Production Manager - Refinery

ClayHR Inc.; Swellendam; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

ClayHR Inc. in Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa, seeks an experienced Production Manager to lead the edible oil refinery operations, focusing on canola chemical refining, yield optimization and safety compliance.

You will drive production planning, process optimization and cross-functional collaboration with Maintenance, Quality, Engineering and Supply Chain to ensure safe, reliable and cost-efficient plant performance.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in edible oil refining, Food Technology, Production Management, or related discipline.
• Minimum 5–10 years' experience in edible oil processing/refining, preferably in a management or senior supervisory position.
• Proven experience in chemical refining of canola oil.
• Strong understanding of edible oil refining processes and process chemistry.
• Demonstrated experience in oil yield optimization and loss control.
• Experience managing refinery maintenance and equipment reliability.
• Proven track record in capacity improvement and process optimization.
• Experience working within FSSC 22000 and ISO-certified food manufacturing environments.
• Working knowledge of HACCP, GMP and food-safety management systems.
• Strong understanding of production planning, KPI management and cost control.

Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day operation of the edible oil refinery to achieve agreed production volumes, quality specifications and cost targets.
• Develop and implement production plans in line with raw material availability, customer requirements and business objectives.
• Ensure efficient operation of all refining processes, including degumming, neutralization, washing, drying, bleaching, filtration, deodorization and final oil handling and storage.
• Monitor plant performance, production rates, downtime and process efficiency.
• Identify and eliminate production bottlenecks and operational losses.
• Ensure effective shift management, production discipline and adherence to standard operating procedures.
• Drive continuous improvement in plant utilization and overall equipment effectiveness.
• Provide technical and operational leadership in the chemical refining of canola oil.
• Optimize caustic dosing, acid conditioning, separation, washing and drying processes to achieve maximum oil recovery and consistent quality.
• Monitor the effect of raw-material quality on refining performance and yield.
• Control soap stock, neutral oil losses and other process losses.
• Optimize operating parameters to achieve required FFA, moisture, phosphorus, colour and other product specs.
• Identify opportunities to improve refining efficiency while maintaining quality and food safety.

Skills

Oil refining

Production planning

KPI management

Cost control

Leadership

Process optimization

Food safety

Education

Edible oil refining

Food Technology

Production Management

Job description

Position: Production Manager - Refinery ID: PRMGTSWD

The Production Manager is responsible for the overall management, optimization and performance of the edible oil refining operation, with specific responsibility for canola oil chemical refining. The role is accountable for achieving production targets safely, efficiently and cost-effectively while maintaining product quality, maximizing oil recovery and yield, improving plant capacity and ensuring compliance with applicable FSSC 22000, ISO, food safety, quality, SHEQ and statutory requirements.

The Production Manager will lead the production team and work closely with Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain and other relevant departments to ensure reliable plant operation and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Production Management

• Manage the day-to-day operation of the edible oil refinery to achieve agreed production volumes, quality specifications and cost targets.
• Develop and implement production plans in line with raw material availability, customer requirements and business objectives.
• Ensure efficient operation of all refining processes, including:
  • Degumming
  • Neutralization / chemical refining
  • Washing
  • Drying
  • Bleaching
  • Filtration
  • Deodorization
  • Final oil handling and storage
• Monitor plant performance, production rates, downtime and process efficiency.
• Identify and eliminate production bottlenecks and operational losses.
• Ensure effective shift management, production discipline and adherence to standard operating procedures.
• Drive continuous improvement in plant utilization and overall equipment effectiveness.

Canola Oil – Chemical Refining

• Provide technical and operational leadership in the chemical refining of canola oil.
• Optimize caustic dosing, acid conditioning, separation, washing and drying processes to achieve maximum oil recovery and consistent quality.
• Monitor the effect of raw-material quality on refining performance and yield.
• Control soap stock, neutral oil losses and other process losses.
• Optimize operating parameters to achieve the required FFA, moisture, phosphorus, colour and other product specifications.
• Identify opportunities to improve refining efficiency, while maintaining product quality and food safety.

Yield and Oil Loss Control

• Take overall responsibility for oil yield and process-loss management.
• Establish and monitor yield targets for the refinery.
• Analyze daily and monthly oil balances and investigate deviations from expected yield.
• Identify sources of neutral oil loss throughout the refining process.
• Monitor losses through soap stock, wash water, filtration, bleaching earth, deodorization and process drainage.
• Implement corrective actions to reduce oil losses and improve overall recovery.
• Develop reliable production and mass-balance reporting systems.

Maintenance Management

• Work closely with the Maintenance Manager to ensure maximum plant availability and reliability.
• Develop and implement effective preventative and planned maintenance programmes.
• Identify critical equipment and establish appropriate maintenance strategies.
• Monitor breakdowns, recurring failures and equipment-related production losses.
• Participate in root-cause analysis of major equipment failures.
• Ensure maintenance activities are properly planned around production requirements.
• Support the identification and replacement of obsolete, unreliable or undersized equipment.
• Ensure critical spares and replacement components are identified and available.
• Monitor maintenance-related downtime and drive continuous reduction in unplanned stoppages.

