Operations Manager

Take genuine ownership of the South African operation, leading multiple teams while driving performance, operational standards and continuous improvement.

Cape Town | Office-based | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM UK time, 1-hour lunch break | R50,000 – R75,000 per month

ABOUT OUR CLIENT

Our client operates a South African operation that works closely with its UK-based Operations Manager, Head of Operations and wider business.

The South African operation is required to remain closely aligned with wider business objectives, with a strong focus on operational performance, standards, continuous improvement and customer outcomes.

THE ROLE: OPERATIONS MANAGER

The Operations Manager will take full accountability for the South African operation, managing multiple teams and priorities while making operational and commercial decisions.

Working closely with the UK-based Operations Manager and Head of Operations, the role operates with a high degree of autonomy while ensuring the South African operation remains aligned with the wider business objectives.

The position combines people leadership, performance management, operational excellence, data-driven decision-making, continuous improvement and commercial awareness.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Take full accountability for the South African operation.


• Manage multiple teams and priorities.


• Make confident operational and commercial decisions.


• Approach the role with the dedication of running your own business.


• Establish, maintain and drive operational excellence.


• Maintain high operational standards and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).


• Ensure teams consistently deliver against strict KPIs, SLAs, productivity, quality and efficiency metrics.


• Lead, inspire, coach and develop a high-performance culture.


• Manage multiple teams, ideally through Team Leaders or Managers.


• Set clear expectations and confidently manage both high performance and underperformance.


• Use analytical capabilities and data insights to identify performance trends.


• Diagnose root causes, mitigate risks early and implement solutions.


• Drive continuous improvement to streamline operations and enhance customer outcomes.


• Maintain strong commercial awareness, balancing quality, pace and cost to drive profitability and growth.


• Act as a dependable representative of the business.


• Work collaboratively with senior leadership in the UK.

ABOUT YOU

• Strong Operations Management experience within a fast-paced, performance-driven environment.


• Proven experience managing multiple teams, ideally through Team Leaders or Managers.


• Demonstrable track record of delivering and improving KPIs, SLAs, productivity and quality metrics.


• Proven ability in operational planning, resource management, capacity management and continuous improvement.


• Strong analytical capabilities and confidence using data and metrics to diagnose issues and drive decisions.


• Exceptional communication, influencing and stakeholder management capabilities, with confidence interacting with senior leadership.


• High-level decision-making, problem-solving and change management skills.


• High level of ownership and accountability.


• Ability to work autonomously while keeping South African operations aligned with UK leadership.


• Data-driven approach to performance management.


• Leadership and people development capabilities.


• Strong performance management capabilities.


• Operational excellence.


• Commercial awareness.


• Continuous improvement capabilities.


• Planning and organisation skills.