Senior Operations Manager Africa

Company Overview

Yara Africa & Asia is part of a global enterprise dedicated to responsibly addressing critical challenges such as resource scarcity, food security, and environmental changes through profitable solutions.

Role Overview

The Senior Operations Manager Africa oversees comprehensive operations across multiple African countries to guarantee consistent product supply, cost control, and high-quality standards. This role involves ensuring availability of raw materials, optimizing production, maintaining strict safety and regulatory compliance, and fostering scalable, high-performance operations. The position includes leading regional operational improvement projects across Africa and Asia and can be based in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, or Tanzania.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise heads of operations in various African markets, ensuring consistent implementation of directives across all terminals and staff.
• Develop and execute the regional operating plan by translating business strategies into site-specific goals, budgets, and KPIs.
• Manage operational costs throughout Africa in line with the approved budget.
• Coach and assess site and country leaders to boost performance, uphold operational discipline, and drive continuous improvements.
• Establish standardized operating procedures, escalation processes, and performance governance across all markets.
• Coordinate Operations Planning to synchronize demand, supply, and capacity.
• Oversee operational excellence projects, including implementation of the Yara Productivity System (YPS) and tracking objectives and key results.
• Ensure availability of raw materials and packaging via effective forecasting and supply management.
• Guarantee compliance with Yara’s TOPS and HESQ procedures at African operational sites.
• Collaborate with Procurement and Supply teams on contracts, lead times, cost optimization, inbound logistics, and cross-border customs clearance.
• Maintain product quality standards and regulatory compliance through robust QC/QA systems.
• Prepare sites for audits including internal, customer, and regulatory inspections.
• Unify quality standards and documentation procedures across all locations.
• Identify and advise on operational improvement opportunities at sites.
• Lead the Capital Value Process for projects in African operations and develop prioritization methods to maximize returns for both Africa and Asia.
• Support site teams in project management, including preparation of project frameworks and CAPEX definitions aligned with business needs.
• Partner with leadership to plan long-term infrastructure including terminal capacity, operational efficiency, storage, and distribution networks.
• Work with Finance to approve capital expenditure projects aligning with strategic growth plans.
• Promote an inclusive, ethical culture consistent with company values and local customs.
• Develop frameworks to improve asset utilization performance across Yara operations in Africa and Asia.
• Enhance performance management of third-party warehouses by establishing best practices for Africa and Asia.
• Co-own strategic projects in Asia alongside the VP of HESQ & Operations.
• Drive operational improvement initiatives and risk reduction plans as outlined in the HESQ & Operations roadmap of Yara Africa & Asia.
• Support the SVP with additional operational and project-related tasks as required.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, or Operations Management; Master’s or MBA preferred.
• At least 10 to 15 years of leadership experience in manufacturing or operations with responsibility for multiple sites or countries.
• Familiarity with relevant regulatory frameworks such as OSHA/ISO 45001, ISO 9001/22000, GMP, and environmental regulations.
• Proven ability in P&L management, capital expenditure project leadership, and implementing change management initiatives.
• Legal eligibility to live and work in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, or Tanzania.

Additional Information

Candidates are encouraged to apply by 14 August 2026. Yara embraces diversity and inclusivity as integral to its business strategy and is an equal-opportunity employer. Background and reference checks may be conducted where applicable and with prior notice to candidates.