Technical Project Manager

Vitara; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Vitara is seeking a Technical Project Manager to lead and manage its technical and capital projects across West Africa, including shea and agro-processing facilities. The role requires an engineering degree and at least 3 years of project leadership experience in processing, manufacturing, or construction.

You will oversee budgeting, procurement, and contractor management while driving innovation and value addition.

Qualifications

• Degree in civil, mechanical, industrial, chemical / process engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of three years’ experience leading technical, industrial, or infrastructure projects.
• Experience in emerging or West African markets is a strong advantage.
• Proven project-management skills: budgeting, scheduling, procurement, contractor management.
• Fluent in English; proficiency in French is a strong advantage.
• Willingness to travel and spend significant time on-site across West Africa operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full lifecycle of Vitara’s technical and capital projects from concept through hand-over.
• Own scoping, budgeting, planning and procurement; manage contractors and suppliers.
• Drive process and product innovation to improve yield, efficiency, and local value addition.
• Supervise on-site construction and installation across West Africa operations.
• Develop business cases, feasibility studies, and technical due diligence for capital investments.
• Set up and improve operational systems, maintenance regimes, and quality and food-safety standards.
• Coordinate with sourcing, operations, and commercial teams to align capacity with demand.
• Identify and develop new technical projects to support growth and sustainable sourcing.

Skills

Project leadership

Budgeting

Scheduling

Procurement

Contractor management

Stakeholder management

Travel willingness

English fluency

Entrepreneurial mindset

On-site operations

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Welcome to Vitara, a social enterprise committed to creating sustained income and impact for rural people in West Africa. We are a Dutch-Ghanaian scale-up that is passionate about driving economic growth and social development for smallholder farmers in rural communities in West-Africa. We believe that by empowering individuals to create their own livelihoods, we can make a lasting difference in their lives and communities. At Vitara, we value diversity and welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds.

• Lead the full lifecycle of Vitara’s technical and capital projects, including shea and agro-processing plants, factory build-outs, and warehousing facilities, from concept and feasibility through design, construction, commissioning, and hand-over.
• Own project scoping, budgeting, planning, and procurement; select and manage contractors, engineers, and equipment suppliers to deliver on time, on budget, and to the required quality and safety standards.
• Drive process and product innovation: evaluate and implement new processing technologies, equipment, and methods that improve yield, efficiency, and local value addition (e.g. refining and fractionation).
• Supervise on-site construction and installation works across the West African operations, ensuring compliance with technical specifications, local regulations, and permitting requirements.
• Develop business cases, feasibility studies, and technical due diligence for capital investments, and present these to management, lenders, and investors.
• Set up and continuously improve operational systems, maintenance regimes, and quality and food-safety standards at processing and storage sites.
• Work closely with the sourcing, operations, and commercial teams to align technical and processing capacity with sourcing volumes and market demand.
• Identify, scope, and develop new technical projects that support the company’s growth, diversification, and sustainable sourcing strategy.

Qualification/Requirements

• Degree in civil, mechanical, industrial, chemical / process engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of three (3) years’ experience leading technical, industrial, or infrastructure projects, preferably in processing, manufacturing, agri-processing, or construction; experience in emerging or West African markets is a strong advantage.
• Proven project-management skills across budgeting, scheduling, procurement, contractor management, and delivery.
• Strong technical understanding of processing equipment, factory and warehouse construction, and operational set-up.
• Entrepreneurial, hands-on, and energetic mindset, comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment, taking ownership, and building from the ground up.
• Excellent problem-solving, organisational, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Willingness to travel frequently and spend significant time on-site across the West African operations.
• Fluent in English; proficiency in French (or willingness to learn) is a strong advantage .
• Candidates must have the legal right to work in the Netherlands. Visa sponsorship or work permit support is not available for this position.

Application Process

Vitara is a fast-growing company active in the agricultural sector, with a focus on developing sustainable supply chains and connecting smallholder farmers to international markets. We are seeking a Technical Project Manager to lead and manage our internal projects that need an engineering approach or view that help scale our businesses.

You will be responsible for the technical aspects of our projects and oversee the implementation of the technical projects we are developing in West-Africa to increase sustainability in our supply chains.

This position is open to all qualified applicants. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.