Factory Manager

Role & responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

FACTORY MANAGER STEEL MANUFACTURING PLANT

Position Title: Factory Manager Steel Manufacturing Plant
Department: Plant Operations / Manufacturing
Location: Accra, Ghana West Africa
Industry: Iron & Steel Manufacturing / Industrial Operations
Reporting To: Chairman / Director / Operations Head
Experience: 1518 Years
Level: Senior Management / Plant Leadership
Age Preference: Up to 50 Years
Contract: 2 Years, Renewable by Mutual Consent

COMPANY PROFILE

B5 Plus Group is one of the established steel manufacturing companies in Ghana, with more than 22 years of operations and a strong presence across West Africa. The Group manufactures and processes a wide range of mild steel and engineering products including angle bars, C-channels, flat bars, iron rods, round bars, square pipes, steel plates, roofing sheets, nails and Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB).

1. POSITION PURPOSE

The Factory Manager will be responsible for the overall operational, manufacturing and performance management of the steel plant, ensuring achievement of production targets, optimum utilisation of plant capacity, product quality, manpower productivity, equipment reliability, cost efficiency and safe working practices.

The position will provide strong leadership across production, maintenance, quality, stores, dispatch and related plant functions. The Factory Manager will work closely with the Chairman and senior functional leaders to ensure that manufacturing priorities, customer commitments, operational issues, productivity initiatives and improvement projects are effectively planned, monitored and executed.

The role requires a hands-on manufacturing leader with strong experience in steel/metal manufacturing who can convert production plans into measurable output while maintaining quality, safety, cost and delivery standards.

2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Plant Operations & Production Management

• Take overall responsibility for day-to-day factory and plant operations.
• Ensure production plans and targets are achieved within agreed timelines and quality standards.
• Monitor production volumes, capacity utilisation, productivity, yield, rejection, rework and downtime.
• Plan and optimise utilisation of manpower, machinery, raw materials and production capacity.
• Ensure smooth coordination between production, maintenance, quality, stores, procurement and dispatch.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and ensure timely corrective action.
• Maintain strong shop-floor discipline and operational control.
• Ensure production schedules are aligned with customer orders and dispatch commitments.

Manufacturing Process & Productivity

• Monitor manufacturing processes for steel products including angles, channels, flats, rods, pipes, plates, roofing sheets, nails and related products.
• Drive productivity improvement across production lines and departments.
• Monitor material yield, scrap, wastage and production losses.
• Identify opportunities for process optimisation and reduction of manufacturing costs.
• Establish production KPIs for individual departments and production lines.
• Review production performance against targets and implement corrective measures.
• Promote continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives.

Maintenance & Equipment Reliability

• Coordinate with the maintenance team to ensure maximum availability and reliability of plant and machinery.
• Ensure effective preventive and breakdown maintenance systems.
• Monitor machine breakdowns, downtime and maintenance response.
• Identify recurring equipment failures and ensure permanent corrective actions.
• Ensure availability of critical spares and maintenance resources.
• Support machinery installation, commissioning, modification and capacity-enhancement projects.

Quality Management

• Ensure consistent quality of finished products according to approved specifications and customer requirements.
• Work closely with the Quality function to control rejection, rework and customer complaints.
• Ensure quality controls are implemented throughout the manufacturing process.
• Review quality deviations and ensure corrective and preventive actions.
• Promote a culture of Right First Time manufacturing.

Safety, EHS & Compliance

• Ensure strict implementation of plant safety policies and procedures.
• Promote a strong safety culture across the factory.
• Ensure appropriate PPE and safe operating procedures are followed.
• Monitor workplace hazards, incidents and near-miss cases.
• Ensure timely corrective action on safety observations and incidents.
• Ensure compliance with applicable statutory, environmental and operational requirements.

Manpower & Leadership

• Lead and manage production, maintenance, quality and other plant teams.
• Ensure optimum deployment and utilisation of skilled, semi-skilled and contract manpower.
• Identify manpower requirements based on production plans and plant capacity.
• Establish clear responsibilities, performance expectations and KPIs.
• Develop supervisors and middle-level managers through coaching and performance management.
• Maintain discipline, teamwork, accountability and professional working standards.
• Build a strong and performance-oriented plant leadership team.

Cost, Material & Inventory Control

• Monitor manufacturing costs and identify opportunities for cost optimisation.
• Control material wastage, scrap, energy consumption, overtime and manpower costs.
• Coordinate with Procurement and Stores to ensure uninterrupted availability of raw materials and consumables.
• Monitor raw-material consumption against production output.
• Ensure proper control of scrap, recoverable materials and production losses.
• Support working-capital improvement through effective inventory and production planning.

Dispatch & Customer Commitment

• Coordinate with Sales, Commercial, Logistics and Dispatch teams to meet customer delivery commitments.
• Ensure timely availability of finished goods according to dispatch plans.
• Resolve operational constraints affecting delivery schedules.
• Ensure effective coordination between production and dispatch.
• Escalate critical customer or delivery-related operational issues to senior management.

