Overview
General Manager Jobs in Senegal at Seaboard Overseas and Trading Group
Title: General Manager
Company: Seaboard Overseas and Trading Group
Location: Senegal
Job Description
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.
