SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:
MANAGER – SPIRIT MANUFACTURING & BOTTLING
Uganda | Senior Manufacturing Leadership | Distillery & Bottling Operations
An exceptional senior leadership opportunity has arisen for an experienced Spirit Manufacturing & Bottling professional to take full operational, technical, commercial and strategic responsibility for a major distillery and bottling operation in Uganda.
This is a high-level manufacturing leadership appointment suited to an accomplished industry professional with deep expertise in spirits production, distillation, blending, maturation, bottling, engineering, quality, regulatory compliance and international market development.
The successful candidate will be expected to combine strong plant-floor technical capability with executive-level commercial and stakeholder leadership, driving operational excellence while supporting product innovation, export growth and international competitiveness.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Reporting to General Management / Executive Management, the Manager will provide end-to-end leadership of the Distillery and Bottling Plant, overseeing:
Spirit manufacturing and distillation
Blending, filtration and maturation
Automated and semi-automated bottling operations
Packaging, warehousing and dispatch
Engineering, maintenance and plant reliability
Quality and food-safety systems
Regulatory and excise compliance
New product development and commercialisation
Packaging innovation
Procurement and supplier technical qualification
Export readiness and international market requirements
Manufacturing economics, budgeting and capital projects
Multidisciplinary people leadership
The role operates at the intersection of manufacturing, engineering, quality, finance, procurement, sales and marketing, government authorities, suppliers, distributors and international export partners.
REMUNERATION STRUCTURE
Basic Salary: Highly competitive US$ salary – paid Net - Offshore
Local Living Allowance
Annual gratuity bonus
Accommodation: Single | Family Status ( with hard furnishings)
Transport : Company will provide
Vis | Work Permits : Covered by Company
NSSF Contributions: Covered by company
Annual Leave : 30 days PA
Airflights: Return air tickets point of origin covered by company during
leave
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Strategic, Commercial & Financial Leadership
Develop and execute the Distillery and Bottling Plant strategy and annual operating plan.
Take ownership of plant budgeting, cost control, manufacturing economics and capital expenditure planning.
Drive profitability through improved yield, waste reduction, productivity and asset utilisation.
Establish and monitor KPIs covering Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People, OEE, downtime, yield, waste and inventory.
Identify and implement continuous-improvement and cost-reduction initiatives across the manufacturing value chain.
2. Manufacturing, Bottling & Operational Excellence
Lead the complete production environment covering:
The successful candidate will drive Lean Manufacturing, World Class Manufacturing, structured problem-solving, root-cause analysis, OEE improvement and operational efficiency, while maintaining robust production, inventory and SAP controls.
3. Distillation, Blending & Maturation
Provide technical and managerial leadership across:
ENA handling and spirit processing
Spirit blending
Gin and rum distillation
Whisky production
Raw-material preparation
Malting, mashing and fermentation
Distillation and maturation
Cask preparation and management
Alcohol strength and critical chemical controls
Spirit yield, consistency and sensory quality
A strong practical understanding of the complete distillery-to-finished-product lifecycle is therefore essential.
4. Engineering, Maintenance & Capital Projects
Lead engineering reliability across distillery, bottling, blending, utilities and warehousing.
Implement preventive and predictive maintenance programmes.
Lead technical problem-solving across mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, automation and process systems.
Identify critical equipment and spare-parts risks.
Lead or support equipment specification, procurement, installation, commissioning and performance validation.
5. Quality, Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
The role will have significant responsibility for maintaining:
Product quality and specifications
HACCP and food-safety systems
ISO-based management systems
Laboratory controls and traceability
Product release procedures
Non-conformance and corrective-action systems
Audit readiness
Product certification
Excise-controlled production compliance
Occupational health, safety and environmental requirements
The successful candidate will also manage engagement with relevant statutory and regulatory authorities, including UNBS and URA, and ensure regulatory requirements are translated into effective operational actions.
INTERNATIONAL EXPORT & MARKET DEVELOPMENT
A particularly important dimension of this position is international export readiness and market development.
The Manager will support the organisation's ability to export alcoholic beverages into markets including the United States, United Kingdom, East African markets and other approved international destinations, coordinating:
Product registration
Alcohol and food regulatory requirements
Importer requirements
Label compliance
Certificates and customs documentation
Excise requirements
Shipping documentation
International distributor requirements
Export-readiness of products and packaging
Market-entry projects
Exposure to US regulatory requirements, including FDA-related registration/process requirements where applicable, will be advantageous.
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & INNOVATION
The successful candidate will play a leading role in taking new products from concept through formulation, laboratory and plant trials, sensory evaluation, costing, regulatory approval, scale-up and commercial launch.
