Company Overview:

We are a leading player in the starch and derivatives manufacturing sector, operating a state-of-the-art 300 TPD wet corn milling facility. With a focus on quality, innovation, and sustainability, our products cater to the food, pharma, paper, textile, and adhesive industries. As we expand our footprint, we are looking for a seasoned technical leader to drive operations, innovation, and performance excellence.

Location:

Lusaka, Zambia

Reporting To:

Managing Director / CEOJob

Purpose:

To lead and manage all aspects of technical operations of the corn wet milling facility, ensuring safe, efficient, and cost-effective production of starch and derivative products. The role involves driving operational excellence, optimizing process parameters, ensuring product quality, implementing continuous improvements, and leading cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Plant Operations & Production

•Oversee daily operations of the 300 TPD wet milling plant ensuring optimal throughput, quality, and efficiency.

•Ensure uptime, yield improvement, and process optimization in all sections – steeping, milling, separation, refining, drying, and conversion (derivatives).

•Drive KPIs related to OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), energy consumption, and material balance.

Process & Technical Leadership

•Provide deep technical expertise in starch chemistry, separation technologies, and downstream derivative processes (e.g., glucose, maltodextrin, modified starches).

•Lead scale-up and commercialization of new products/processes in coordination with R&D and QA/QC teams.

Maintenance & Asset Management

•Collaborate with maintenance and engineering teams to ensure equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, and minimal downtime.

•Support CAPEX planning and execution for plant upgrades, expansions, and energy-saving initiatives.

Quality, Safety & Compliance

•Ensure compliance with GMP, HACCP, FSSAI, ISO, and other statutory norms applicable to food/chemical manufacturing.

•Drive a culture of safety, sustainability, and continuous improvement across the technical organization.

Team Leadership & Development

•Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team of production, process, maintenance, and quality professionals.

•Promote skill development, training, and succession planning within the technical function.

Strategic & Cross-Functional Support

•Collaborate with supply chain, procurement, R&D, finance, and commercial teams for alignment of operational objectives.

•Support strategic initiatives such as cost reduction, capacity expansion, and sustainability goals.

Qualifications & Experience:

•Bachelor’s / master’s degree in chemical engineering, Food Technology, Bioprocess Engineering, or related discipline.

•25+ years of technical and operational experience in wet milling, starch manufacturing, or food/chemical process industries, with at least 5–10 years in a senior leadership or plant head role.

•Proven track record in managing large-scale continuous process plants with high safety and quality standards.

•Strong analytical, leadership, and decision-making skills.

•Experience in automation, utilities optimization, and energy management is a plus.

Competencies:

•Deep process knowledge of wet milling, fermentation, and starch derivative production

•Strong leadership and team management capabilities

•Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills

•Budgeting, cost control, and project management

•Change management and Lean/TPM/Continuous Improvement exposure