Operations Manager

Matna Foods Limited is a leading agro-allied food processing company focused on the production of high-quality, food-grade cassava starch for both local and international markets. Nigeria’s pioneer producer of international-standard, multi-use cassava starch, Matna operates a modern processing facility near Akure, Ondo State, strategically located within a major cassava-producing belt.

Matna’s operations are anchored on strong process discipline, rigorous quality control, safety standards, and operational excellence required to meet demanding global specifications. By combining advanced processing technology, deep agricultural linkages, and skilled professionals, the company consistently delivers reliable, high-grade starch for a wide range of food and industrial applications.

Driven by a commitment to quality, innovation, and continuous improvement, Matna’s products remain highly competitive across domestic and export markets. The company’s growth has been guided by visionary leadership and a strong belief in the potential of Nigeria’s agricultural value chain-earning industry recognition, including the CBN Export Category Best SMEEIS Entrepreneur Award.

At Matna, we are committed to building a high-performance culture that attracts, develops, and empowers talented professionals who share our passion for excellence, collaboration, and innovation-creating an environment where ideas thrive, and standards are continually raised.

We are seeking talented professionals who are passionate about socio-economic development through agricultural and Agro-allied investments

Job Summary

The Operations Manager is responsible for driving end-to-end factory performance across production, process control, resource utilization, and operational discipline within Matna’s cassava starch processing plant.

This role ensures that daily operations consistently deliver high-quality output at optimal yield, minimal waste, reduced downtime, and controlled cost, while maintaining strict adherence to safety, quality, and process standards required for food-grade and export-compliant production.

The Operations Manager translates production plans into efficient, well-coordinated plant activities that maximize equipment uptime, raw material utilization, workforce productivity, and finished product quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate daily plant operations across processing, utilities, material flow, and shift activities to ensure smooth, uninterrupted production
• Drive process discipline and standard operating procedures across all stages of cassava starch processing
• Optimize raw material utilization to improve yield and reduce process losses and waste
• Minimize equipment downtime through close coordination with maintenance and proactive operational planning
• Ensure strict adherence to food safety, quality assurance, and operational compliance standards
• Monitor production flow to prevent bottlenecks, rework, off-spec output, and inefficiencies
• Align manpower deployment with production priorities to improve productivity and accountability
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance to ensure consistent production of export-grade, food-grade starch
• Work closely with Supply Chain to ensure availability of raw materials and efficient finished goods handling
• Enforce safety standards, housekeeping, and operational order across the factory floor
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, cost control, and process reliability

Provide structured operational reporting and insights to senior management for decision-making

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Industrial Chemistry, Food Technology, Production Management, or a related technical field
• 8-12 years’ experience in FMCG, food processing, agro-processing, or industrial manufacturing environments
• Minimum of 4-6 years in a production or operations leadership role within a factory setting
• Strong understanding of process optimization, yield improvement, and waste reduction in a processing plant
• Experience managing shift operations, manpower planning, and cross-functional coordination
• Solid knowledge of food safety, quality standards, and operational compliance requirements
• Practical experience working with maintenance teams to reduce downtime and improve equipment reliability
• Demonstrated ability to enforce process discipline and operational structure on the factory floor
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and team leadership capability
• Proficiency in operational reporting, production planning, and performance monitoring

• Collaborate with Commercial and Supply Chain teams to align market demand with production planning and inventory flow
• Support customer education initiatives on product applications, quality specifications, and usage benefits

• Competitive Compensation.
• 5-day workweek.
• Competitive Health Insurance (Employee + Spouse + 4 children).
• Wellness Programs
• Employee Training Programs
• Growth and Development
• Mentoring and Counseling

Office base: Ondo State