Ops and Business Development Manager

POSITION: OPERATIONS & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Permanent   |  Start: Immediate   |  Location: Johannesburg (Field-Based, with national travel)

 

About the Business

The business operates a growing multi-site network across South Africa, supported by digital systems for operational monitoring and reporting.

We are developing two growth channels: expanding our network of commercial locations and building recurring-revenue agreements with business clients.

We are a small, fast-moving team. This role sits at the centre of the business.

The Role

The Operations & Business Development Manager has two jobs: keep every unit in the network trading, and grow the network. You will own day-to-day operations, turn our sales data into decisions that improve profitability, and drive a heavily outbound sales effort to secure new centres and business clients.

This is a hands-on role. We need someone who gets in their car, goes to the site, picks up the phone and fixes the problem, and who is just as comfortable walking into a centre manager’s or HR director’s office to open a new deal. It is not a role for someone who manages from a distance or only delegates.

You will work directly with the two directors as their operational right hand, with real ownership and accountability for results.

Key Responsibilities

1. Sales & Business Development (Outbound-Led)

•    Build and work a consistent outbound pipeline (calls, emails, LinkedIn, walk-ins) against weekly

activity targets.

•    Secure new commercial locations. Conduct site visits, obtain

rental rates and negotiate terms with centre and leasing managers.

•    Launch and scale the recurring-revenue model: secure monthly commercial agreements with

business clients, starting with pilot clients.

•    Respond to and qualify all inbound business enquiries within one working day, and convert

them into meetings and contracts.

•    Prepare proposals, pricing and site business cases with the directors, and keep the CRM and

pipeline up to date.

•    Move quickly. Shorten the time from first contact to signed site so new unit orders can be

placed with confidence.

 

 

 

 

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2. Data, Reporting & Optimisation

•    Own the sales dashboard. Monitor every unit daily for uptime, silent devices, transactions and

revenue.

•    Produce daily, weekly and monthly reports on revenue against target per unit, site and centre,

including weekday versus weekend trends.

•    Own the unit economics: revenue per unit per day against break-even, with actual overheads

(rentals, BA costs, swap-outs, repairs, contingency) tracked against budget.

•    Recommend, test and implement improvements: pricing and service mix, BA staffing levels and

hours, site placement, promotions, and relocating or closing underperforming sites.

•    Give the directors clear, data-backed input on existing operations, growth channels and future equipment

orders.

3. Day-to-Day Operations & Troubleshooting

•    Make sure every unit is live and trading throughout centre hours. Be the first responder when a

unit goes silent, card payments decline or a site is unmanned.

• Handle first-line troubleshooting on site and remotely (resetting equipment and connected devices), escalate to technicians and suppliers where needed, and close issues out the same day.

•    Manage customer incidents and complaints professionally, so they never need to reach the

directors.

•    Manage relationships with centre management, including site rules, access, compliance and

site requirements.

•    Manage repairs, swap-outs, spares, the storage facility and all inventory movements.

• Run logistics for new installs and relocations: shop fitters, electricians, transport and contractors, with proper site surveys beforehand (access gates, loading bays, vehicle height limits, power).

•    Manage branding, signage, uniforms, lanyards and collateral at every site.

4. Brand Ambassador (BA) Management

•    Work with our BA agency on recruitment, scheduling and coverage, so no site is ever left

unmanned.

•    Train every BA in person before go-live: unit operation, unit numbers and site allocation,

sales script and escalation process. Issue uniforms and kits before launch, not on the day.

•    Do regular spot checks and site visits. Performance-manage BAs on conversion and conduct,

and replace underperformers quickly.

•    Control company assets such as test cards, and authorise their use only with director approval.

5. Planning, Communication & Accountability

•    Keep the directors informed without being asked. Give a daily status update and escalate early,

always with a recommended solution.

•    Run all tasks and deadlines on Monday.com, and deliver on time.

•    Issue a full rollout pack well ahead of every activation: schedules, site contacts, entrances,

renders, unit allocations and briefing notes.

•    Make sure operations are covered over December, the festive season and public holidays,

either personally or by recruiting, training and supervising standby cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What We Expect in Your First 90 Days

Month 1: Learn the business and take control

•    Know every site, every unit, every supplier and the BA team by name.

•    Send the directors a short daily report on sales per site and which units are working.

•    When a unit stops working or a site has no BA, get it sorted within 2 hours.

Month 2: Fix what’s not working

•    Work out what each site costs to run each month, and how much it needs to make per day to

break even.

•    Make the first changes that lift sales or cut costs (e.g. pricing, BA hours, site placement).

•    Conduct outbound prospecting every day. Book meetings with property managers and business clients every week.

Month 3: Bring in new business

•   Sign the first recurring-revenue agreement with a business client.

•   Have at least one new commercial location in negotiation.

•    Keep downtime to a minimum, so units are working whenever the centres are open.

Key Performance Indicators

 

 

 

KPI	Measure
Unit uptime	Percentage of units live and trading during centre hours
Response time	Time from fault or unmanned-site alert to resolution
Revenue vs target	Revenue per unit per day against break-even and target, per site
Outbound activity	Weekly calls, meetings booked and proposals issued
New business	New commercial locations and recurring-revenue contracts signed, and monthly recurring revenue added
Reporting	Daily and weekly reports delivered on time and accurately
BA performance	Site coverage, sales conversion and training completion

Requirements

•    Minimum 5 years’ experience in operations, business development or account management in

a multi-site commercial environment.

•    A proven outbound B2B sales track record: opening doors and closing deals with landlords,

corporates or similar buyers.

•    Hands-on and field-ready. Comfortable on site, troubleshooting and driving between locations

daily.

•    Strong numeracy and data skills. Confident in Excel, Claude and supporting AI tools.

•    Proactive, clear communicator who meets deadlines and takes ownership.

•    Tech-savvy, and comfortable with payment terminals, apps and connected devices.

•    Valid South African driver’s licence and own reliable vehicle.

•    Johannesburg-based, willing to travel to Durban and Cape Town as required, and available for

call-outs during retail trading hours, including weekends.

 

 

 

 

 

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Advantageous

•   Existing relationships with commercial property managers, leasing agents or

business decision-makers.

•   Experience with digital monitoring, transaction or connected-equipment platforms.

•    Experience managing promotional staff, field teams or BA agencies.

•    Entrepreneurial or start-up background.

•    CRM experience (e.g. Pipedrive, HubSpot).

Non-Negotiables (Screening Criteria)

•    5+ years in a relevant operations or business development role.

•    Demonstrable outbound B2B sales experience.

•    Hands-on field operator, not a delegate-only manager.

•    Own vehicle and valid driver’s licence.

•    Based in Johannesburg.

•    Available for after-hours and weekend call-outs, with a workable plan for festive-season cover.

Package