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Plant Operations Lead 

 Job Purpose:

• Reporting to the RC Production Lead-East Africa, the role is accountable for planning, executing, and overseeing all activities related to the manufacturing process of commercial maize seed in Kenya, with a clear focus on delivering high-quality outputs and operational excellence.
• Ensures strict adherence to internal seed processing procedures while proactively guiding the team on continuous improvement initiatives to enhance and sustain product quality across all stages of the process.
• Further, drives efficient production operations by optimizing resource utilization, upholding rigorous quality and safety and human rights standards, and fostering a performance-oriented environment that consistently meets business and customer expectations.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• You will act as Key account manager for all third part Processing Service Providers (PSP).
• This means full contract administration to ensure all SLA are achieved.
• Ensures plant processes ofseeds, seed storage/ preservation meets regulatory, business and customer specifications. 
• Ensures availability of ALL required production consumables and regulatory approvals are secured prior to processing campaign.
•  This includes but not limited to Packaging, labels, Raw Seeds, Plant Certification etc.
• In collaboration with the Warehouse lead, ensures all non-conforming seeds are segregated and reported timely for mass balancing and financial reporting.
• Delivers technical advice to the third plant operations regarding seeds processing activities to maintain high seed quality during processing.
• Act as one point of contact for all quality issues at the Tolling sites and drives internal collaborative efforts to ensure highest standards of quality is maintained.
• Adhere to the implementation and upkeep of the Quality Management System.
• Collection of reliable Quality data which will be baseline for track and trace and applied for continual improvement for seed processing activities.
• Continuously monitor plant seed production processes from receiving to final product to ensure that a high standard of quality and integrity of batches is maintained at all stages. Ensure seeds operations adhere to testing strategy by liaising with the lab and quality release team to ensure only compliant batches are released.
• Collaborate with field mission teams to derive; seed quality trends, non-conformance investigations and associated corrective and/or preventive action for seeds.
• Ensures sampling of all seeds and follow-up testing for decision making.
• Conducting pre-processing defects tests on all seeds staged for processing to ensure defective batches are not treated and bagged.
• Perform in-processing checks (defects testing, weights, stitching, labelling) to ensure defective seed/bags are reworked.
• Generate seed quality report on regular basis and sharing with the stakeholders on a weekly basis.
• Ensures attainment of at least 95% Planning and Bagging Adherence.
• Key Working Relationships: Ethiopia field mission production team Warehousing squads Key representatives from the Toller Seed regulators Finance and Cost Account SAP Administration

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in, Agriculture Engineering, Production Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Management or related engineering field.
• At least 10 years of experience in a similar manufacturing environment Prior experience in agricultural or seed industry is an added advantage Specific Seed production, handling, or processing of Seed technology experience desired.
• Fluent in English
• SAP & MS Office packages 
• Have good relationship and networking and collaborative skills. 

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we want to ensure persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact us at nicole.gien.ext@bayer.com.

Location:

Kenya : Kenya : Nakuru  

Division:

Crop Science 

Reference Code:

874333 

Bayer welcomes applications from all individuals, regardless of race, national origin, gender, age, physical characteristics, social origin, disability, union membership, religion, family status and pregnancy. We are committed to treating all applicants fairly and avoiding discrimination.