Group Director of Operations

Position Overview The Group Director of Operations provides executive leadership for the Group’s industrial and operational activities across all production sites. Reporting directly to the Group CEO, this role is responsible for strengthening operational performance, ensuring production reliability, and driving sustainable industrial effectiveness across the organization. The position holds Group-wide responsibility for operational execution and industrial governance, leading all core production, technical, quality, and performance-driven functions. The role ensures operational stability, asset reliability, product compliance, and continuous improvement in support of the Group’s growth and profitability objectives. This is a predominantly operations-focused position, where supply chain activities serve as enablers of industrial performance rather than the primary mandate. Key Responsibilities Define and drive the Group’s operational strategy in alignment with executive leadership and long-term objectives. Ensure consistency of industrial standards, performance metrics, and operating practices across all sites. Strengthen plant productivity, efficiency, cost control, and operational discipline. Oversee asset reliability, maintenance strategy, and technical performance to maximize uptime and safety. Supervise industrial investment initiatives, including expansions, modernization programs, and capital projects. Ensure strong quality governance and regulatory compliance across all production activities. Oversee R&D and product industrialization processes to support innovation and operational scalability. Ensure uninterrupted industrial operations through effective coordination of planning, sourcing, and logistics. Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance performance, efficiency, and service levels. Implement and monitor meaningful operational KPIs and dashboards to support data-driven decision-making. Optimize inventory levels, working capital, and overall operational resilience. Requirements Candidate Profile Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related discipline. Minimum 15 years of professional experience, including significant senior leadership experience in industrial or operations management within multi-site environments. Proven track record in industrial performance improvement, asset-intensive environments, and operational governance. Strong experience in leading manufacturing performance, maintenance strategy, and capital project execution. Exposure to quality oversight and product industrialization within an industrial setting. Working knowledge of planning, procurement, and logistics processes as operational support mechanisms. Experience in West African or comparable emerging industrial markets is an advantage. Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence across sites and functions. Decisive, structured, and results-oriented, with a strong continuous improvement mindset. Supply chain expertise is considered complementary; strong operational leadership remains the primary requirement. Fluent in French and English.