.
• Superior organizational awareness.