Head of Mills

Job Title                      : Head of Mills / Mill Controller

Location                      : Mouila, Gabon
Company                    : Olam Palm Gabon SA
Industry                      : Palm Oil Plantation, Refinery

Band                            : Band D
Reports to                   : Vice President -Technical

Direct Reports             : Mill Managers – 03, RM Mill Maintenance (1)

The Head of Mills provides strategic leadership, governance, and technical oversight for all milling and kernel crushing operations across Olam Palm Gabon's processing assets. The role is accountable for maximizing value extraction through superior processing efficiency, reliability engineering, asset stewardship, and operational excellence.

The incumbent serves as OPG's foremost authority on palm oil milling performance, ensuring that all mills consistently achieve world-class standards in OER, KER, PKOER, product quality, cost competitiveness, safety, sustainability, and asset reliability.

Working closely with Plantation Operations, Agronomy, Supply Chain and other supporting functions the Head of Mills drives end-to-end optimization of the plantation-to-mill value chain while building organizational capability and preparing the milling function for future growth and technological advancement.

1.       Strategic & Business Leadership

·         Develop and execute the long-term milling strategy aligned with OPG's business objectives, growth plans, and sustainability commitments

·         Establish and govern performance standards for throughput, extraction efficiency, reliability, quality, safety, and cost competitiveness across all mills

·         Translate corporate objectives into measurable operational plans and drive accountability through Mill Managers

·         Lead technical due diligence, feasibility studies, investment appraisals, and business cases for mill expansion, modernization, automation, and technology adoption initiatives.

·         Benchmark OPG mills against best-in-class operations and develop improvement roadmaps to close identified performance gaps.

2.       Production and Process Optimization

·         Provide strategic oversight of mill operations to ensure optimal utilization of installed processing capacity while maintaining extraction efficiency and product quality.

·         Define and enforce operational standards for sterilization, threshing, digestion, pressing, clarification, kernel recovery, and dispatch operations.

·         Apply Theory of Constraints (TOC) methodologies to identify, manage, and eliminate bottlenecks throughout the milling process.

·         Drive sustainable improvements in OER, KER, PKOER, throughput, and overall process efficiency.

·         Lead structured loss-accounting programs to identify and eliminate avoidable oil and kernel losses throughout the process.

·         Promote adoption of advanced process monitoring, statistical process control, and data-driven decision-making tools.

·         Ensure optimization initiatives focus on total system performance rather than localized efficiencies.

3.       Plantation–Mill Integration

·         Provide strategic leadership for optimization of the plantation-to-mill value chain.

·         Collaborate with Plantation Operations and Agronomy teams to improve FFB quality delivered to mills.

·         Develop integrated performance management systems linking plantation KPIs and mill KPIs.

·         Drive initiatives to reduce FFA generation across the harvest-to-processing cycle.

·         Support improvements in crop evacuation, scheduling, and processing turnaround time.

·         Promote a value-chain approach focused on maximizing overall value recovery rather than functional optimization.

4.       Maintenance, Reliability & Asset Integrity

·         Develop and govern a comprehensive Asset Management Strategy

·         Implement Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) frameworks across all mills.

·         Establish and monitor preventive, predictive, condition-based, and risk-based maintenance strategies.

·         Improve asset reliability through systematic monitoring of MTBF, MTTR, OEE, and asset health indicators.

·         Ensure statutory compliance and integrity of boilers, pressure vessels, turbines, generators, and critical processing equipment.

·         Lead long-term asset renewal and replacement planning

5.       Quality Assurance & Product Integrity

·         Own the Quality Management System across all milling and kernel crushing operations.

·         Ensure products consistently meet internal specifications and customer requirements.

·         Oversee laboratory quality assurance systems and analytical integrity.

·         Ensure compliance with food safety and contaminant requirements including MOSH/MOAH and 3-MCPD where applicable.

·         Maintain robust traceability, chain-of-custody, and mass balance systems

6.       Energy Management & Utilities

·         Define enterprise-wide energy management strategies for milling operations.

·         Optimize steam generation, turbine performance, power generation efficiency, and energy recovery systems.

·         Lead initiatives on biomass utilization and biogas recovery,

·         Develop energy efficiency roadmaps to improve cost competitiveness and support carbon reduction objectives.

