Strategic Production Head, Cape Town

Job Specification – Strategic Production Head

Location: Woodstock
Reports To: Executive Management
Direct Reports: Production Operations Manager

Role Purpose

The Strategic Production Head will provide high-level leadership and oversight of the company's production operations, ensuring that production planning, factory output, and operational efficiency align with business strategy. This role is accountable for maintaining a forward-looking production plan, integrating business intelligence insights into factory operations, and ensuring the production line runs at optimal capacity.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Production Planning
  • Develop and maintain a 12-month rolling production forecast, aligned with sales and operational targets.
  • Ensure a minimum of 4 weeks' active production line schedule at all times.
  • Anticipate resource, raw material, and capacity needs to prevent downtime and maximise throughput.

• Operational Leadership
  • Lead, mentor, and manage the Production Operations Manager, who will report directly to this role.
  • Oversee production line teams, ensuring productivity, safety, and quality standards are consistently met.
  • Implement performance metrics and monitor progress against operational KPIs.

• Data-Driven Decision Making
  • Align Business Intelligence (BI) reporting with factory operations to drive performance and cost efficiency.
  • Prepare and present accurate operational reports to executive management, with actionable insights.
  • Analyse SAP production and inventory data to inform decision-making and process improvements.

• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Collaborate with executive management on operational strategy, capacity planning, and business priorities.
  • Act as a key liaison between production, procurement, sales, and logistics teams.
  • Participate in high-level planning meetings to ensure operational readiness for seasonal and product changes.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Production Management, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or equivalent (preferred).
• Minimum 8–10 years' experience in production management within a manufacturing environment, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven experience in SAP for production planning, reporting, and inventory control.
• Strong track record in managing production teams and optimising line performance.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate BI tools into operational workflows.
• Experience in presenting to and working with executive leadership.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinking with a focus on operational efficiency.
• Strong leadership and team-building skills.
• Advanced data analysis and reporting skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a high-pressure environment.