Senior Operations Manager – Africa

About the role

Yara is seeking a Senior Operations Manager to lead end‑to‑end operations across multiple African markets. Based in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana or Tanzania, you will ensure reliable supply, cost efficiency and consistent product quality while upholding safety, health, environment and regulatory standards.

Key responsibilities

• Manage heads of operations in each African market and ensure implementation of key directives across all terminals.
• Own the regional operating plan, translating business strategy into site‑level goals, budgets and KPIs.
• Control the entire operational cost for Africa in line with the approved CRC budget.
• Coach and evaluate country/site leaders to drive performance, operational discipline and continuous improvement.
• Standardise operating procedures, escalation protocols and performance governance across markets.
• Oversee operations planning, aligning demand, supply and capacity.
• Lead Operational Excellence initiatives, including the Yara Productivity System (YPS) and OKR monitoring.
• Ensure raw material and packaging availability through robust forecasting and management.
• Partner with Procurement and Supply Management on contracts, lead times and cost optimisation.
• Maintain product specifications, regulatory compliance and robust QC/QA systems.
• Develop and own the Capital Value Process (CVP) for projects, prioritising returns for Africa and Asia.
• Collaborate with Finance to secure CAPEX approvals and define long‑term infrastructure road‑maps.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading multi‑country operations in a complex, regulated environment.
• Strong leadership and coaching abilities to develop high‑performing site teams.
• Demonstrated capability to manage large operational budgets and drive cost efficiency.
• Excellent analytical skills for forecasting, capacity planning and performance governance.
• Ability to partner across functions such as Procurement, Finance and Supply Management.

Required skills

• Yara Productivity System (YPS)
• Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) methodology
• CAPEX and Capital Value Process (CVP) management
• QC/QA systems and regulatory compliance