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.
