Production Manager- Flexo (UV Printing)

Job description

About the Company

Our client is a newly established greenfield printing and packaging company, registered in 2024 to serve the Zambian market. The business forms part of a well-established African conglomerate with 40+ years of experience, operations in 5 African countries, and a workforce of 1,500+ employees.

The Role

This is a senior leadership role for a highly experienced, hands-on Production Manager – Flexo (UV Printing) who will establish, build, and manage the Flexo UV Printing Department from the ground up. The role combines strategic setup with day-to-day production leadership in a fast-growing start-up environment.

Key Responsibilities

Establish all production systems, SOPs, KPIs, and workflows
Lead machinery installation and commissioning
Recruit, train, and manage production, prepress, QC, maintenance, and dispatch teams
Oversee daily production planning, quality assurance, and on-time delivery
Implement color management, preventive maintenance, and safety systems
Drive continuous improvement (Lean, 5S, Kaizen)
Collaborate with sales, finance, logistics, and senior management
Support expansion planning and new production line development

Qualifications & Experience

Degree in Printing Technology
10+ years hands-on experience in Flexographic UV Printing (labelling preferred)
5+ years in a leadership role
Strong technical expertise across prepress, press, inks, substrates, plates, and color control
Start-up or transformation experience highly desirable

Nice to Have

ISO, HACCP, Food Safety
Kaizen / Six Sigma
ERP exposure (SAP S/4HANA or similar)

Candidate Profile

Strong leadership and systems mindset
Fluent in written and spoken English

Apply by emailing your CV to recruitmentzm@kestria.com. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.