Senior Production Manager (Operations)

Recruiter:

Greys Personnel

Job Ref:

DBN003226/Themb

Date posted:

Friday, July 18, 2025

Location:

iLembe - Mandeni, South Africa

SUMMARY:
A leading manufacturing company in the pulp and paper sector is looking for a highly experienced Production Manager to lead operations at their plant in KwaZulu-Natal. The successful candidate will oversee end-to-end production, resource optimization, and long-term performance planning while driving continuous improvement, compliance, and team development. This is a senior management role ideal for a strategic leader with strong operational insight and deep technical knowledge of paper manufacturing processes.

Location: KwaZulu-Natal (Tugela Region)
Salary: Market-related
Reporting to: General Manager
Job Grade: Grade 5 (Senior Management Level)
Industry: Paper & Pulp / Manufacturing

POSITION INFO:

Minimum Qualifications & Experience

Essential Qualifications:

BSc (Engineering) or BTech (Pulp & Paper) – Required
Management Development Programme (MDP) or equivalent – Advantageous
Computer Literacy (MS Office)

Experience:

8–10 years of experience in paper manufacturing or a similar heavy industrial environment
At least 5 years in a management/leadership role
Extensive experience in production operations management, including strategic planning, resource optimisation, and driving continuous improvement processes (e.g., TPM, PIP)
Strong understanding of paper machine operations, coating and finishing processes, and other technical areas like pulping, bleaching, steam/power generation, and water processing systems.
Proven track record of budget management, team leadership, and driving plant performance improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Plant Operations & Strategic Planning

Define and implement Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in areas of Quality, Cost, Delivery, Environment, and People (QCDEP).
Plan and manage plant operations for optimal utilization of people, energy, and raw materials.
Execute and continuously improve short-term (budget) and long-term (5-year) development plans across machinery, processes, and workforce.
Lead and facilitate Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Continuous Improvement Programs (PIP).
Monitor and reduce planned downtime hours through performance tracking and analysis.
Support product development and respond to customer feedback.
Ensure compliance with legislation, ISO standards, and internal policies.

How to apply:

Follow the link to our job seekers’ page -

Similar jobs you might be interested in:

Senior Operations Manager
Location: Cape Town
Salary:
Today

Senior Performance Marketing Manager
Location: Johannesburg
Salary:
Today

Senior Operations Manager
Location: Johannesburg
Salary:
Job Purpose:To manage and provide administrative, operational, and stakeholder reporting support services to the company's Group Internal Audit (GIA) to enable the delivery of the GIA mandate and ensure compliance with corporate governance requirements
1 day ago

Senior Production Manager (Operations)
Location: Ilembe - Mandeni
Salary:
A leading manufacturing company in the pulp and paper sector is looking for a highly experienced Production manager to lead operations at their plant in KwaZulu-Natal. The successful candidate will oversee end-to-end production, resource optimization, and long-term performance planning while driving continuous improvement, compliance, and team development. This is a senior management role ideal fo...
1 day ago

Senior Project Manager
Location: Cape Town
Salary: Negotiable
We are seeking an experienced, dynamic, energetic, Agile senior Project manager to join our team. We need someone very well versed in Project Management methodologies, such as Prince 2 or PMBOK. The core skill set is pure Project Management with Agile or SAFE experience. This role is responsible for managing multiple proj...
2 days ago

Senior Financial Manager
Location: Johannesburg
Salary: 900 000 Annually
ð Financial manager | Hybrid (Rosebank / Pretoria + WFH)An exciting opportunity exists for a qualified CA(SA) or CIMA professional to step into a pivotal Financial manager role within a growing and dynamic organisation operating in the natural resources and energy sectors.With a strategic acquisition of an industrial plant underway, this role offers the chance to contribute meaningfully to a co...
3 days ago

Senior Financial Account / Financial Manager - Agricultural Industry - Delmas
Location: Delmas
Salary: Monthly
A leading agricultural company specialising in the manufacturing and distribution of pesticides, fertilizers, and other agricultural chemicals requires the above to take full responsibility for managing and overseeing all financial and administrative functions of the company to ensure compliance with financial and administrative aspects so that laws and regulations are adhered to.
3 days ago

Senior Project Manager D365
Location: Midrand
Salary: Hourly
senior Project manager – Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365)Are you ready to lead transformative digital projects and shape the future of enterprise technology?Our client in the consulting industry is seeking a highly motivated senior Project manager with expertise in Microsoft Dynamics 365 to spearhead large-scale implementations and drive business excellence.
3 days ago

Senior Sales Portfolio Manager - Crop Protection / Agrochemical Industry - Western Cape
Location: Cape Town
Salary: Monthly
A well-known international agricultural chemical crop protection company requires the above to manage and drive a large number of distributors and agents within the western cape area for the company.
3 days ago

SENIOR BEEF FARM MANAGER
Location: Mozambique
Salary:
Vilankulos Area - Mozambique: Our client is looking for a senior Beef Farm manager with ownership mentality to join the team. Due to the remote location of the farm the position would be best suited to candidates with no kids. Only candidates with the relevant experience will be considered.
3 days ago