Freezing Operations Management

- Plan, coordinate, and monitor daily blast freezing operations.

- Ensures correct product loading on freezing trays and racks.

- Supervises product transfer between fresh storage, freezing and storage areas.

- Ensures to maximize freezing output per day efficiently.

- Freezer loss to be maintained within set target.

- Liase with commercial planning team and processing manager and align on the daily, weekly and monthly frozen stock volume requirements.

- Ensures that all SKUs are produced as per target volumes within the set standards,

- Monitors blast freezer performance and ensure preventative and corrective maintenance are performed timely

- Ensures that fresh stock is inspected before push-in and flags potential quality issues to processing manager.

- Ensures freezer(s) are packed quickly and efficiently with minimal time available for drip and energy wastage

- Ensures freezer cycles are arranged accordingly to not need pack out or loading at the same time and ensure a constant and efficient flow of work

- Ensures packaged/packed out stock is immediately and continuously moved and packed appropriately in the storage units one pallet at a time so that quality is not compromised

- Ensures packing of boxes is done quickly and accurately.

- Generate daily, weekly and monthly freezing performance reports (freezing cycles, downtime, freezer loss, etc.

- Ensure all packaging material required for pack-out is drawn appropriately and on time

- Ensure stock levels of packaging material is monitored and orders are made well ahead of time to prevent shortage.

- Align effectively with Further Processing and Primary Processing team on SKUs and quantities planned to be reserved for freezing to ensure efficient operations of the blast freezer.

Team Management

- Responsible for supervising and training Freezing Supervisor and Attendants.

- Ensures all direct reports have up to date, signed job descriptions.

- Conducts regular team meetings to review performance, address improvement areas, and align on future targets.

- Sets performance objectives and carries out routine reviews in line with company performance management guidelines.

- Works with HR to identify skills gaps and implement appropriate training and development interventions.

- Oversees effective attendance management, leave planning, and disciplinary processes.

- Ensures 100% compliance with PPE requirements across all teams.

- Leads process efficiency improvements and optimisation initiatives.

- Oversees quarterly policy and SOP training sessions, ensuring proper documentation of all sessions.

- Manages manpower effectively, efficient shift scheduling, keeping overtime costs below 2%.

Health, Safety & Environmental Management

- Ensure compliance with all health, safety, and environmental (HSE) legislation, regulations, codes of practice, and Yalelo’s Workplace Health & Safety (WHS) standards.

- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of workplace health and safety matters relevant to operations, ensuring hazards are identified, eliminated, or minimised, and risks controlled as far as reasonably practicable.

- Ensure all plant, equipment, substances, and structures are safe for use, and that workers are adequately trained and supervised to mitigate workplace risks.

Educational Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in food science, Production Management, Engineering, or a related field.

- All academic qualifications must be certified by ZAQA

- Must be an active member of the relevant professional body

- Full Grade 12 Certificate

- Additional training or certification in cold chain management, HACCP, or ISO standards is an advantage.

Experience

- At least 3 years’ experience in production, processing, or cold chain operations within the food or FMCG sector.

- Proven track record of managing blast freezing operations or large-scale cold storage facilities.

- Demonstrated success in managing teams in a fast-paced production environment.

- Experience in implementing performance management, efficiency improvements, and compliance initiatives.

• Plan, coordinate, and monitor daily blast freezing operations.
• Ensures correct product loading on freezing trays and racks.
• Supervise product transfer between fresh storage, freezing and storage areas.
• Ensures to maximize freezing output per day efficiently.
• Freezer loss to be maintained within set target.
• Liase with commercial planning team and processing manager and align on the daily, weekly and monthly frozen stock volume requirements.
• Ensures that all SKUs are produced as per target volumes within the set standards.
• Monitors blast freezer performance and ensure preventative and corrective maintenance are performed timely.
• Ensures that fresh stock is inspected before push-in and flags potential quality issues to processing manager.
• Ensures freezer(s) are packed quickly and efficiently with minimal time available for drip and energy wastage.
• Ensures freezer cycles are arranged accordingly to not need pack out or loading at the same time and ensure a constant and efficient flow of work.
• Ensures packaged/packed out stock is immediately and continuously moved and packed appropriately in the storage units one pallet at a time so that quality is not compromised.
• Ensures packing of boxes is done quickly and accurately.
• Generate daily, weekly and monthly freezing performance reports (freezing cycles, downtime, freezer loss, etc.
• Ensure all packaging material required for pack-out is drawn appropriately and on time.
• Ensure stock levels of packaging material is monitored and orders are made well ahead of time to prevent shortage.
• Align effectively with Further Processing and Primary Processing team on SKUs and quantities planned to be reserved for freezing to ensure efficient operations of the blast freezer.
• Responsible for supervising and training Freezing Supervisor and Attendants.
• Ensures all direct reports have up to date, signed job descriptions.
• Conducts regular team meetings to review performance, address improvement areas, and align on future targets.
• Sets performance objectives and carries out routine reviews in line with company performance management guidelines.
• Works with HR to identify skills gaps and implement appropriate training and development interventions.
• Oversees effective attendance management, leave planning, and disciplinary processes.
• Ensures 100% compliance with PPE requirements across all teams.
• Leads process efficiency improvements and optimisation initiatives.
• Oversees quarterly policy and SOP training sessions, ensuring proper documentation of all sessions.
• Manages manpower effectively, efficient shift scheduling, keeping overtime costs below 2%.
• Ensure compliance with all health, safety, and environmental (HSE) legislation, regulations, codes of practice, and Yalelo’s Workplace Health & Safety (WHS) standards.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of workplace health and safety matters relevant to operations, ensuring hazards are identified, eliminated, or minimised, and risks controlled as far as reasonably practicable.
• Ensure all plant, equipment, substances, and structures are safe for use, and that workers are adequately trained and supervised to mitigate workplace risks.

• Blast freezing operations management
• Cold chain management
• Team supervision and training
• Performance management
• Process efficiency improvements
• Health, Safety & Environmental Management
• HACCP
• ISO standards

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, Production Management, Engineering, or a related field.
• All academic qualifications must be certified by ZAQA.
• Must be an active member of the relevant professional body.
• Full Grade 12 Certificate.
• Additional training or certification in cold chain management, HACCP, or ISO standards is an advantage.