MIS, KPI & Management Reporting

• Prepare and submit regular factory performance reports to the Chairman.

• Monitor and report key indicators covering:

• Production

• Capacity utilisation

• Productivity

• Material yield

• Scrap and wastage

• Quality/rejection

• Machine downtime

• Maintenance

• Energy consumption

• Manpower productivity

• Safety

• Dispatch

• Manufacturing cost

• Highlight major deviations, operational risks and corrective actions.

• Provide data-driven recommendations for productivity and efficiency improvement.

Special Projects & Business Excellence

• Undertake special manufacturing and operational assignments delegated by the Chairman.
• Support plant expansion, modernization, capacity enhancement and equipment installation projects.
• Lead productivity improvement, cost optimization and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate cross-functional task forces for critical plant issues.
• Prepare project status reports and recommendations based on facts and operational data.

3. KEY DELIVERABLES / KPIs

KPI / Deliverable Expected Standard Production Target Achievement Consistent achievement of approved production plans Capacity UtilisationOptimum utilisation of available plant capacityProductivityContinuous improvement in output per machine/man-hourMaterial YieldImproved yield with minimum avoidable wastageQualityReduction in rejection, rework and customer complaintsMachine AvailabilityMinimum avoidable breakdown and downtimeMaintenanceEffective preventive maintenance and timely breakdown resolutionCost ControlControl and reduction of manufacturing operating costsSafetyStrong safety compliance and reduction of incidentsManpower ProductivityEffective deployment and productivity of plant workforceDispatch CommitmentTimely availability of finished goods for dispatchContinuous ImprovementMeasurable productivity, efficiency and cost-saving initiativesMIS & ReportingAccurate, timely and decision-ready factory reports

4. QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree / Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, Metallurgy, Industrial Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• 15–18 years of relevant experience in steel manufacturing, metal processing, rolling mills, fabrication or a similar heavy manufacturing environment.
• Strong experience in Factory / Plant / Works / Manufacturing Operations.
• Prior experience as Factory Manager, Plant Manager, Works Manager, Operations Head or equivalent senior manufacturing position will be preferred.
• Strong exposure to production planning, plant maintenance, quality, safety, manpower and cost management.
• Experience managing multiple production departments and large operational teams.
• Experience in manufacturing environments involving heavy machinery and continuous production operations.
• Exposure to capital projects, plant expansion, equipment installation or commissioning will be advantageous.
• Experience in Africa / West Africa or other multicultural manufacturing environments will be an added advantage.

5. TECHNICAL & PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Strong understanding of steel manufacturing and metal-processing operations.
• Production planning, scheduling and capacity management.
• Plant maintenance and equipment reliability.
• Manufacturing process control and productivity improvement.
• Material yield, scrap and wastage management.
• Quality management and rejection control.
• Industrial safety and EHS practices.
• Cost control and manufacturing efficiency.
• Manpower planning and shop-floor management.
• KPI development, MIS and performance analysis.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Ability to interpret production and operational data and convert it into actionable decisions.
• Good knowledge of MS Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
• Strong reporting and management presentation skills.

6. BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Strong plant leadership and ownership.
• High integrity, discipline and accountability.
• Hands-on approach to manufacturing operations.
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving ability.
• Excellent planning, organisation and prioritisation.
• Strong communication and coordination skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing operational priorities.
• Result-oriented approach with strong focus on productivity.
• Ability to lead large and diverse workforces.
• Strong team-building and people-development skills.
• High responsiveness and follow-through.
• Continuous improvement mindset.
• Professional maturity and management presence.
• Cross-cultural sensitivity and professionalism in a West African business environment.

7. AUTHORITY & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The Factory Manager will operate as the senior operational leader of the manufacturing plant, with responsibility for coordinating plant functions and ensuring achievement of approved operational objectives while respecting the defined delegation of authority.

The position will work closely with:

Internal Stakeholders:
Chairman, Directors, Finance, HR, Production, Maintenance, Quality, Procurement, Stores, Supply Chain, Sales & Marketing, Dispatch, Projects, EHS, IT and other functional heads.

External Stakeholders:
Customers, suppliers, equipment/service providers, contractors, consultants, government authorities, regulators and other relevant industry stakeholders.

The Factory Manager will not independently commit the company to major financial, contractual or strategic decisions beyond the approved delegation of authority.

Preferred candidate profile

8. IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

The ideal candidate is a senior manufacturing professional with strong steel/metal industry experience and proven plant leadership capability. The person should be capable of managing complete factory operations with a strong focus on production, productivity, quality, safety, maintenance, cost and delivery.

The candidate should combine technical manufacturing knowledge with strong people-management and business understanding, and should be comfortable working directly with senior management on operational performance and improvement initiatives.

The individual must be hands-on, result-oriented, disciplined and data-driven, with the ability to identify operational bottlenecks, take timely corrective action and ensure that plant objectives are converted into measurable results.

French language knowledge will be an added advantage for coordination within the wider West African business environment.

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