GENERAL MANAGER-OPERATIONS

ABOUT DUAPA AGRI PRODUCTS LIMITED

Duapa Agri Products Limited is a Ghanaian agro-commodity trading and processing company headquartered in Tema, Accra. We operate across the agricultural value chain; sourcing, trading, processing, and exporting premium commodities including cashew, shea, and soybeans to international markets, while building growing consumer brands through the Akoma Foods product line, distributed across Ghana and into global markets.

We are a commercially driven, institutionally minded business with an ambitious growth agenda. Our operations span procurement, primary processing, FMCG production and distribution, logistics, and export; supported by a committed team and a governance framework built to support scale. We move fast, we build with intention, and we hold ourselves to a high standard and we hire people who want to be part of that.

THE ROLE

The General Manager-Operations is a senior leadership appointment at Duapa Agri. This is the operational spine of the company; the person who ensures that every function from production and processing to logistics, warehousing, quality, FMCG, and HR runs with precision, accountability, and consistent improvement.

You will have full authority across all operational departments and will be the primary operational escalation point within the business. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team, own the systems and processes that govern how work gets done, and drive performance across every function under your remit. This role demands someone who is energetic, decisive, structured, and capable of operating at speed in a dynamic, fast-growing environment.

This is not a maintenance role. Duapa is building; actively and ambitiously. The right candidate will arrive ready to construct, improve, and lead from the front.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Operational Leadership & Performance Management

• Own the daily, weekly, and monthly operational cadence of the company across all departments under your remit
• Set clear performance expectations for all operational department/unit heads; hold structured reviews and manage performance formally and consistently
• Produce a consolidated weekly operational report for the Managing Director; concise, accurate, and submitted without prompting
• Establish and maintain a disciplined escalation protocol, resolve, filter, and escalate with judgment; never relay without analysis
• Ensure operational decisions are made at the right level; protect executive time for strategic and commercial priorities.

2. Systems, SOPs & Workflow Discipline

• Lead the design, documentation, and enforcement of SOPs across all core processes: production and packaging, post-procurement handling, logistics and dispatch, sales order to cash, HR onboarding and exit, and budget and petty cash management
• Own the company’s ERP and operational systems, drive user discipline, data integrity, and continuous process improvement
• Build a culture of process adherence where deviations are flagged, root causes are addressed, and improvements are institutionalized
• Ensure all operational documentation is current, accessible, and actively used by the relevant teams

3. Post-Procurement Operations: Warehousing, Inventory & Logistics

• Oversee all post-procurement operational flows, inbound commodity intake, warehouse management, inventory control, and outbound dispatch to off-takers and customers
• Ensure warehouse operations meet required standards for storage, traceability, stock integrity, and loss prevention
• Manage logistics coordination, transport scheduling, route efficiency, fleet oversight, and delivery performance
• Oversee shipping documentation and export logistics coordination in collaboration with the commercial and procurement teams
• Maintain accurate and real-time inventory records across all locations and product categories

4. Production, Processing & Quality

• Oversee production and primary processing operations, ensuring output is on schedule, within specification, and properly documented
• Work closely with the QA and Food Safety function to maintain compliance with FDA, TCDA, GSA, and other applicable regulatory requirements
• Drive the operational readiness requirements for key certifications including Fairtrade, ISO 22000, GSA, and others on the roadmap
• Ensure quality control checkpoints are embedded in every production and processing stage, not treated as an end-of-line afterthought

5. FMCG, Commercial Operations & Distribution

• Oversee the Akoma Foods Key Accounts and FMCG sales function, ensure targets are tracked, credit terms are enforced, and receivables are collected on time
• Ensure production, packaging, and distribution operate as a coordinated unit with no gaps in accountability or fulfilment
• Work with the commercial team on route-to-market discipline, channel expansion, and distribution performance
• Maintain stock availability, order fill rates, and delivery timelines to the standard required by key accounts

6. People, Culture & Team Development

• Directly line-manage all operational department heads with structured one-to-ones, clear KPIs, and formal performance management where required
• Work with HR to ensure payroll accuracy, appraisal cycles, and staff welfare processes run on time and without senior escalation
• Actively identify and develop high-potential team members; flag capability gaps before they become operational risks
• Monitor and take responsibility for team morale, it is a leading indicator of operational performance and must be treated as one

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Non-Negotiable Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of operational management experience, with at least 5 years in a multi-department leadership role
• A proven track record of building or significantly improving operational systems; SOPs, ERP implementation, quality standards, or process transformation
• Experience in agro-processing, FMCG, food manufacturing, logistics, or a closely related sector
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop diverse teams spanning blue-collar production staff through to department/unit heads
• A valid driving license; the role requires regular site visits and field travel
• Degree in Operations Management, Business Administration, Supply Chain, Food Science, or a related field

Strongly Preferred

• Familiarity with food safety and quality management standards — HACCP, ISO 22000, IFS, FSSC 22000, or equivalent
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems and the organizational discipline to enforce their use
• Working knowledge of Ghana’s regulatory environment for food and agricultural products; FDA, EPA, TCDA, GSA
• Experience in export operations; shipping documentation, Incoterms, warehousing for trade, and cross-border logistics
• French language proficiency; an advantage given our regional operations and expansion footprint

The Person

• Energetic, high-output, and built for pace; you thrive under pressure and produce your best work when the stakes are high
• Age range: 35–40, with the maturity to lead and the drive to build
• A systems thinker who does not manage by intuition; you build processes, document them, and hold people to them
• Commercially minded; you understand that every operational decision has a financial consequence and you factor that in
• A communicator who can translate complexity into clear, concise reports that decision-makers can act on
• High personal accountability; you own your domain, your team’s results, and the problems that land in your remit
• Comfortable operating in a founder-led, ambitious, fast-moving business; you can build structure without losing speed

Additional Requirements

• Must have a valid driving license. Ability to drive a manual would be a plus.
• Must be willing to travel across various regions within and outside Ghana.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. The package includes a base salary and a performance bonus payable upon achievement of the 90-day milestones above. Salary expectations should be declared clearly at interview, we will respond in kind.

Additional benefits include all statutory entitlements under Ghanaian labour law, health insurance, a laptop, business phone, access to company vehicle pool, and reimbursement for approved field and travel expenses. Further benefits will be discussed at offer stage.

HOW TO APPLY

Qualified candidates should submit a CV and a cover letter of no more than one page addressing the following question directly;

Describe a specific situation where you took ownership of a complex, multi-function operational environment. What was the state of operations when you arrived, what did you build or change, and what measurably improved as a result of your leadership?

Applications that do not include a substantive, specific answer to this question will not be considered. We are looking for evidence; not a summary of your CV. AI generated outputs shall be detected, flagged and application rejected.

All applications must be submitted through Carrers section of the company’s official website: www.duapaagri.com

Duapa Agri Products Limited is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities and markets in which we operate.