Strategic Production Head
- Cape Town, Western Cape
- Permanent
- Full-time
Reports To: Executive Management
Direct Reports: Production Operations ManagerRole PurposeThe Strategic Production Head will provide high-level leadership and oversight of the company's production operations, ensuring that production planning, factory output, and operational efficiency align with business strategy. This role is accountable for maintaining a forward-looking production plan, integrating business intelligence insights into factory operations, and ensuring the production line runs at optimal capacity.Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Production Planning
- Develop and maintain a 12-month rolling production forecast, aligned with sales and operational targets.
- Ensure a minimum of 4 weeks' active production line schedule at all times.
- Anticipate resource, raw material, and capacity needs to prevent downtime and maximise throughput.
- Operational Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and manage the Production Operations Manager, who will report directly to this role.
- Oversee production line teams, ensuring productivity, safety, and quality standards are consistently met.
- Implement performance metrics and monitor progress against operational KPIs.
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Align Business Intelligence (BI) reporting with factory operations to drive performance and cost efficiency.
- Prepare and present accurate operational reports to executive management, with actionable insights.
- Analyse SAP production and inventory data to inform decision-making and process improvements.
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Collaborate with executive management on operational strategy, capacity planning, and business priorities.
- Act as a key liaison between production, procurement, sales, and logistics teams.
- Participate in high-level planning meetings to ensure operational readiness for seasonal and product changes.
- Bachelor's degree in Production Management, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or equivalent (preferred).
- Minimum 8-10 years' experience in production management within a manufacturing environment, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
- Proven experience in SAP for production planning, reporting, and inventory control.
- Strong track record in managing production teams and optimising line performance.
- Demonstrated ability to integrate BI tools into operational workflows.
- Experience in presenting to and working with executive leadership.
- Strategic thinking with a focus on operational efficiency.
- Strong leadership and team-building skills.
- Advanced data analysis and reporting skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a high-pressure environment.
ExecutivePlacements.com