Technical Assistant to Chief Operating Officer

Job Summary

• To provide high-level technical, operational, and analytical support to the COO, Pan-Africa, in overseeing the performance, efficiency, and continuous improvement of cement manufacturing operations across the Group’s Pan-African businesses.
• The role will support the COO in analysing plant performance, reviewing operational and technical reports, monitoring strategic initiatives, identifying performance gaps, and ensuring effective follow-through on agreed operational actions across the various country operations.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. Technical & Operational Support

• Provide technical and analytical support to the COO on cement manufacturing and plant operational matters.
• Review plant performance across key areas including quarrying, raw material preparation, kilns, clinker production, cement grinding, packing and dispatch.
• Analyse plant operating data to identify performance gaps, bottlenecks, reliability issues and improvement opportunities.
• Support the COO in evaluating technical proposals, operational challenges, and improvement initiatives submitted by country operations.
• Prepare technical briefs and recommendations for the COO’s consideration.

2. Plant Performance Monitoring

• Monitor operational KPIs across Pan-African plants and businesses.
• Consolidate periodic plant performance reports and highlight significant deviations requiring management attention.

3. Operational Reviews & Performance Meetings

• Support preparation for plant and country operational performance reviews.
• Review technical presentations and reports before submission to the COO.
• Identify key issues, performance gaps, and matters requiring decisions ahead of review meetings.
• Document technical decisions and agreed actions arising from operational reviews.
• Maintain a structured tracker covering actions, responsible persons, deadlines, and closure status.
• Follow up with relevant operations to ensure timely implementation.

4. Projects & CAPEX Monitoring

• Support the COO in monitoring major CAPEX, plant optimisation, debottlenecking and operational improvement projects.
• Review project progress reports and identify material deviations in scope, cost, schedule or expected operational benefits.
• Track key project milestones and critical actions.
• Support technical evaluation of proposals and business cases as required.
• Provide regular summaries of major projects requiring the COO’s attention.

5. Data Analytics & Management Reporting

• Consolidate technical and operational data from Pan-African businesses into management-level reports.
• Translate detailed technical information into clear executive summaries for decision-making.
• Develop dashboards, trend analyses, and comparative performance reports.
• Conduct root-cause and variance analyses on significant operational performance gaps.
• Ensure accuracy, consistency, and timely availability of management information.

6. Cross-Country Coordination

• Coordinate with Plant Directors, Operations Directors, Technical Heads, and other relevant leadership teams across Pan-African operations.
• Follow up on information and actions requested by the COO.
• Facilitate technical exchanges between operations where common challenges or improvement opportunities exist.
• Support the COO in ensuring alignment of operational priorities across businesses.

7. Special Assignments

• Undertake technical studies and operational analyses assigned by the COO.
• Conduct benchmarking and research on cement manufacturing technologies and operating practices.
• Support due diligence, technical reviews, and other strategic operational initiatives as required.
• Participate in plant visits and operational assessments on behalf of, or alongside, the COO where required.

Key Requirements

Education and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Industrial Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• A postgraduate degree in Engineering, Operations Management or an MBA would be an advantage.
• Relevant professional engineering or project management certification would be advantageous.
• 10–15 years of relevant experience in cement manufacturing or a comparable heavy industrial environment.
• Strong hands-on exposure to cement plant operations, process optimisation, maintenance, production or engineering.
• Experience in multi-plant or multi-country operations would be highly desirable.
• Previous experience supporting senior operations leadership or working in a corporate technical/operational excellence function would be an advantage.
• Demonstrable experience analysing plant KPIs and converting technical data into actionable operational recommendations.

Skills and Behaviours

Technical Competencies: Cement manufacturing process, Process, Cost and Performance optimisation, Operational excellence methodologies, CAPEX/project monitoring, Root-cause analysis, Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, Data visualisation and performance dashboards.

Behavioural Competencies: Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, Commercial and operational awareness, Excellent written and verbal communication, Strong attention to detail, Ability to challenge technical assumptions constructively, High level of professionalism and confidentiality, Effective stakeholder management, Ability to operate across different countries and cultures, High personal drive and sense of urgency, Strong execution and follow-through.

Key Performance Indicators

Success in the role should be measured around:

• Quality and timeliness of operational analyses and reports.
• Accuracy of Pan-Africa plant performance dashboards.
• Timely identification and escalation of material operating deviations.
• Closure rate of COO operational action items.
• Quality of technical briefs and recommendations.
• Effectiveness of monitoring major operational improvements.

Benefits

• Private Health Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Training & Development
• Career Development Opportunities