Production Manager - Refinery

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
• 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.

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 inEdible 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.

Technical Competencies

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

Personal Competencies

• 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

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.