Operations Manager at Pedros Flame Grilled Chicken

Job Description

• The Sauce Plant Ops Manager is responsible for the end-to-end material flow of the Pedros Sauce Plant, from supplier to plant to the Pedros Distribution Centres.
• The role owns DC replenishment planning, procurement of raw materials and packaging, warehouse operations and distribution, ensuring that Production always has the materials it needs and that QA-released finished sauces reach every DC on time, in full and traceable by batch.
• The Sauce Plant Ops Manager leads the supply chain and warehouse team and upholds food-safety, traceability, safety and quality standards in line with HACCP, GMP and FSSC 22000 requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage the end-to-end material flow of the Sauce Plant across DC replenishment planning, procurement, warehouse operations and distribution to the DCs.
• Translate DC demand and stock positions into weekly finished-goods requirements per SKU for the Production Manager.
• Set and review finished-goods cover targets per DC, allowing for longer lead times to the distant DCs.
• Maintain a rolling 12-week raw materials and packaging plan and represent DC demand and material supply in the weekly planning review with Production and Quality.
• Place purchase orders for raw materials and packaging with approved suppliers, to specification and within delegated authority and the group procurement framework.
• Manage supplier lead times, minimum order quantities and delivery performance, and flag single-source and supply risks.
• Work with Quality Assurance on supplier approval, non-conforming deliveries and supplier returns.
• Oversee raw materials, packaging and finished-goods stores, including receiving, put-away, FIFO / FEFO rotation, allergen segregation and issuing to Production.
• Ensure quarantine and QA hold areas are physically controlled and that stock status changes only on Quality Assurance instruction.
• Ensure stock accuracy through cycle counts and month-end stock takes reconciled with Finance, and approve the investigation of stock variances.
• Agree fixed dispatch days per DC and plan full, cost-efficient loads with transport providers.
• Manage carriers, delivery documentation, batch details per load and proof of delivery.
• Resolve DC receiving discrepancies, damages and rejections, including returns and credits.
• Maintain a plant-to-DC service level agreement covering delivery standards and transfer of ownership.
• Ensure every batch can be traced from supplier lot to DC within 2 hours, and support Quality Assurance in mock recalls before each new DC goes live.
• Plan and support the supply roll-out to the KZN and Gauteng DCs, followed by Cape Town, East London and Polokwane.
• Lead, coach and manage the supply chain and warehouse team, including the Warehouse Supervisor, Business Analyst, Buyer and Admin / Procurement Clerk.
• Recruit vacant roles in priority order and conduct performance management and disciplinary procedures in line with company policy.
• Ensure compliance with SOPs, Health & Safety requirements, forklift operator certification and racking and loading safety, working with the Safety Officer.
• Keep stores and dispatch areas audit-ready and ensure audit findings are corrected within agreed timeframes.
• Own supply chain master data and stock transactions, and act as the plant's lead user for ERP and WMS requirements.
• Monitor and report supply chain KPIs, including DC OTIF, stock accuracy, cover, write-offs and freight cost, to the Plant Manager.
• Identify and implement improvements to planning, procurement, warehouse and distribution processes to improve service, accuracy and cost.

Requirements:

• Degree or national diploma in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Management or Industrial Engineering - essential.
• SAPICS or APICS / ASCM (CPIM or CSCP) certification - advantageous.
• Minimum 7 years' supply chain or logistics experience, including at least 3 years managing a team.
• Experience in a food manufacturing or FMCG environment - strongly preferred.
• Hands-on experience running a food-grade warehouse with batch traceability, FIFO / FEFO and QA hold controls.
• Experience planning secondary distribution to multiple DCs, ideally on national long-haul routes.
• Working knowledge of ERP and WMS systems and advanced MS Excel.

Closing Date 07 December 2026