Production Supervisor - Beverage Production

About the role

Career Directions Limited is hiring a Production Supervisor for its beverage production department in Kiambu County, reporting to the Lead or Deputy Lead. The supervisor leads and coordinates production in the assigned beverage manufacturing area so that approved production plans are delivered safely, efficiently, cost-effectively and on time. The role covers frontline leadership, food safety, equipment reliability, cost control and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities

• Implement production plans and shift targets, coordinate manpower, equipment, materials and utilities, and ensure timely production and shift handovers.
• Ensure compliance with GMP, HACCP and quality standards, monitor product specifications, handle traceability and support audits and corrective actions.
• Coordinate equipment inspections and preventive maintenance, monitor breakdowns and downtime, and drive equipment reliability and OEE improvement.
• Monitor material, labour and utility consumption, control waste and rejects, and investigate variances.
• Supervise and coach production employees, allocate duties, track attendance and discipline, and identify training needs.
• Enforce SHEQ policies, PPE use, safety inspections, hygiene and housekeeping.
• Drive Lean, Kaizen and 5S initiatives, collaborate with Quality, Engineering, Planning and Supply Chain, and maintain accurate production and shift records.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree or diploma in Food Science, Food Technology, Manufacturing Engineering, Production or Operations Management, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 4 to 6 years of relevant experience in FMCG, beverage, food processing or manufacturing, including supervising production staff and coordinating shifts.
• Mandatory direct experience with high-speed beverage production and packaging lines such as Krones, Sidel, KHS, SACMI, SIPA or KOSME.
• Desirable: experience with automated or semi-automated filling and packaging systems, and with loss reduction or continuous improvement initiatives.

Required skills

• Production planning, scheduling and beverage manufacturing operations.
• GMP, HACCP, food safety controls, quality control and SHEQ compliance.
• Cleaning-in-place and sanitation, Lean, 5S, Kaizen and root cause analysis.
• Microsoft Excel and production reporting tools.

Working conditions include a beverage manufacturing environment, possible rotational shifts, weekends, public holidays and overtime, and exposure to production noise, machinery and cleaning chemicals. Strict compliance with PPE, hygiene and food safety is mandatory.