Projects & Continuous Improvement Manager

Job Id: 13477

City:

Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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Department: SCM Leadership

Function: SCM

Employee Type: Permanent Full Time

Seniority Level: Mid-Senior level

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Description:

Job Title: Projects & Continuous Improvement Manager

Reporting To: Site Lead

Function: Manufacturing / Supply Chain

Location: South Africa - Canelands

ABOUT UPL:

UPL is focused on emerging as a premier global provider of total crop solutions designed to secure the world’s long-term food supply. Winning farmer's hearts across the globe, while leading the way with innovative products and services that make agriculture sustainable, UPL is the fastest-growing company in the industry. Our successes in the field add up to powerful financials. UPL delivers results from protecting crops that translate into attractive investor value. Based on the recognition that humankind is one community, UPL’s overarching commitment is to improve areas of its presence, workplace, and customer engagement.

Our purpose is ‘OpenAg’. An agriculture network that feeds sustainable growth for all. No limits, no borders.

We are one team, for maximum impact. One team with shared goals. We have a laser-like focus on what our customers need and want, on anticipating their future needs, and on how we can create innovative solutions and experiences for them. We think outside the box and go beyond our comfort zone. We believe in agility, we mix the power of speed, with structure from process. And wherever we can, we always believe in having fun

Role Summary :

The role is responsible for driving organizational efficiency by leading and optimizing operational workflows, including to analyse performance data, identify bottlenecks, and manage end-to-end projects aimed at reducing costs, eliminating waste, and elevating service and product quality.

Key Responsibilities :

Project Management:

Oversees end-to-end project lifecycles, managing resource allocation, timelines, and budgets to ensure successful delivery of strategic initiatives.

Define project scope by outline the goals, deliverables, features, and constraints of the project.

Identify stakeholders who will be impacted by the project and establish communication channels

Create project plans by developing a structured timeline, set milestones, and schedule tasks.

Allocate resources by assigning team members and assist to secure necessary tools or materials to get the job done

Estimate costs and track expenditures to ensure the project stays within financial constraints

Motivate project team, assign specific duties, and foster collaboration

Proactively identify, assess, and address any risks that could derail the project.

Ensure the work meets the required quality and safety standards and expectations

Conduct a post-project review to evaluate performance, document lessons learned, and close out sign-off.

Process Optimization

Bottleneck Identification: Pinpointing specific steps causing delays, excessive errors, or redundant manual labor.

Data Collection: Gathering quantitative and qualitative data to measure current cycle times, error rates, and resource costs.

Root Cause Analysis: Investigating the underperforming processes that fail to align with overarching business goals.

Automation Implementation: Integrating digital tools or AI to remove repetitive, error-prone manual tasks.

Simplification: Identifying operational inefficiencies and designs workflows using frameworks like Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and Value Stream Mapping to streamline processes.

Stakeholder Alignment: Ensuring all departments agree on the new process flows and understand their individual duties.

Continuous Improvement: Cultivating an operational excellence mindset where processes are continuously reviewed rather than treated as a one-off project

Data Analytics

Data collection: Collects and translates complex operational data into actionable insights, dashboards, and KPI reports to measure project success.

KPI Tracking: Monitoring performance metrics (e.g., cost per unit, customer satisfaction, time saved) to ensure tangible ROI.

Change Facilitation

Acts as an internal change agent (management of change), guiding cross-functional teams through organizational shifts and fostering a permanent culture of continuous improvement.

Training & Coaching

Leads workshops and mentoring employees at all levels on problem-solving methodologies and best practices.

Responsibility Weightage and % of Time Spent Matrix

Responsibility

Weightage

% of Time Spent

Project Management

30

25%

Process Optimization

30

25%

Data Analytics

20

20%

Change Facilitation

10

20%

Training & Coaching

10

10%

Financial Accountability

Capex budget

Effective resource utilization

Strategic: Strategic 60%; Tactical 40%

Number of Direct Reports: 01

Number of Indirect Reports: 0

Internal Stakeholders

Manufacturing

Supply Chain

Health Safety & Environment

External Interactions

Stakeholders

Equipment Suppliers

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

Technical Requirements:

National Diploma in Chemical Engineering

Lean Six Sigma Training

Post-Graduate in Business Administration is recommended

2-5 years’ experience in continuous improvement

Behavioural Requirements

Adaptability & Resilience

Results Orientations

Customer Centricity

UPL Competencies

Adaptability & Resilience

Recognizes and is open to changing circumstances and alters behavior and scales up as necessary; increases personal awareness and appreciation of individual and cultural differences to create an open, inclusive, and accepting workplace

Entrepreneurial Mindset

Has a creative mindset and ability to think holistically, takes calculated risks and maximizes opportunities

Results Orientations

Acts, pursues goals with persistence and achieves results; communicates goals and vision to the team to drive enthusiasm and ambition

Execution Excellence

Enhances the speed of execution and builds efficiency in processes, systems, and people; has sharp focus on quality-orientation

Strategic Orientation

Demonstrates knowledge of the social, economic, and environmental factors and how they impact business. Identifies key issues that could impact the business and develop strategy through an analytical lens / design thinking

Building Teams and Talent

Empowers colleagues through knowledge sharing and delegation, quickly establishing rapport; provides recognition