Executive Director: Poultry (VKB Group) x1
Position Overview
- Position: Executive Director: Poultry
- Company: VKB Group
- Business Units: Grain Field Chickens and QPro Feeds
- Location: Reitz
- Closing Date: 25 June 2026
Position Purpose
The Executive Director: Poultry is responsible for leading the entire poultry value chain, including feed manufacturing, poultry production, processing, logistics, and market delivery. The role carries full Profit and Loss (P&L) accountability and focuses on driving profitability, operational excellence, business growth, and long-term sustainability.
This is a strategic executive leadership role requiring strong commercial, operational, and people leadership capabilities.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and execute long-term business strategies.
- Drive growth, optimisation, and transformation initiatives.
- Position the poultry business for sustainable success.
- Identify opportunities for expansion and operational improvement.
Financial Management
- Assume full P&L responsibility.
- Drive profitability and cash generation.
- Manage capital allocation and investment decisions.
- Improve margins and return on investment.
- Monitor financial performance and implement corrective actions.
Operational Excellence
- Lead operations across:
- Feed production
- Poultry farming
- Processing facilities
- Logistics
- Market delivery
- Improve production efficiency and yields.
- Reduce operational costs, waste, and downtime.
- Strengthen quality, productivity, and plant performance across multiple sites.
People Leadership
- Build and lead high-performing management teams.
- Develop leadership succession pipelines.
- Foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
- Attract, develop, and retain top talent.
- Promote employee engagement and organisational values.
Commercial and Market Development
- Strengthen customer relationships.
- Improve market positioning and competitiveness.
- Enhance customer value propositions.
- Ensure responsiveness to changing market conditions.
Governance and Risk Management
- Ensure compliance with governance frameworks.
- Strengthen operational controls and reporting systems.
- Manage strategic, financial, and operational risks.
- Maintain high standards of corporate governance.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Success in this role will be measured through:
Financial Performance
- Improved Profit Before Tax (PBT)
- Increased profitability
- Enhanced cash flow generation
- Sustainable margin growth
Operational Performance
- Higher production yields
- Increased productivity
- Reduced downtime
- Reduced waste and losses
- Improved operational efficiencies
Strategic Outcomes
- Successful implementation of strategic projects
- Positive return on investment from transformation initiatives
- Improved market competitiveness
Leadership Outcomes
- Strong executive and management team capability
- Improved employee engagement
- Talent retention and succession development
Minimum Requirements
Qualifications
- Relevant Bachelor’s Degree in:
- Agriculture
- Engineering
- Business Management
- Or a related field
Preferred Qualification
- MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification
Experience
- 10–15 years of senior leadership experience.
- Executive-level experience within:
- Poultry
- Agriculture
- Protein production
- FMCG sectors
- Proven experience managing large-scale multi-site operations.
- Full P&L accountability experience.
- Demonstrated success in improving operational and financial performance.
- Strong change management and business transformation experience.
Essential Competencies
Strategic Leadership
- Strategic planning and execution.
- Business growth and transformation.
- Visionary leadership.
Financial Acumen
- Budgeting and forecasting.
- Profitability management.
- Capital allocation.
- Financial analysis and decision-making.
Operational Management
- Supply chain management.
- Manufacturing operations.
- Production optimisation.
- Process improvement.
People Leadership
- Talent management.
- Executive leadership.
- Succession planning.
- Team development.
Commercial Skills
- Customer relationship management.
- Market analysis.
- Business development.
- Stakeholder engagement.