Chief Operating Officer (COO) job at Dalilang Foods & Beverages

Company Overview

Dalilang Foods & Beverages is a Ugandan FMCG manufacturer producing packaged snacks, including potato crisps, gonja chips, coated peanuts and peanut butter, alongside spring water, fruit nectars and energy drinks.

Job Description

Oversee daily operations across both manufacturing plants to streamline cross departmental workflows and drive operational efficiency.

Translate organizational strategy into operational priorities, realistic capital requirements, risk controls, and sustainable growth plans.

Champion governance, safety, quality, and leadership accountability across all operational functions.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Direct daily manufacturing operations across both plants to maintain safety, product quality, and high productivity standards.
• Streamline cross departmental workflows and eliminate bottlenecks between operational, supply chain, and support teams.
• Translate long term enterprise strategy into measurable production priorities, operational budgets, and capital investment plans.
• Enforce strict adherence to occupational safety, food safety, hygiene, environmental, and statutory compliance mandates.
• Monitor operational budgets, capital expenditures, contracts, and material usage to prevent avoidable losses and downtime.
• Drive lean manufacturing initiatives, root cause analyses, and continuous improvement programs without bypassing validated controls.
• Establish clear performance metrics and governance routines for senior managers to ensure transparent operational reporting.
• Build organizational capability by sponsoring talent development, fair performance management, and robust succession planning.

Skills

• Operations optimization and lean manufacturing implementation
• End to end supply chain and capacity planning
• Cross functional executive leadership and governance
• Financial stewardship, budgeting, and capital expenditure oversight
• Strategic risk assessment and root cause problem solving

Education Qualifications & Experience

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, Commerce, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain Management, Food Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Master's degree, MBA, MSc, MA, MEng, or relevant postgraduate diploma.
• Professional certifications such as CPA, ACCA, CIPS, CIM, CIPD, project management credentials, or recognized quality and safety qualifications.
• Equivalent foreign academic and professional qualifications recognized in Uganda.

Experience

• 8 or more years of experience in senior plant operations or manufacturing management.

• Direct daily manufacturing operations across both plants to maintain safety, product quality, and high productivity standards.
• Streamline cross departmental workflows and eliminate bottlenecks between operational, supply chain, and support teams.
• Translate long term enterprise strategy into measurable production priorities, operational budgets, and capital investment plans.
• Enforce strict adherence to occupational safety, food safety, hygiene, environmental, and statutory compliance mandates.
• Monitor operational budgets, capital expenditures, contracts, and material usage to prevent avoidable losses and downtime.
• Drive lean manufacturing initiatives, root cause analyses, and continuous improvement programs without bypassing validated controls.
• Establish clear performance metrics and governance routines for senior managers to ensure transparent operational reporting.
• Build organizational capability by sponsoring talent development, fair performance management, and robust succession planning.

• Operations optimization and lean manufacturing implementation
• End to end supply chain and capacity planning
• Cross functional executive leadership and governance
• Financial stewardship, budgeting, and capital expenditure oversight
• Strategic risk assessment and root cause problem solving

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, Commerce, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain Management, Food Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Master's degree, MBA, MSc, MA, MEng, or relevant postgraduate diploma.
• Professional certifications such as CPA, ACCA, CIPS, CIM, CIPD, project management credentials, or recognized quality and safety qualifications.
• Equivalent foreign academic and professional qualifications recognized in Uganda.