GM-Manufacturing

General Manager Manufacturing

Location

South Africa

Reporting To

Managing Director

Role Purpose

The General Manager would be responsible for end-to-end leadership of the oralcare manufacturing facility in South Africa ensuring regulatory compliance product quality operational excellence and cost efficiency. The role focuses on delivering high-quality oralcare products (e.g. dental picks dental floss box etc.) in compliance with global manufacturing regulations while driving continuous improvement and localization.

Key Responsibilities

1. Manufacturing & Operations

• Lead all plant operations including production maintenance planning and logistics
• Achieve production volume yield efficiency (OEE) and on-time delivery targets
• Ensure consistent manufacturing of precision dental flow products meeting customer and regulatory standards
• Drive Lean manufacturing Six Sigma and productivity improvements

2. Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with China NMPA medical device regulations ISO 13485 ISO 9001 and global quality standards
• Maintain audit readiness for regulatory bodies customers and internal audits
• Lead CAPA risk management and root cause analysis for quality issues
• Oversee documentation validation and traceability requirements for dental products

3. EHS & Regulatory Safety

• Ensure compliance with China EHS laws and local government regulations
• Promote a strong safety-first culture with zero-incident objectives
• Manage environmental controls related to clean manufacturing waste and chemical handling

4. Cost P&L & Supply Chain

• Own plant P&L budgeting and cost control
• Drive cost reduction through process optimization scrap reduction and supplier localization
• Manage inventory working capital and supply chain efficiency
• Support sourcing of medical-grade raw materials and components

5. People Leadership & HR

• Lead and develop cross-functional teams across production quality engineering and support functions
• Build a strong local leadership bench and succession plans
• Ensure compliance with Chinese labour laws and HR practices
• Drive training performance management and employee engagement

6. Engineering NPI & Automation

• Oversee process engineering new product introduction (NPI) and scale-up
• Lead automation and equipment validation for dental manufacturing processes
• Support plant expansion new lines and clean-room or controlled-area upgrades
• Champion digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0 initiatives

7. Stakeholder Management

• Act as primary interface with local authorities NMPA suppliers customers and global HQ
• Coordinate closely with global R&D quality and regulatory teams
• Represent the company in regulatory and customer discussions when required

Key KPIs

• Regulatory & audit compliance
• Product quality (PPM complaints CAPA closure)
• Production output & OEE
• Cost & profitability
• On-time delivery
• Safety performance
• Employee engagement & retention

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelors degree in Engineering (Mechanical Manufacturing Biomedical Chemical or related)
• MBA or advanced management degree preferred

Experience

• 20 years of manufacturing experience with 5 8 years in Plant Head / GM / Operations Director roles
• Strong experience in medical device or dental manufacturing
• Proven track record managing regulated manufacturing plants for renowned brands in China
• Experience working with multinational quality and regulatory standards

Skills & Competencies

• Deep understanding of NMPA ISO 13485 and medical device compliance
• Strong leadership decision-making and change management skills
• Expertise in Lean Six Sigma validation and risk management
• Solid financial and P&L management capability
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Fluent Mandarin; strong English communication required