Production Manager

About the Company:
This is a greenfield project.
The Company has been registered in 2024 to serve the Zambian market with printing & packaging services, as there is a lack of quality and sufficient production capacity to serve the local market. Construction of the factory is set to commence in Q3 2025. The Company is part of a conglomerate that has been operating in Africa for over 40 years, and currently employs over 1,500 employees across 5 African countries.
About the Job:
As a key leadership role within the greenfield printing and packaging company, the Production Manager for the Flexo UV Printing Department will be responsible for establishing, building, and managing all aspects of flexographic UV printing and post press operations. This role requires a highly experienced, hands-on professional who can develop systems, processes, and best practices from the ground up while simultaneously running daily production activities.
The ideal candidate is a self-starter with strong technical expertise in Flexo UV printing, proven leadership capability, and the ability to create structure in an environment where none currently exists. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the production culture, define workflows, and build a high-performing team in a company poised for rapid growth.
Key Responsibilities (pre-operations phase):
1.  Construction:
a. Support Construction Manager as and where required

2.Machinery Installation:
a. Work closely with electrical consultants, machine suppliers to ensure electrical and machine installation is done correctly, and on time

3. HR
a. Recruit & develop a prepress, press, post press production teams, and qc & maintenance

Key Responsibilities (Operations phase)
1. Establishing Production Systems & Processes
a. Design and implement all production workflows, SOPs, quality procedures, and operational standards for the Flexo UV printing department.
b. Develop systems for scheduling, inventory management, color control, plate management, and machine maintenance.
c. Set up safety procedures, documentation systems, and reporting structures.
d. Create training programs and competency matrices for operators and support staff.

2. Production Management
a. Oversee day-to-day operations of all Flexo UV presses to meet customer deadlines and quality expectations.
b. Plan production schedules from scratch, ensuring optimal machine utilization and minimal downtime.
c. Establish and track production KPIs including waste, uptime, productivity, and output accuracy.

3. Quality Assurance & Color Management
a. Create quality standards, inspection protocols, and print approval processes.
b. Implement color management practices, anilox selection standards, and ink handling guidelines.
c. Collaborate with prepress to ensure smooth job transitions

Team Leadership & Department Building
a. Recruit, train, and develop a new team of press operators, assistants, and helpers.
b. Build a performance-driven culture focused on learning, accountability, and continuous improvement.
c. Mentor staff to ensure they understand best practices in flexographic UV printing.

5. Equipment & Maintenance Setup
a. Establish preventive maintenance schedules for presses, UV curing units, anilox rollers, and support equipment.
b. Work closely with engineering and suppliers to resolve technical issues and implement improvements.
c. Participate in selecting and installing new equipment as the company expands.

6. Safety & Compliance
a. Develop and enforce all safety protocols, including proper handling of UV inks, chemicals, and substrates.
b. Ensure compliance with environmental, health, and regulatory standards.
c. Train the team on safe machine operation and emergency procedures.

7. Continuous Improvement & Scaling

a. Implement Lean, 5S, and other improvement methodologies as part of the foundational structure.
b. Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste, and optimize processes as the company grows.
c. Drive initiatives that support scaling from start-up to full production maturity.

8. New Project Development
a. Work closely with sales & finance department to identify new production lines that the company can expand into
b. Identify machine suppliers, raw material, consumable suppliers

9. Raw Material Planning
a. Support and advise the raw material planning

10. Dispatch & Delivery
a. Coordinate with Delivery team to ensure online delivery to clients, as per committed timelines

11. Reporting & Communication
a. Create and manage production dashboards, downtime logs, quality reports, and shift summaries.
b. Present weekly updates to senior management regarding progress, challenges, and resource needs.

12. Cross Functional Collaboration
a.  Work closely with sales, finance and logistics to ensure seamless delivery
b.  Communicate production or delivery issues clearly across all departments
c.  Participate in strategy meetings to align sales goals with operational capabilities

Qualifications:
a. Degree in Printing Technology

Necessary Experience:
a.  10+ years of hands-on experience in Flexographic UV printing, ideally in labelling industry (BOPP, PVC, SAV, PET)
b.  Proven success in establishing production processes, SOPs, workflows, and quality systems—ideally in a start-up or transformation environment.
c.  Strong leadership background with 5+ years managing teams.
d.  Deep knowledge of flexo prepress, press, inks, substrates, tooling, plate technologies, and color control.
e.  Demonstrated ability to solve complex production issues in a fast-paced environment.

Nice to Have Experience
a.  ISO certification
b.  HAACP or Food Safety
c.  Kaizen or Six Sigma
d.  Exposure to packaging sector ERP  

e. Experience with SAP S4Hana or similar

Age: Minimum 35 years old – 45 years old

Direct Reports
a. Production Operators (Zambian)
b.  Production Assistants
c.  Prepress
d.  QC Team
e.  Dispatch & Delivery Team

Reporting to:
a.  The candidate will report directly to the MD

Skills:
a. Systems creation & process development
b.  Leadership & staff training
c.  Strong technical flexo printing expertise
d.  Problem-solving & decision-making
e.  Excellent communication & collaboration
f.  High adaptability and entrepreneurial mindset
g.  Time management & ability to handle start-up pressure

Linguistic Skills:
a.  English:  Written (Fluent) Verbal (Fluent)