Cocoa Plant Manager

About the role

SAO Agro is seeking an experienced Cocoa Plant Manager to lead its cocoa processing facility in Nigeria. The manager will be responsible for transforming raw cocoa beans into high-value products such as cocoa liquor, butter, cake and powder while upholding international food safety and quality standards.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee the complete cocoa processing flow – from bean receiving, grading, cleaning and destoning to roasting, cracking, winnowing, grinding, pressing and pulverising.
• Maintain optimal plant throughput, approve production schedules and minimise downtime.
• Monitor yield loss at each stage, optimise extraction rates and drive continuous-improvement initiatives using lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principles.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP, ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000, manage traceability from sourcing to finished goods and control quality parameters such as moisture, fat content and bean defects.
• Lead Production, QA/QC, Maintenance and Warehouse teams, coordinate with procurement, conduct performance reviews and plan workforce needs.
• Control production cost per ton, optimise energy consumption and reduce waste to improve recovery rates.

Required profile

• B.Sc in Food Technology, Chemical Engineering or Industrial Engineering.
• Minimum 12 years of experience in cocoa or food processing environments.
• Proven track record of managing large-scale processing plants and leading cross-functional teams.

Required skills

• HACCP implementation.
• ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000 compliance.
• Lean manufacturing methodologies.
• Six Sigma tools and techniques.