Manager: Operations

Recruiter:

MECS Africa

Job Ref:

CPT000560/IA

Date posted:

Monday, August 24, 2026

Location:

Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa

SUMMARY:
A leading manufacturing organisation is seeking an experienced Manager: Operations to lead day-to-day lubricant manufacturing operations, with responsibility for blending, filling, packaging materials, inbound warehousing and stock control.

POSITION INFO:
The successful candidate will provide strategic and operational leadership to ensure safe, reliable and cost-effective plant performance while meeting production plans, customer demand and Operational Excellence objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and manage blending and filling operations to meet production and customer requirements.
Ensure daily production and filling plans are achieved.
Drive operational efficiency, reliability, quality and continuous improvement.
Manage packaging materials, inbound goods, inventory and warehouse activities.
Ensure all SHEQ, safety and operational KPIs are achieved.
Manage OPEX and CAPEX budgets, forecasting and expenditure.
Drive cost efficiency and maximise operational performance with minimal capital investment.
Collaborate with Planning & Supply Chain, Logistics, Quality, Maintenance, Finance, SHEQ and Procurement.
Lead, develop and motivate a diverse manufacturing team.
Ensure appropriate resource planning, recruitment, training and succession development.
Champion a strong incident-free and safety-focused culture.
Build effective relationships with raw material suppliers and other key stakeholders.
Drive compliance with operational procedures, regulatory requirements and management systems.

Minimum Requirements

BSc/BEng in Mechanical, Chemical or Process Engineering.
Minimum 5 years’ experience in a petrochemical environment, specifically lubricants manufacturing.
Minimum 5–10 years’ experience as an Operations Manager or in a similar senior operational leadership role.
Proven experience managing manufacturing operations and diverse teams.
Strong knowledge of operations management and organisational effectiveness.
Experience with budgeting, forecasting, OPEX and CAPEX management.
Strong understanding of business and financial principles.
Proven inventory management experience.
Excellent leadership, communication and organisational skills.
Demonstrated ability to lead, develop and motivate manufacturing teams.

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a hands-on, commercially astute and safety-focused operations leader who can translate strategic objectives into strong day-to-day plant performance and build a culture of accountability, operational excellence and continuous improvement.

If you have senior-level operations experience within lubricant or petrochemical manufacturing and are ready to lead a high-performance manufacturing operation, we would like to hear from you.

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Key Responsibilities

Minimum Requirements

Ideal Candidate

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