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
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 for achievements and accomplishments
Customer Centricity
Understanding the customer’s needs and pain points, fulfills the needs and expectations by focusing on creating value for customers.
UPL Ltd. (NSE: UPL & BSE: 512070) is a global provider of sustainable agriculture products & solutions, with annual revenue exceeding $5 billion. As one of the top 5 agriculture solutions companies worldwide, our robust portfolio consists of biologicals and traditional crop protection solutions with more than 13,600 registrations. With a presence in more than 130 countries and more than 10,000 colleagues globally, we reach more than 90% of the world’s food basket. For more information about our integrated portfolio of solutions across the food value chain including seeds, post-harvest, as well as physical and digital services, please visit upl-ltd.com.
