VPO Manager at International Breweries

The key purpose of this role is to identify, co-operate and actively participate in strategic & systemic level value chain improvement initiatives and to provide leadership for the implementation of prioritized Strategic intents from the VPO Manufacturing Strategy for the Brewery.

Key outputs and responsibilities:

• Lead sustainability of the VPO (Voyager Plant Optimization) pillars within the brewery as measured by global auditing criteria (coordination of sustainability phase from self-assessments to follow up of action plans)
• Ensures that Africa / Global standards have been implemented in the Plant
• Manage the VPO program via a structured VPO Steerco
• Ensure VPO Pillar Owner compliance
• Develop annual VPO plan and set short term plans to achieve these targets
• Monitor VPO progress across all pillars and provide feedback
• If Zone / Global standards have been adapted due to plant specifics these changes have been approved by Zone
• Serve as the brewery VPO subject matter expert and provide guidance to brewery Senior Management
• Primary VPO resource for the plant
• Facilitate the Plant 1year and 3-year planning process
• Manage MCR 
• Evaluate plant meetings and provide feedback to managers on meeting effectiveness and identify opportunities to improve structure and tool usage
• Actively participate and critique plant daily, weekly, and monthly meetings and ensure VPO standards are fully implemented and sustained
• Assist Department Management teams in developing sustainability plans to identify and close gaps
• Lead and coach Managers on the correct use of the Management pillar tools and methodologies
• Conduct monthly Management Pillar department reviews and provide constructive feedback to departments on current status with recommendations to drive continuous improvement
• Coaches and guides all levels on the VPO Management Pillar in practice
• Ensure implementation of VPO and the adherence to VPO principles across all pillars
• Ensure that where training implementation is undertaken, it is done following AB InBev policies and procedures.
• Interact with management teams to determine training needs.
• Where necessary, develop training material to address specific needs of shift based and engineering teams.
• Lead, facilitate and coach Problem Solving (5-Why, Ab-reports, PDCA, Gapa, ITF, Belts)
• Conduct problem solving training
• Ensure the accurate and timely submission of monthly VPO reporting info
•  Facilitates the prioritization of VPO strategic intents and monitors their progress on behalf of the Plant Management Team.
• Leads the implementation of VPO related strategic intents with specific focus on the agreed plans / targets
• Identifies improvement opportunities using appropriate tools (i.e. loss & waste, ITF, Belts)

Key attributes and competencies:

• Demonstrated understanding of VPO principles
• Prior experience in applying varied industrial engineering related improvement techniques
• Project management capabilities to ensure delivery of initiatives from start-up through implementation to entrenchment, using appropriate communication milestones
• Ability to initiate improvement activities within a subsystem which would optimize the larger system in which it resides
• Ability to apply problem solving skills at all levels (shop-floor to exec teams)
• A good understanding OPF Change Management Processes Excellent skills and tools transfer capabilities (Train and coach others)
• Astute at reading interplays and subtleties between stakeholder groupings and individuals
• Excellent interpersonal skills -
• Clear capability and credibility to influence at all levels
• Ability to exert influence on technical teams
• Ability to mobilize teams during periods of varied operational stability

Profile:

Education And Experience:

• Min. of B.Sc./HND/B.Tech in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related course.
• 2-3 Years’ experience in Brewing/FMCG environment
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft office applications i.e. (Microsoft Excel, Word and
• PowerPoint)
• Relevant Technical Qualification / Diploma
• Desirable but not Essential
• Learning & Development Practitioner Tertiary Qualification