7.       Reporting and Report Integrity

• Ensure timely, accurate, and transparent reporting of operational, maintenance, safety, and financial data
• Standardize reporting formats and dashboards to support data-driven decision-making
• Validate the integrity and traceability of reports submitted internally and externally, including compliance with audit requirements
• Promote a culture of accountability and documentation accuracy throughout the organization

8.       Sustainability & Safety  Compliance

·         Lead implementation of RSPO, ISCC, and EUDR requirements across all milling operations.

·         Ensure full compliance with environmental permits, occupational safety regulations, and OPG standards.

·         Oversee POME management, biogas systems, emissions control, and waste management programs.

·         Support OPG's Sustainability and carbon reduction strategy through operational initiatives.

·         Promote biodiversity protection and responsible resource management

9.       Cost Management & Financial Oversight

·         Own operational and maintenance budgets for all milling operations

·         Drive cost optimization through yield improvement, maintenance efficiency, energy reduction, and process improvements

·         Ensure effective management of spare parts, consumables, contractors, and capital expenditure

·         Develop robust business cases and ROI evaluations for investment decisions

10.   Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Champion a structured Operational Excellence program incorporating Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, Theory of Constraints, RCA, and Statistical Process Control methodologies.
• Establish a robust Continuous Improvement (CI) portfolio across all mills with quantified financial and operational benefits.
• Drive energy optimization, steam balance improvement, condensate recovery, and process standardization initiatives.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and replication of best practices across all processing facilities.
• Lead Management of Change (MoC) governance for all process modifications and operational changes.
• Promote a culture of disciplined problem solving and evidence-based decision making.

11.   People Leadership & Team Development

• Build, mentor, and manage high-performing, multidisciplinary teams across operations and maintenance.
• Develop and implement structured training programs for local and expatriate teams to build operational and technical competencies.
• Ensure continuous knowledge transfer from experienced professionals to junior and national staff.
• Support the company’s nationalization goals by mentoring and grooming local talent for future leadership roles.
• Collaborate with HR and Learning & Development teams to identify skill gaps and deliver targeted training interventions.
• Track and evaluate training effectiveness and its impact on operational performance and employee growth.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and operational excellence within the mill organization.

12.   Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate closely with Plantation Operations to ensure seamless coordination between harvesting schedules, crop quality and mill processing capacity.
• Work with the Finance team to manage budgets, control costs, and ensure accurate financial reporting of mill operations.
• Align with the Sustainability Development team to implement and maintain compliance with RSPO, ISCC, EUDR, GMP+ and other sustainability frameworks.
• Coordinate with Human Resources to support manpower planning, recruitment, performance management, and nationalization objectives.
• Partner with Learning & Development to identify training needs, drive knowledge transfer programs, and build capabilities across mill teams.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration to align operational goals and drive integrated performance improvement initiatives.

a)      Core Competencies

·         Strong technical knowledge of palm oil milling processes and equipment

·         Expertise in preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance strategies

·         Strategic thinking and business acumen to align operations with corporate objectives

·         Proficiency in data analysis and operational KPIs for performance optimization

·         Excellent leadership and team management capabilities across functional teams

·         Solid understanding of quality assurance systems (RSPO, ISCC, EUDR, GMP+)

·         Knowledge of safety, health, and environmental regulations and standards

b)      Soft Skills

·         Strong communication and interpersonal skills for internal and external collaboration.

·         Problem-solving mindset with the ability to make sound decisions under pressure.

·         High level of integrity and ethical standards in operational conduct.

·         Adaptability to changing environments and evolving technologies.

·         Analytical thinking and attention to detail in reporting and compliance.

·         Proactive attitude towards innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement.

·         Ability to mentor, coach, and build high-performing teams.

·         Resilience and composure in handling operational challenges and crises.

·         Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSc) – Required

·         Postgraduate qualification (MSc, MBA, or equivalent) is preferred

·         10+ years of experience in palm oil mill management at leadership level, maintenance, and engineering leadership

·         Proven expertise in palm oil processing, mill performance optimization, and plantation mechanization initiatives

·         Hands-on knowledge of process automation, energy efficiency, and waste management in palm oil mills