Production Manager - Distillery at Mohinani Group

• The Production Manager will provide critical leadership for the overall operation, safety, efficiency, and profitability of the ethanol manufacturing plant. This role ensures that production targets are met while maintaining high standards of quality, safety, environmental compliance, and cost control. His/her mission is to ensure that all operational units of the facility – Power and Steam supply, Milling, production, storage & distribution as well as safety and regulatory compliance work together for an efficient and cost-effective operation of the Facility. The role requires hands-on ENA facility operations experience. Experience in cassava-based ENA production facility with integrated CO2 recovery is desirable, and previous Nigerian experience will be an advantage.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Facility Operations Management

• Manage day-to-day operations of the facility to ensure continuous, safe, and efficient production of ENA
• Responsible for daily operations, production targets, safety, and cost control
• Ensure all component units of the facility, namely Power & Steam generation, Milling, Fermentation, Distillation, and Storage & dispensing systems are always in top-notch operating conditions ensuring in the process a plant availability of near 100%.
• Coordinate and ensure the maintenance and Safety of all operating units.

Utilities & Power Management

• Supervise end ensures efficient operations of utilities including boilers, power generation, cooling tower/systems, water treatment, RO, and ETP.
• Optimize steam, power, water, and fuel consumption to reduce operating costs.
• Effective management of Waste Heat recovery System to improve energy utilisation efficiency.
• Ensure optimum operation of the Biodigester to secure 100% of supplemental gas (Biogas).
• Ensure compliance with energy efficiency, emission and environmental standards.

Cost Control & Budgeting

• Prepare and manage plant operating budgets (OPEX & CAPEX).
• Control raw material consumption, chemicals, utilities, and maintenance costs.
• Analyse plant performance KPIs and implement continuous improvement initiatives.

Supply Chain & Inventory Coordination

• Coordinate with procurement for feedstock availability (molasses, fresh cassava, dry cassava chips).
• Ensure proper storage, handling, and inventory control of raw materials and finished products.
• Coordinate ENA dispatch ensuring accurate match between dispatched and produced quantities.

Process Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Supervise factory operations to improve overall productivity with a focus on capacity utilization, cost control & efficiency, OEE, and product consistency.
• Enforce systems that ensure plant operations meet QA/QC, traceability, and regulatory compliance standards.
• Optimize plant output, energy usage, and operational efficiency.
• Develop and implement SOPs and operational controls at unit levels to ensure daily alignment with KPIs.

Reporting & Management Communication

• Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly performance reports.
• Present operational updates, risks, and improvement plans to senior management.
• Support strategic planning and expansion initiatives.

Key Competencies

• Operational Excellence
• Numerical & Analytical Strength       
• Decisive & Business-Informed
• Grit (Must-Have)
• Leadership & Accountability
• Systems Thinking
• Safety & Quality Mindset

Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or industrial engineering master’s degree (MBA / M. Tech) is an added advantage.
• 7-12 years of experience in ENA, ethanol, distillery. Experience in Cassava-based (cassava to ENA) processing business will be an advantage
• Strong leadership and decision-making skills
• In-depth knowledge of ethanol & CO2 production processes
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Budgeting and cost-control expertise
• Strong understanding of HSE and regulatory compliance
• Effective communication and people management skills

Performance Metrics

• ENA yield & % recovery
• Production Cost/litre
• Plant reliability, uptime and output.
• OEE / Capacity Utilization
• Energy and water consumption metrics
• Environmental Compliance
• Effective people management and knowledge transfer