Operations Manager - Manufacturing

Location: Atlantis, Cape Town
Salary: R80,000 - R85,000 CTC per month, depending on experience
Employment type: Permanent

The Opportunity

A respected multi-site manufacturer is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to take senior operational responsibility at its Atlantis plant.

This is not a reporting-only role. The successful candidate will be a key operational leader and trusted right-hand to the Plant Manager and CEO, with the credibility and capability to take charge of plant operations when senior leadership is unavailable.

The role requires a commercially aware engineer who understands that operational success depends on production output, equipment reliability, quality, cost control, safety, people leadership and disciplined execution working together.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate daily manufacturing operations to achieve production, quality, delivery, cost and safety targets.
• Act as the operational lead for the plant in the absence of the Plant Manager.
• Drive plant performance through clear operating rhythms, production planning, KPI management and accountability.
• Partner with maintenance and engineering teams to improve equipment uptime, reliability and preventative-maintenance execution.
• Lead continuous-improvement initiatives focused on OEE, yield, waste reduction, productivity, cost control and process optimisation.
• Manage, coach and hold production and operational teams accountable for performance, standards and discipline.
• Ensure compliance with quality-management, health and safety, environmental and housekeeping standards.
• Investigate operational, quality and process deviations; lead root-cause analysis and corrective-action implementation.
• Work closely with supply chain, planning, quality, maintenance and senior management to resolve bottlenecks and protect customer service.
• Prepare and present accurate operational reports, performance trends, risks and improvement plans to senior leadership.
• Support plant budgets, resource planning, capital projects and operational decision-making.

Minimum Requirements

• Degree or diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering or a related manufacturing discipline.
• At least eight years' experience in a manufacturing environment, including meaningful operational or production-management responsibility.
• Proven experience leading teams in a high-output, quality-driven plant environment.
• Strong understanding of production planning, maintenance coordination, plant reliability and manufacturing performance management.
• Demonstrated experience with continuous-improvement tools and methods, including Lean, 5S, Kaizen, OEE, waste reduction and root-cause analysis.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001 quality systems, health and safety requirements, and operational compliance.
• Strong financial and commercial awareness, including cost control, productivity and operational budget management.
• Excellent leadership, communication and decision-making ability.
• A practical, visible management style with the confidence to take ownership under pressure.

Advantageous Experience

• Experience in continuous-process manufacturing, textiles, nonwovens, packaging, polymers, automotive components, FMCG or comparable industrial environments.
• Exposure to ERP or production-planning systems.
• Experience managing improvement projects, plant upgrades or capital expenditure initiatives.
• Mechanical-engineering exposure within a manufacturing operation.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a credible plant operator, not merely an engineer with management aspirations. They must be able to move comfortably between the factory floor, production meetings, maintenance discussions and senior-management decisions.

This is a leadership role for someone who can protect standards, make sound decisions, develop people and take control of the plant when required.