This includes developing and evaluating:
The role will also identify emerging packaging technologies, ingredients, flavours and processing solutions that can improve quality, consumer appeal, cost competitiveness and market positioning.
PROCUREMENT, SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT & COMMERCIAL INTERFACE
Working closely with Procurement, the Manager will technically evaluate and qualify suppliers of:
Raw materials | Ingredients | Flavours | Bottles | Preforms | Closures | Labels | Cartons | Processing aids | Equipment | Engineering spares
The position will assess supplier materials for quality, compatibility, performance, cost and operational risk, while supporting supply security and continuity of production.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS & PRODUCT EXCELLENCE
The role will also identify appropriate national and international spirits competitions, coordinating product entries, samples, documentation and follow-up.
The successful incumbent will help establish a culture of product excellence capable of achieving credible recognition within competitive international spirits markets.
PEOPLE LEADERSHIP
This is a substantial multidisciplinary leadership position.
The Manager will lead, coach and develop teams spanning:
Production | Distillation | Blending | Engineering | Quality | Packaging | Warehousing | Technical Operations
The successful candidate must be able to establish clear accountability, develop succession capability and create a culture built around safety, ownership, discipline, collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement and ethical conduct.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
The ideal candidate will possess:
Education
Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Management, Food/Beverage Technology, Chemistry, Distilling/Brewing or a closely related technical discipline.
Equivalent substantial industry experience may be considered.
Additional qualifications in quality systems, food safety, Lean/WCM, project management, distillation, engineering, regulatory compliance or supply-chain management will be advantageous.
Experience
Essential:
Approximately 20 years' experience in spirit manufacturing.
Minimum 8–10 years' progressive leadership experience within complex manufacturing, preferably FMCG, beverage, bottling, distillery or another excise-controlled environment.
Proven leadership of multidisciplinary manufacturing teams.
Strong practical knowledge of alcoholic-beverage manufacturing, blending, distillation, maturation and packaging.
Demonstrated experience with regulatory engagement, product certification and excise compliance.
Experience in new product development, packaging development, supplier qualification and commercialisation.
Proven exposure to capital projects, commissioning and optimisation of production assets.
Strong financial and commercial understanding, including budgeting, cost management and investment justification.
International export, product/label compliance and market-entry experience will be highly advantageous.
THE IDEAL LEADER
The successful candidate will be:
Strategically minded with strong execution discipline
Technically credible within distillery and bottling environments
Commercially and financially astute
Confident engaging with senior executives and government authorities
Experienced in international export environments
Innovative and commercially aware
Strong in supplier and stakeholder management
Analytical and data-driven
Resilient and decisive under pressure
Comfortable moving between plant-floor technical problem solving and executive-level strategic engagement
An exceptional communicator and people leader
SYSTEMS & TECHNICAL CAPABILITY
Candidates should demonstrate proficiency with:
Microsoft Office and management reporting systems
ERP systems such as SAP
Automated bottling equipment
Process instrumentation and automation
OEE and production-performance systems
Maintenance systems
Technical drawings and product specifications
Packaging artwork
Regulatory and export documentation
WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE
The successful appointment will be expected to deliver:
Safe, compliant and reliable plant operations
Improved production efficiency and OEE
Strong quality, yield and waste performance
Improved manufacturing profitability
High asset reliability
Effective preventive maintenance
Successful new-product and packaging commercialisation
Timely regulatory approvals and compliance closure
Export-ready products and compliant international shipments
Secure and technically capable supplier networks
Strong team capability and succession depth
Sustained product quality and international product recognition
LOCATION & WORKING ENVIRONMENT
This is a senior operational role based within a large-scale distillery and bottling manufacturing environment in Uganda.
The position requires regular plant engagement, adherence to PPE and safety requirements, flexibility around production and operational demands, and availability when required for breakdown recovery, audits, regulatory matters, export deadlines and critical business requirements. Domestic and international travel may also be required.
APPLY NOW
This opportunity will appeal to a senior spirits manufacturing professional who is ready to take complete ownership of a complex, integrated distillery and bottling operation while contributing directly to product innovation, operational excellence and international market expansion.
If you possess the technical depth, leadership maturity, commercial acumen and international outlook required for this demanding appointment, we would like to hear from you.
Applications should include:
A comprehensive, updated CV
Current contact details
Relevant qualifications and certifications
A concise covering letter outlining your suitability for the role
Current remuneration details and expectations, where appropriate
Please note: This is a highly specialised senior appointment. Applications will be assessed against the technical manufacturing, distillery, bottling, regulatory, commercial and leadership requirements of the position.
Applications: Attention: Butch Mollett Email:
Only candidates meeting the essential technical and leadership criteria will be considered.
