Operations Manager at Kontak Recruitment

• This is a rare opportunity to join a South African fintech company right at the point where everything accelerates. The business operates in the payments space, their product is live, it is gaining traction, and a major national rollout is underway. The team is lean, fast-moving, and deeply committed to building something that genuinely changes how people transact.
• If you have ever wanted to be part of a company where your work is visible from day one, where the founder is in the room, and where the decisions you make actually shape how the business grows, this is that role. The Operations Manager will own the physical side of the business entirely, from a manufacturer in Asia to retail shelves across South Africa, building the processes that will carry a high-growth fintech through its most critical phase yet.

What's in it for you

• Real ownership of a critical operational function in a growing fintech business
• Direct access to and daily collaboration with the founder and CEO
• Front-row seat to a national rollout
• Strong future prospects, with a genuine path to a senior or executive operations role
• Equity eligibility considered for high performers as the business scales
• Johannesburg North based, with hybrid flexibility earned over time

Minimum Requirements

• 5 or more years of experience in operations, logistics or supply chain
• Proven hands-on experience importing product from Asia, including managing freight forwarders and customs clearance
• Experience distributing product into national retail chains or large multi-site networks
• Strong stock control and inventory planning skills with confidence working in spreadsheets
• Comfortable managing relationships with suppliers, corporate partners and retail head offices
• Valid driver's licence and own vehicle
• Willing to undergo credit and criminal checks as part of the pre-employment process

Advantageous

• Relevant tertiary qualification in logistics, supply chain or operations
• Experience with hardware, consumer electronics or point-of-sale devices
• Previous experience in a startup or small business where you built processes from scratch
• Some HR exposure such as assisting with interviews and onboarding
• Willingness to travel to China for supplier engagement

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the relationship with the offshore manufacturer in Asia, including production schedules, order volumes and quality assurance
• Forecast stock requirements in collaboration with leadership and corporate partners for large-volume repeat orders
• Coordinate all shipping, freight forwarding and customs clearance activity
• Track shipment timelines and landed costs, flagging delivery risks early
• Plan and manage distribution to national retail partners including obtaining store lists and rollout schedules from partner head offices
• Allocate stock by store so sales performance can be tracked by retailer and region
• Run stock control processes for surplus and replenishment inventory
• Plan storage solutions for incoming bulk stock
• Manage fulfilment of online orders from the company website
• Plan and coordinate logistics for in-market activations across multiple sites
• Identify opportunities to bring outsourced logistics functions in-house to reduce costs
• Build simple, scalable operating processes and report to the founder on stock levels, shipments and costs
• Assist with general daily operations as required, including HR support such as interviews and onboarding as the team grows