QualiBasic Seed (QBS) is a company established in 2017, to produce and supply Foundation Seed (FS) to seed companies in East and Southern Africa, with the aim to be the preferred supplier of Foundation Seed to the ultimate benefit of Africa’s Farmers.

We are looking to recruit a suitably qualified person for the position of Supply Chain Operations Manager (SCOM) based at our headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya or at our operations in Zambia and South Africa. The job requires a qualified, experienced individual who has experience of the seeds supply chain in Africa.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the SCOM is responsible for strategically managing the production, processing and logistics of the FS in the QBS portfolio.   The SCOM will ensure that production and demand plans and activities are aligned and visible across the business; develop systems and S&OP processes, including timely reporting of any issues that may impact plans; Field production is done in both a timely and effective manner, to make sure that the planned quantities of seed of specified QBS quality are produced and available as required; Coordinate recruitment of growers and the implementation of the field production plan; Ensure phytosanitary, regulatory and quality requirements, including certification, are adhered to and all shipments of seed made do not contravene any country or international regulations or good practice; Effectively manage inventory (including storage and transport) to optimise working capital deployment and assure seed quality is maintained, providing visibility to inventory by line by stocking point; Liaise with regulators and testing stations to provide independent certification with respect to FS quality parameters and assure required documentation is issued; Liaise with the sources of breeder seed to ensure sufficient quantities are available in a timely manner to meet the production plan, ensuring agreements are in place with the seed or hybrid owners; Putting in place planning and logistics systems and processes that integrate with the company finance system; Procure, install and operate seed processing equipment at company sites in Kenya, Zambia and South Africa; Ensure customer orders are fulfilled, dispatched and invoiced in a timely manner; Ensure the companies HSEQ rules and procedures are established and fully implemented.

The candidate must have deep experience of the African Agricultural inputs supply chain including seed supply; must have managed production planning and S&OP systems and developed processes in a cross border business; must be aware of regulations and certification pertaining to cross border seed trade in ESA; Must be a customer focused individual, committed to building a reputation for trust and reliability; Ideally will have worked in a seed production environment in a similar role for at least 5 years; A highly proficient level of written / spoken English; Performance and results driven attitude; Ability to work with minimal supervision; Willingness to travel periodically to the company’s operations in East & Southern Africa; Experience of working with a start-up business is desirable.

Those who meet the above qualifications and specifications are invited to submit their applications together with updated CVs and references to info@qualibasicseed.com no later than Friday 14th July 2017.