Our client, a premium, mission-driven chocolate ingredients company is looking for a Operations & Procurement Manager to keep our chocolate production and global supply chain running smoothly. This hands-on role covers everything from production planning and cacao sourcing to inventory, quality compliance, and on-time delivery—across both outsourced and in-house manufacturing. You’ll manage key suppliers, support the commercial team with operational insights, and ensure we meet organic, quality, and regulatory standards. If you’re a supply-chain-savvy operator who enjoys autonomy and wants to make a big impact in a growing business, this is a great fit.

Key Responsibilities: *Production Planning: Plan and schedule production for OBC and OCELOT, balancing capacity, inventory and delivery needs; Support pricing through cost and efficiency analysis. *Supply Chain & Procurement: Lead procurement for cacao, packaging and key materials; Manage supplier relationships and assist with commercial terms; Oversee inventory of raw materials and finished products. *Quality & Compliance: Ensure organic, quality, packaging and regulatory compliance across all entities; Maintain documentation and manage audits; Drive ongoing quality improvements. *Commercial & Business Support: Support product development with production and supply chain input; Oversee webshop fulfilment and customer experience; Assist operational planning for Scotland and Peru micro-productions. *Operational Excellence: Improve processes across production, warehousing and logistics; Implement best-practice inventory and supply chain systems; Support ERP rollout from an operations perspective; Partner with finance on cost control and reporting.

Essential qualifications, skills, and experience:

• 5–7 years’ in Operations, Production or Supply Chain, including 2–3 years’ in a management role;

• Bachelor’s in Operations, Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering or similar preferred;

• Manufacturing experience - especially in quality-regulated environments is a strong plus;

• Solid experience in production planning, inventory, and procurement;

• Familiar with food safety, organic certification, and quality compliance;

• Knowledge of logistics, warehousing, order fulfillment, and related software;

• Fluent English required; German preferred, Spanish advantageous;

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to coordinate across commercial, finance, and production teams;

• Comfortable working in a small enterprise, fast-paced environment.

Please apply online at www.m3online.co.za before 09:00 on 9 January 2026.

For general enquiries, contact our team at M3 Human Capital Management on 021 863 1444.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates are contacted. If you don’t hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application was unsuccessful.