COMPANY PROFILE

The Joseph Initiative Limited is a post-harvest management company operating in the Masindi District of Western Uganda. As an integrated supply chain for agricultural commodities, we manage the end-to-end process of physical maize trading—we purchase, process, bulk, store, and deliver large volumes of high quality corn to East African markets. The Joseph Initiative leverages a network infrastructure of rural maize aggregation and processing centers called Joseph Centers to more efficiently source and handle maize produced by smallholder farmers (80% of the primary producers throughout East Africa) and cut post-harvest losses due to insufficient quality management capabilities. After just one year of operations, the JI has sourced over 5000 MT of grain to markets in Nairobi, Kigali, and Kampala via ten Joseph Centers and various Village Agents; employed over 200 staff and engaged over 5,000 farmers across our network.

JOB OVERVIEW

The Operations Manager ensures successful execution of overall operations across the Joseph Initiative Masindi District footprint. This includes plant management, raw material procurement, warehouse management, quality control and supply chain planning. The Manager of Operations will have a diverse team of around 25 full-time employees and more than 100 casual laborers. Growth potential is significant as the Joseph Initiative scales throughout Uganda and East Africa.

RESPONSIBILITIES

 Manage overall operations of The Joseph Initiative Masindi District

 Ensure efficient procurement of 30,000 MT per year of high quality maize sourced via rural aggregation infrastructure network and trader purchases

 Oversee inbound and outbound logistics to/from The Joseph Initiative warehouse and processing centers

 Manage processing and storage of raw grain and secondary products

 Manage staff of village procurement officers, extension workers, warehouse workers, and casual laborers of more than 100 people  Ensure financial transparency—prevent fraud and theft—and financial fluidity—timely payment of suppliers and contractors

 Develop solutions for problems across the JI network including theft, weather challenges, infrastructure malfunction, or other incidental challenges

 Work with Senior Management to plan future operations strategy, Masindi District expansion, and other planning responsibilities

 Manage relationships with key local stakeholders, supporters, and competitors

QUALIFICATIONS

The Joseph Initiative is a growth-phase business in Uganda, a country with significant challenges, changes, and opportunities to be expected across the course of time. The Manager of Operations should be capable of responding to this environment with aplomb. In order to do so it is expected that the he or she possess:
 Exceptional management capabilities with proven capacity to oversee and motivate diverse teams (expect 3 years of experience)
 Ability to foresee and solve complex problems
 Extraordinary attention to detail and strong process-oriented thinking skills
 Exceptional work ethic, proactive attitude, and energy
 Rugged flexibility required to operate rural supply chain
 Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks of any scale in a high-pressure environment
 Familiarity with financial planning and management reporting
 Experience with logistics and production planning concepts
 Broad range of computer skills—database, statistics applications, and logistics software packages
 Strong verbal and written communication skills
 Agricultural experience a significant plus
 East African and African experience a significant plus
 Bachelor’s Degree in economics, engineering, math, finance, business, or other related fields encouraged

SALARY
Competitive with significant room for growth

START DATE

She or he will be expected to commence work by 1 June 2014 and sign a contract through 1 June 2016.

To apply for this role please upload your CV and motivation via the link "I'm interested".