Capacity Improvement and Plant Optimization

• Identify opportunities to increase refinery throughput and improve plant utilization.
• Lead or support projects aimed at increasing production capacity.
• Identify process bottlenecks and develop practical engineering solutions.
• Optimize equipment utilization, process flow, residence times and operating parameters.
• Evaluate debottlenecking opportunities involving pumps, heat exchangers, boilers, separators, filters, vacuum systems and other critical refinery equipment.
• Participate in capital projects, equipment upgrades and process modifications.
• Measure and report on the production benefits achieved from improvement projects.
• Drive continuous improvement in plant efficiency, energy consumption and operating costs.

Quality Management

• Ensure all refined oil produced meets defined customer, company and statutory quality specifications.
• Work closely with the Quality Assurance department to maintain consistent product quality.
• Monitor critical quality parameters throughout the refining process.
• Ensure effective process controls are in place to prevent quality deviations.
• Investigate production-related quality complaints and implement corrective and preventative actions.
• Maintain process discipline and ensure operators understand the relationship between operating conditions and final product quality.
• Promote a strong quality-at-source culture throughout the production department.

FSSC 22000 and ISO Compliance

• Ensure production activities comply with FSSC 22000, ISO and applicable food-safety and quality-management requirements.
• Maintain compliance with documented procedures, work instructions and operational controls.
• Ensure effective implementation of HACCP and relevant prerequisite programs within the production environment.
• Participate in internal and external audits.
• Ensure audit findings and non-conformances are addressed within agreed timeframes.
• Maintain accurate production records and traceability documentation.
• Promote food safety, hygiene, allergen control, contamination prevention and good manufacturing practices.
• Ensure employees receive appropriate training in food safety, quality and operational requirements.

Health, Safety and Environmental Management

• Ensure production activities are conducted in accordance with company SHEQ policies and statutory requirements.
• Promote a strong safety culture throughout the refinery.
• Ensure operators follow safe operating procedures, permit systems and lock-out/tag-out requirements.
• Investigate incidents and near misses and implement corrective actions.
• Control chemical handling risks associated with caustic soda, acids, bleaching earth and other refinery chemicals.
• Monitor environmental impacts, including effluent, waste, emissions and chemical losses.

People Management

• Lead, motivate and develop the production team.
• Set clear performance expectations and monitor individual and team performance.
• Ensure operators are appropriately trained and competent.
• Identify training and development requirements.
• Promote accountability, discipline and effective communication.
• Develop a culture of continuous improvement and problem solving.
• Ensure effective communication between shifts and departments.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

Maintain and report key production performance indicators, including:

• Production volume – tons/day and tons/month
• Refinery capacity utilization
• Oil yield and recovery
• Neutral oil losses
• Downtime and production availability
• OEE
• Chemical consumption
• Bleaching earth consumption
• Maintenance-related downtime
• Waste and effluent generation
• Customer quality complaints
• Prepare regular production reports for management and provide recommendations for improving plant performance.

Health and Safety

• Participate in safety forums and attend relevant training/programmes
• Report all safety incidents to the relevant people
• Comply with safety policies and procedures
• Wear protective clothing (where applicable) at all times

Employee management and development

• Ensure overall compliance to relevant procedures and policies
• Ensure that all team members have clearly defined job profiles
• Regular goal reviews are completed to assess achievement of results
• Support, coaching and mentoring is continuously provided to ensure that objectives are met
• Appropriate allocation of resources to meet operational demands
• Ensure adequate succession planning to meet ongoing and anticipated business requirements

Requirements

Qualification and Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Edible oil refining, Food Technology, Production Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5–10 years' experience in edible oil processing/refining, preferably in a management or senior supervisory position.
• Proven experience in chemical refining of canola oil.
• Strong understanding of edible oil refining processes and process chemistry.
• Demonstrated experience in oil yield optimization and loss control.
• Experience managing refinery maintenance and equipment reliability.
• Proven track record in capacity improvement and process optimization.
• Experience working within FSSC 22000 and ISO-certified food manufacturing environments.
• Working knowledge of HACCP, GMP and food-safety management systems.
• Strong understanding of production planning, KPI management and cost control.

The candidate should demonstrate strong knowledge of:

• Canola oil chemical refining
• Degumming and neutralization
• Caustic and acid dosing
• Oil washing and drying
• Bleaching and filtration
• Heat-exchange systems
• Oil yield and mass balances
• Process-loss identification
• Preventative maintenance
• Root-cause analysis
• Process optimization
• Production planning
• Food safety and quality systems
• FSSC 22000 / ISO standards
• Strong operational leadership
• Analytical and problem-solving ability
• Results-oriented approach
• High level of attention to detail
• Ability to work under production pressure
• Strong safety and food-safety mindset
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams
• Strong planning and organizational skills
• Ability to identify and implement practical improvements
• High level of accountability and ownership

Overall Accountability

The Production Manager is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the refinery operates safely, reliably and efficiently, producing the required volume of specification-compliant refined canola oil while maximizing yield, minimizing losses, controlling operating costs and continuously improving plant capacity and performance.

Location Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa,