- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Soap stock losses
- Downtime and production availability
- OEE
- Product quality compliance
- Chemical consumption
- Bleaching earth consumption
- Energy consumption
- Maintenance-related downtime
- Production cost per ton
- Waste and effluent generation
- Customer quality complaints
- Prepare regular production reports for management and provide recommendations for improving plant performance.
- 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
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
- Soap stock management
- Oil washing and drying
- Bleaching and filtration
- Deodorization
- Vacuum systems
- 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
- Continuous improvement methodologies
- Strong operational leadership
- Analytical and problem-solving ability
- Results-oriented approach
- High level of attention to detail
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to work under production pressure
- Commercial awareness
- 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
- 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.