General Manager

Role Overview

African Naturalistas is into the manufacture and sales of Hair Products. We are looking for an GM Operations to take full ownership of day‑to‑day running of African Naturalistas. The GM Operations turns strategy into clear plans, keeps the business profitable and compliant, and ensures all departments work together smoothly.

PLEASE DO NOT APPLY IF YOU DO NOT RESIDE WITHIN THE LEKKI-AJAH-SANGOTEDO AXIS OF LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA.

What You Will Own

• Run the company day‑to‑day across production, sales, finance, logistics, customer service. Keep work flowing and issues unblocked fast.
• Operations reliability: Make sure production planning is accurate, capacity is balanced, inventory is right‑sized, and orders ship on time with minimal stockouts.
• Planning & approvals: Build simple quarterly/monthly operating plans and budgets. Lead weekly leadership meetings. Get CEO sign‑off on the few big items; own the rest.
• Profit & cash: Hit revenue and margin goals. Control COGS and overhead. Enforce daily invoicing and daily bank reconciliation. Close the books by Day +5 each month.
• Cross‑functional alignment: Ensure Operations, Sales, and Finance move in lockstep for campaigns, launches, and seasonality.
• Compliance & quality: Maintain NAFDAC registrations, GMP/ISO‑aligned practices, safe factory, and correct labelling.
• Growth & product launches: Co‑create growth and launch plans with the CEO, turn them into timelines, budgets, and KPIs, and deliver on time.
• Brand & reputation: Keep service levels high, handle escalations, reduce complaints/returns, and protect the brand in the market.
• People & culture: Set clear goals for managers, coach them, hold them accountable, and upgrade talent when needed.
• Policies, SOPs & systems: Keep simple SOPs current. Ensure an ERP/MRP and basic dashboards exist so everyone runs on facts, not guesswork.
• Lead and manage production planning, ensuring timely, cost-effective, and high-quality output to meet market and customer demands.
• S&OP / Demand–Supply Integration: “Chairs monthly S&OP aligning sales plans, production, and procurement; accountable for forecast accuracy %, OTIF %, and stockout rate %.”
• Financial Controls & Cash Discipline: Enforces daily invoicing and daily bank reconciliation; month-end close by Day +5; capex stage-gates; 3-quote procurement for spends > ₦__; discounting within guardrails; owner of Cash Conversion Cycle improvements.
• Monitor, supervise, and drive the sales team, ensuring targets are consistently met, and implementing strategies to boost sales performance.
• HSE & Security: Responsible for facility safety, incident reduction, and periodic safety audits; oversees physical security and loss-prevention controls.
• Vendor Strategy & SLAs: Sets sourcing strategy, dual-sourcing for critical inputs, supplier scorecards, and SLAs; negotiates terms; conducts quarterly supplier reviews.
• Customer Experience & Brand Protection: Accountable for complaint rate, returns %, response/resolution times, and NPS/CSAT; implements corrective action loops; manages marketplace policy compliance.
• Ethics & Compliance: Enforces code of conduct, anti-bribery/anti-corruption, gifts & entertainment policy, conflict-of-interest disclosures, whistleblowing channel; annual attestations.
• Governance & Stakeholder Management: Primary interface with auditors, regulators, insurers, major customers, and strategic partners.

Candidate Profile

• Must live within the Lekki-Ajah-Sangotedo axis of Lagos State
• 5+ years in FMCG/beauty/personal care/pharma‑adjacent or other process manufacturing; 5+ years leading multi‑department teams.
• Has improved margins or run a P&L; strong grasp of unit economics and cash.
• Hands‑on with ERP/MRP and demand planning; comfortable building SOPs.
• Knows GMP/ISO 22716, NAFDAC standards.
• Clear communicator, decisive people leader, comfortable in a fast‑moving, entrepreneurial environment.
• Resides within the Lekki-Ajah-Sangotedo axis
• Excellent communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word
• Good people skills and friendly disposition
• Proficiency in Enterprise Resource Planning software
• Excellent leadership skills
• Extensive experience in an operations management position, or similar.
• In-depth knowledge of project management and strategic planning.
• Ability to promote efficiency toward achieving business objectives and profitability.
• Advanced knowledge of best business practices.
• Experience with budgets and financial reports, and monitoring expenses.
• Developing human resources policies, and monitoring compliance and performance.