General Manager/ Country Head - Congo (ROC - Pointe Noire))

Confidential Company

We are seeking an accomplished General Manager with a strong commercial and strategic background to lead our edible oil business in Congo and the broader Central Africa region. The ideal candidate will combine robust P&L ownership, strategic foresight, and hands-on operational understanding to drive growth, efficiency, and profitability across the value chain from sourcing and manufacturing to market expansion and route-to-market excellence. This role requires a leader who can balance business acumen with operational discipline, ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, and align teams toward sustainable performance and regional growth.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Commercial Leadership

• Lead the business strategy and translate corporate goals into actionable commercial and operational plans.

• Drive P&L performance across all levers sales, margin, cost, and cash ensuring sustainable and profitable growth.

• Develop and implement the Route-to-Market (RTM) strategy that defines efficient distribution models to capture opportunities across DRC, Congo Brazzaville, and Central Africa.

• Liaise closely with local distribution partners to ensure alignment on market coverage, pricing, and execution, while maintaining full control, transparency, and avoidance of any conflict of interest.

• Provide strategic insight and challenge teams constructively to ensure decisions are data-driven, agile, and forward-looking.

Business & Operations Management

• Oversee the operational footprint from production to logistics ensuring efficiency, quality, and reliability.

• Ensure tight cross-functional coordination between commercial, operations, supply chain, and finance functions to optimize working capital and service levels.

• Maintain familiarity with plant operations and KPIs to ensure operational excellence supports commercial objectives.

• Drive automation, productivity improvement, and cost optimization initiatives.

Commercial & Market Development

• Lead sales, trade marketing, and customer development strategies to strengthen brand visibility and market share.

• Continuously evaluate market trends, pricing dynamics, and consumer behavior to refine portfolio and channel strategies.

• Build strong relationships with customers, distributors, institutional buyers, and government authorities across the region.

• Ensure alignment between commercial priorities and operational execution in each territory.

Financial Stewardship

• Prepare, own, and manage the annual budget and business forecast, ensuring sound governance and profitability.

• Monitor and analyze performance indicators, initiating corrective actions to meet business targets.

• Identify and implement cost-saving and margin improvement opportunities across the value chain.

Leadership & People Development

• Build, mentor, and empower a cross-functional leadership team across commercial, operations, and enabling functions.

• Foster a performance-driven culture centered on accountability, collaboration, and integrity.

• Promote safety, compliance, and sustainability as core organizational values