Job Description

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) presents an exciting opportunity for an experienced Group Lead: Vertical Start-Up (VSU) & Capability Development to join the Supply Chain CCBA department. The role will report into the Group Head: Manufacturing Excellence.
CCBA is the largest African Coca-Cola bottler, accounting for 40% of all Coca-Cola volumes on the continent. CCBA is a Non-Alcoholic Ready to Drink (NARTD) market leader with an extensive footprint in Africa, employing over 17 000 employees and serving a combined population of over 300 million people across the continent. CCBA's vision is to "refresh Africa every day and make the continent a better place for all", growing successfully as a business and creating a better shared future for our people, customers, consumers, communities, planet and shareholders. We conduct ourselves with the utmost integrity for shared value and the greater good. We are a world class, customer-orientated, socially and environmentally conscious fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company that is driven by engaged, motivated and inspired employees.
This role will lead the design and deployment of operational readiness, capability development and productivity improvement initiatives across CCBA, ensuring successful start-up of new lines, technologies, and processes, while building sustainable capabilities that drive long-term performance improvement.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Develop, Lead and Implement productivity initiatives across CCBA.
Design and drive a group-wide VSU strategy to ensure flawless launch and ramp-up of new manufacturing lines, technologies, and processes.
Oversee operational readiness plans, ensuring market teams are equipped with the tools, training, and systems required to meet time, quality, and cost targets at start-up.
Create and continuously improve standardised frameworks, templates, and governance models for VSU planning, tracking, and execution.
Design and implement training programs to build technical and operational capability within project teams, engineering, and production staff.
Collaborate with Manufacturing, Engineering, SHEQ, and other functions to ensure cross-functional readiness and alignment for seamless project handovers.
Track VSU KPIs (e.g., time to rate, waste, OEE, FTR) and ensure smooth transition from project to operations with fully trained teams and stable performance.
Lead the development of learning academies, certification pathways, and role-based development programs tailored to key manufacturing and support functions.
Establish mechanisms for sharing VSU learnings and capability development best practices across countries to build a consistent, scalable approach to operational excellence.
Skills, Experience & Education
Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related technical field
Experience:
8+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, with a strong track record in leading vertical start-ups (VSU) and operational readiness programs.
Proven experience in cross-functional project leadership, particularly in line commissioning, production ramp-up, and early performance stabilisation.
Background in designing and implementing capability development frameworks and training programs across multiple sites or regions.
Skills:
Ability to design and execute structured VSU frameworks that ensure seamless handover from project to stable operations.
Strong understanding of production processes, line performance metrics (OEE, FTR, waste), and the technical requirements for operational ramp-up.
Skilled in designing role-based learning programs, competency frameworks, and hands-on training to build sustainable operational capability.
Expertise in managing complex start-up timelines, coordinating cross-functional teams, and leading change during commissioning and ramp-up.
Ability to align and engage stakeholders across manufacturing, engineering, quality, and HR to ensure readiness across all dimensions.
Capability to track VSU performance metrics, identify gaps quickly, and drive corrective actions or continuous improvement initiatives.
General
The advert has minimum requirements listed. Management reserves the right to use additional or relevant information as criteria for short-listing.
Policy
At Coca-Cola Beverages Africa we are proud to celebrate diversity and we strive to achieve an equal opportunity workplace by being cognisant of affirmative action requirements. It is our policy to be mindful and compliant with all our regional requirements and national laws for those regions. Employment at Coca-Cola Beverages Africa is based solely on an individual's merit and qualifications directly related to their field of competence. We do not discriminate against an employee or potential employees because race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability and gender identity.
At the heart of our recruitment processes is the need to create a value driven experience for all applicants. To all recruitment agencies: Coca-Cola Beverages Africa does not accept agency resumes for roles that we post and make available. Please do not forward any resumes to any Coca-Cola Beverages Africa employees and Talent Teams as we are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.