Factory Manager

Job Title: Factory Manager

Location: Kikambala, Kilifi

Contract Term: Contract Term

Introduction to Generation

Generation is one of the world’s largest, fastest scaling global demand-driven youth employment programs, providing young adults with the opportunity to launch successful careers and change their life trajectories. We recruit, train and place diverse adults of all ages — whether unemployed or underemployed — into careers that would otherwise be beyond their reach.

We started with a focus on youth, who are keen to launch their careers from non-traditional pathways (e.g. youth with no higher educational qualifications and require support to mitigate challenges due to socioeconomic backgrounds, individuals seeking to enter professions where their profile is traditionally underrepresented), and have now expanded to mid-career workers seeking jobs in demand (e.g. workers who have been displaced potentially due to automation or economic downturn, rejoining caretakers who have been out of the workforce for a significant amount of time).

Our goal is to deliver for job seekers and employers simultaneously: supporting the individual’s personal and financial well‑being, while helping businesses acquire entry‑level hires who have higher productivity, are of higher quality, are retained longer, and are faster to promotion than peers.

To date, Generation is active in seventeen countries: USA, Kenya, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, India, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, UK, France, Italy, Ireland, Thailand, Chile, Colombia, and Ghana, with plans of expanding to a few more countries.

Since launching in May 2015, Generation Kenya has trained over 39,098 candidates across six different industries. 81% of whom have been placed in meaningful employment with our over 400 employer partners. We currently train for entry‑level roles in five programs namely, Freelance Admin Support Work, Sewing Machine Operator, Distributed Sales, Retail and Restaurant and Digital Customer Service.

Driven by our vision, “a meaningful career and sustained well‑being for every person anywhere in the world,” and mission “we transform education to employment systems to prepare, place and support people into life‑changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible,” we aim to address the skills gap that hinders growth in the formal sector.

Job Purpose

To lead and manage the end‑to‑end apparel production operations (from cutting through finishing and packing) within the production hub. The role is accountable for ensuring compliance with all safety standards and regulatory requirements, while delivering high‑quality products on time and within cost targets.

The Factory Manager will drive operational excellence through effective systems, workforce capability development, and continuous improvement initiatives. As the overall head of the facility, the role provides strategic and operational leadership, ensuring effective coordination across internal departments and alignment with external clients and partners.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Establish the factory’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across all processes.
• Implement and maintain production tracking systems to monitor output, efficiency, and material usage.
• Lead implementation of an ERP system to integrate production, inventory, and reporting functions.
• Implement and enforce OSHA protocols in line with DOSH regulations.
• Conduct regular safety audits, risk assessments, and train staff on workplace standards.
• Ensure compliance with local labor laws, maintain valid business licenses, requisite operational licenses and certifications (including relevant ISO standards).
• Manage end‑to‑end apparel production processes including the fabric cutting, sewing, finishing, quality control, packing, and inventory management.
• Optimize production layouts and resource allocation to maximize output and efficiency.
• Develop weekly and monthly production schedules based on customer demand.
• Establish and maintain preventive and corrective maintenance processes for machinery and equipment.
• Monitor equipment performance and drive continuous improvement in machine uptime.
• Monitor and optimize operational costs including labour, materials, and utilities.
• Support budgeting processes and drive cost‑per‑unit reduction initiatives.
• Ensure daily line targets are met.
• Ensure timely execution of production plans and adherence to delivery schedules.
• Align production capacity with demand forecasts and order pipelines.
• Work closely with the sales team to match incoming orders with production capacity, ensuring the lines remain consistently loaded.
• Work with the finance and procurement team to ensure timely delivery of requisite resources for production.
• Implement lean manufacturing concepts, 5S methodologies to drive continuous improvement within the factory.
• Optimize line layouts and workflows to improve productivity and reduce waste.
• Build a culture of efficiency and accountability within the factory.
• Track and monitor key performance metrics on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Deliver weekly and monthly performance reports to the leadership team.
• Use data‑driven insights to recommend and implement corrective actions.
• Take lead in liaison with the People & Culture department in hiring, onboarding and training of factory staff.
• Set performance targets/KPIs and conduct regular evaluations of direct reports.

About Generation

Generation is a global employment nonprofit network that supports people to achieve economic mobility so they can change their lives. We train and place adults into careers that would otherwise be inaccessible and seek to improve how education to employment systems function. Generation launched in 2015 and consists of a global hub and a network of in‑country affiliates that span countries. To date, Generation has more than graduates who have earned more than in wages, and works with more than employers, implementation partners, and funders.