General Manager

Job Title: General Manager.

Location: Dakar, Senegal.

Reports To: Regional VP, West Africa.

Purpose of the Role

The General Manager serves as the senior leader of GMD – Les Grands Moulins de Dakar, accountable for shaping and delivering the company’s long-term strategic direction, operational excellence, and sustainable growth.

This role combines enterprise leadership with hands-on execution, driving performance across a complex, large-scale 24/7 food production and distribution business. The GM will also lead a significant, multi-million-dollar transformation of the production platform, ensuring the business is positioned for long-term competitiveness, efficiency, and growth.

Success in this role requires the ability to balance strategy and execution, operate effectively in a dynamic and emerging market environment, and foster a culture rooted in accountability, safety, innovation, and integrity.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Strategy & Business Performance

• Define and execute the company’s strategic vision, translating long-term objectives into actionable annual business plans, budgets, and KPIs.
• Lead financial planning, including CAPEX, innovation investments, and risk & opportunity assessments.
• Drive profitability through disciplined cost management, margin optimization, and capital allocation.
• Establish robust performance management routines, including regular operational and financial reviews.
• Integrate major capital initiatives into the long-term strategy, ensuring clear linkage between investment, capability uplift, and financial returns.

Operational Excellence & Supply Chain Leadership

• Oversee end-to-end operations including milling, port logistics, supply chain, and distribution to ensure reliability, efficiency, and product quality.
• Lead the execution of a large-scale capital transformation of the plant, enhancing capacity, efficiency, safety, and product quality while maintaining business continuity.
• Optimize raw material sourcing, inventory management, and production planning to ensure continuity and cost competitiveness.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives and operational innovation across all sites.
• Ensure the highest standards of safety, food quality, and environmental stewardship.

Commercial & Market Leadership

• Lead commercial strategy to strengthen market position, drive revenue growth, and expand product offerings.
• Oversee pricing, customer relationships, and distribution channels to maximize market share and profitability.
• Support innovation in product development aligned with customer and market needs.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers and partners.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with local regulatory frameworks, tax requirements, and corporate governance standards.
• Maintain strong internal controls, including financial reporting, credit management, and risk mitigation practices.
• Partner with legal counsel to proactively manage legal, regulatory, and reputational risks.
• Ensure alignment with corporate policies while adapting to local market dynamics.
• Oversee governance and risk management related to major capital deployment, ensuring transparency, discipline, and alignment with corporate expectations.

People Leadership & Organizational Capability

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing leadership team across all functions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous development.
• Oversee talent management, succession planning, and leadership development initiatives.
• Lead employee relations, including labor negotiations and workforce engagement.
• Mobilize cross-functional teams to successfully deliver large-scale operational and capital initiatives.

Stakeholder & External Relations

• Serve as the primary representative of the company with government entities, regulators, embassies, and the Board.
• Build trusted relationships with key external stakeholders to support business continuity and growth.
• Ensure all external communications are aligned, professional, and strategically positioned.
• Represent the company in matters related to strategic investments and long-term infrastructure development.

Capital Projects & Business Expansion

• Lead the end-to-end execution of a multi-million-dollar strategic plant modernization initiative, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and aligned with business objectives.
• Translate capital investments into measurable improvements in operational performance, cost structure, and product capability.
• Identify, evaluate, and execute additional growth opportunities, including capacity expansion and new business initiatives.
• Ensure strong cross-functional coordination across operations, finance, and external partners throughout project execution.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5-10 years of senior leadership experience in industrial, agri-food, or manufacturing environments.
• Proven experience leading large-scale, complex operations, ideally within emerging or developing markets.
• Demonstrated experience leading major capital investment or transformation initiatives within an operating environment.
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to drive profitability and link strategy to results.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams across operations, commercial, and finance functions.
• Track record of engaging effectively with Boards, government entities, and senior stakeholders.
• Experience in food production, agricultural commodities, or related sectors preferred.
• Fluency in French and English required.

Working Conditions

• Operates in a high-responsibility, fast-paced, and often complex environment.
• Requires resilience, adaptability, and sound judgment in a developing market context.
• Must be physically capable of navigating operational sites and travel as needed.