Director General, Esplendor Florestal

Esplendor Florestal is an Angolan sustainable forestry company backed by the Angola Sovereign Wealth Fund. It is developing plantations to restore degraded landscapes, create a domestic timber supply and support Angola’s green economy. The initiative has planted millions of trees and combines commercial forestry with biodiversity restoration and carbon capture. It also generates rural employment, develops local skills, supports community services and plans expanded nursery capacity for future planting programmes.

Esplendor Florestal has engaged Verterra as their technical and strategic forestry partner. Verterra Ecological Engineering is an Australian consultancy combining science, engineering and practical land management to deliver sustainable environmental and commercial outcomes. Its expertise includes landscape rehabilitation, forestry, soil and water management, agriculture and natural capital.

About the role

The Director General is responsible for the overall leadership, operational performance and commercial delivery of Esplendor Florestal’s mission. The role ensures the business delivers against its plantation development, timber production, natural capital, financial, community and compliance objectives in a safe, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable manner.

The Director General will lead day-to-day operations across the company’s forestry estate and associated business functions, translating strategic direction from the Administrator General and Esplendor Board, and principal shareholder (FSDEA) into practical execution. This includes responsibility for plantation establishment, nursery production, silviculture, forest maintenance, protection, harvesting, roading, supply chain coordination, workforce leadership, budgeting, performance reporting, stakeholder engagement and continuous improvement.

The role is expected to build a high-performing and safety conscious operational culture, strengthen governance and reporting systems, manage risk proactively and ensure that Esplendor Florestal develops as a commercially successful and environmentally and socially responsible forestry enterprise.

Key dimensions of the role

Strategic Leadership

• Implement strategic and annual operating plans, translating Board priorities into budgets, targets and accountable work programmes.
• Support business growth, investment planning and opportunities across forestry, timber, carbon and natural capital.

Operational Management

• Oversee plantation establishment, nursery production, silviculture, harvesting, transport, processing and timber marketing.
• Coordinate land, labour, machinery and contractors to deliver programmes safely, on time, within budget and to required standards.
• Maintain operational plans, systems, procedures and field controls.

Financial and Commercial Management

• Manage budgets, forecasts, cash flow, procurement, contracts and operating costs.
• Monitor performance against budget and develop timber, biomass, carbon and other revenue opportunities.

People Leadership

• Lead and develop managers, supervisors and field teams.
• Establish KPIs, performance systems, workforce plans and succession arrangements.
• Build a professional, accountable and safety-focused culture.

Health, Safety, Environment and Risk

• Maintain effective HSE systems and compliance with legal and company requirements.
• Manage operational, environmental, social, security and reputational risks.
• Ensure fire preparedness, emergency response and responsible environmental management.

Governance and Reporting

• Ensure compliance with laws, permits, land requirements, employment obligations and company policies.
• Provide accurate reports to management and the Board and maintain reliable operational records.
• Support audits, due diligence, business cases and certification reviews.

Stakeholder and Community Relations

• Maintain constructive relationships with government, communities, traditional authorities, suppliers and business partners.
• Ensure culturally aware and socially responsible operations.
• Represent the company in external meetings and stakeholder forums.

Systems and Continuous Improvement

• Strengthen operational planning, data capture, GIS, inventory and monitoring systems.
• Review safety, cost, quality, productivity and plantation performance regularly.
• Drive continuous improvement across operations and workforce productivity.

Certification and Carbon

• Lead FSC certification, audit readiness and protection of high-conservation-value areas.
• Support Verra and other carbon projects, including monitoring, reporting and verification.
• Integrate certification and carbon requirements into plantation operations and internal systems.

Skills and experience

Essential Qualifications

• Degree in Forestry, Forest Engineering, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Management, or related discipline.
• Significant senior management experience in plantation forestry, large-scale agriculture, land development or a comparable operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary field operations in remote or regional settings.
• Strong financial and commercial management capability, including budgeting and cost control.
• Experience managing teams, contractors and operational work programs.
• Demonstrated knowledge of HSE systems, compliance and risk management.
• Strong reporting, planning and organizational skills.
• Experience working in cross-cultural environments and building constructive stakeholder relationships.
• Fluency in Portuguese and proficiency in English.

Personal Attributes

• A hands-on and credible operational leader
• Calm, disciplined and solutions-focused
• Commercially astute and performance-oriented
• Respectful, culturally aware and relationship-driven
• Highly organised and comfortable with complexity
• Committed to building systems, people and long-term enterprise value
• Motivated by both practical delivery and strategic growth

Don’t meet every single requirement? Research shows that individuals from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every listed qualification. At Millar Cameron, we are committed to supporting our clients in building diverse and inclusive teams. If you’re enthusiastic about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply - you could be exactly what our client is looking for, either for this position or another.

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are only able to respond to candidates who are shortlisted for the next stage of the process. We sincerely appreciate your interest and the time taken to apply.

Since 2007 Millar Cameron has specialised in sourcing leadership and keyperson talent across a number of industries, including agribusiness, international development, industrial, consumer, financial and professional services, private equity, and technology, media and telecommunications. Our mission and purpose is to positively contribute to the development of Africa, and other emerging markets, through the provision of people.