General Manager – Retail & Food Operations

Function: Management

Department: Retail & Food Operations

Job Level: Managerial – Executive Leadership

Reporting To: CEO

Role Overview: We are looking for an experiencedGeneral Manager – Retail & Food Operationsto take end-to-end techno-commercial responsibility for a growing supermarket and food-retail business in Central Africa. The incumbent will be responsible for drivingsales, profitability, operational excellence, supply chain, procurement, category management, food processing and business expansion. The ideal candidate should have strong hands‑on experience insupermarket/hypermarket operations combined with food processing, bakery and fresh/perishable categories. Exposure to meat processing, butchery or fresh‑meat operations will be an added advantage. Key Areas of ExpertiseRetail & Commercial Leadership Food Processing Operations Bakery & Fresh Food Operations Fresh & Perishable Categories P&L and Financial Management Procurement & Supply Chain Category Management & Merchandising Inventory, Shrinkage & Wastage Control Food Safety & Quality Store Expansion Team Leadership & Development Key ObjectivesShort-Term ObjectivesStabilize and optimize existing supermarket and food operations. Improve sales, gross margins and store profitability. Establish strong controls over inventory, shrinkage, wastage and expiry. Improve availability of high-rotation SKUs and fresh products. Strengthen bakery, fresh food, perishables and food-processing operations. Establish product‑wise yield, recipe/BOM, costing and production controls. Optimize procurement and supplier terms. Improve customer experience, merchandising and store standards. Strengthen food safety, hygiene and quality systems. Build a strong local operational and commercial team. Long-Term ObjectivesDrive profitable expansion of the supermarket network. Develop centralized food-processing capabilities where commercially viable. Expand private-label and in‑house manufactured food categories. Build strong fresh‑food differentiation through bakery, meat and perishables. Develop category‑wise profitability and assortment strategies. Introduce ERP/POS‑driven inventory, demand planning and replenishment systems. Build leadership succession and localization. Establish the business as a leading modern retail and food destination. Key ResponsibilitiesRetail & Commercial Management Lead overall retail operations, sales, gross margin, store profitability and customer experience. Develop and execute commercial strategies to drive revenue and profitability. Monitor store performance and ensure achievement of business KPIs. Food Processing & Fresh Operations Oversee bakery, food processing, fresh and perishable categories. Ensure productivity, quality, yield, freshness and wastage control. Establish effective production planning and cost controls. Category Management & Merchandising Drive product assortment, pricing and promotional strategies. Improve shelf productivity and category‑wise sales and profitability. Optimize product mix based on customer demand and commercial performance. Procurement & Supply Chain Optimize sourcing and supplier negotiations. Ensure effective inventory management, replenishment and warehousing. Maintain product availability while controlling working capital. Strengthen supply‑chain efficiency, including imported supply where applicable. Financial & P&L Management Own budgeting, forecasting and financial performance. Drive cost optimization, EBITDA and overall business profitability. Manage CAPEX decisions and evaluate ROI on business investments. Quality, Food Safety & Compliance Ensure strong food safety and hygiene standards across all operations. Maintain appropriate cold‑chain and quality standards. Ensure compliance across stores, bakery, perishables and meat/butchery operations. Expansion & Team Leadership Lead new‑store openings and business expansion initiatives. Build a high‑performing team with clear KPIs and accountability. Develop talent, succession planning and localization initiatives. Foster a culture of operational discipline and continuous improvement. Key Performance Areas (KRAs)

Candidate Profile: QualificationBachelor’s degree inFood Technology, Food Science, Engineering, Operations, Business Management or a related discipline. MBA/PGDM will be preferred. Experience15–20 years of overall experience. Minimum 5 years of senior leadership experiencein a supermarket, hypermarket or large food‑retail environment. Candidates should ideally have a combination of: Supermarket / Retail Food Processing / Manufacturing Fresh / Perishable Categories Hands‑on exposure tocommercial and P&L management, procurement, category management and retail operationsis essential. AgePreferablynot more than 50 years. Preferred ExperienceExperience inbakery manufacturing/productionis highly preferred. Experience inmeat processing, butchery or fresh‑meat operationswill be an advantage. Experience managingmultiple stores or large-format supermarketsis preferred. Africa experience is strongly preferred, particularly experience operating in developing/emerging markets involving imported supply chains, infrastructure constraints and multicultural teams. Preferred Industry BackgroundCandidates from the following backgrounds will be preferred: Large supermarket / hypermarket chains with in‑house food production Food‑retail groups operating supermarkets, bakery, fresh food and meat‑processing businesses Large‑format food‑retail businesses with integrated processing and fresh‑food operations Key SkillsRetail Operations Category Management Food Processing Bakery Operations Fresh & Perishables Meat / Butchery – Preferred Procurement & Vendor Management Food Costing & Yield Management Inventory & Shrinkage Control Cold Chain Management HACCP / GMP P&L Management ERP / POS Store Expansion CAPEX & ROI Management

Ideal Candidate: The ideal candidate will be astrong commercial and operational leaderwho can independently manage a large retail and food business, improve profitability, establish operational controls, strengthen food‑processing and fresh‑food capabilities, and lead the organization through future expansion inCentral Africa .