CEO (Chief Executive Officer)

Stonebridge HR Solutions; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruitment and talent acquisition firm in Pretoria is seeking an execution-driven Chief Executive Officer to lead their dynamic organization. The CEO will be responsible for driving strategy and operational excellence while reporting to the board and investors. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of executive experience, strong leadership capabilities, and entrepreneurial acumen, particularly in high-growth environments.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of executive experience in a high-growth business.
• Proven experience in leading small/medium size businesses.
• Experience working with founders, boards, or PE/VC investors.

Responsibilities

• Set and communicate a 3–5 year vision for a digital-first, scalable fintech platform.
• Oversee core operations including sales and payroll integration.
• Spearhead rollout of scalable digital infrastructure.

Skills

Entrepreneurial mindset

Strong EQ

Commercial background with P&L responsibility

Operational scale-up expertise

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

We are seeking an execution-driven Chief Executive Officer with strong entrepreneurial acumen and high emotional intelligence to lead a dynamic, rapidly expanding organization based in Lynnwood, Pretoria East.

Position overview: Lead the company into its next chapter of growth, operational excellence, and digital transformation. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving strategy, profitability, team leadership, and operational modernisation while reporting to the board and investors. This is a hands-on leadership role for a commercially savvy, systems-minded operator who thrives in high-growth, high-impact environments.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of executive experience in a high-growth business (highly advantageous B2B2C, fintech, telco)
• Proven experience in leading small / medium size businesses.
• Entrepreneurial minded
• Strong commercial background with P&L responsibility
• Proven success leading operational scale-up, preferably in technology-enabled environments
• Strong leadership and cultural transformation capability
• Experience managing cashflow and cost disciplines in resource-constrained businesses
• Experience working with founders, boards, or PE/VC investors
• Experience with field or distributed sales teams
• Familiarity with payroll-integrated business models or financial inclusion
• Exposure to low-income or mid-market customer segments
• Background in scaling digital platforms (even without being a technologist)
• Strong EQ, stakeholder engagement, and grit
• Presentable
• Must be comfortable with leading digital transformation

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership
  • Set and communicate a clear 3–5 year vision to transition the company into a digital-first, scalable fintech platform.
  • Drive prioritisation of strategic initiatives including onboarding digitisation, margin expansion, and new product rollout.
  • Report regularly to the board on strategic progress, risk management, and performance metrics.
• Operational Execution & Cost Discipline
  • Oversee all core operations including sales, payroll integration, customer experience, field force, partnerships, and support services.
  • Identify and drive operational improvements to reduce cash burn and improve customer acquisition efficiency.
  • Own unit economics — including cost-of-sale, gross margin, customer lifetime value, and CAC.
• Technology & Systems Modernisation
  • Spearhead rollout of scalable digital infrastructure: employer onboarding portals, self-service apps, CRM, contract automation, and data warehousing.
  • Build internal tech capability or manage external development partners as appropriate.
• People & Culture
  • Build a results-oriented, high-performance culture across all teams.
  • Strengthen the executive team through recruitment, upskilling, and clarity of accountability.
  • Lead by example with transparency, energy, and integrity.
• Growth & Product Expansion
  • Expand product suite to include opt-in digital services (insurance, savings, airtime top-ups, credit).
  • Establish and grow partnerships with telcos, insurers, savings providers, and payroll platforms.
  • Explore regional expansion opportunities aligned to the company’s employer-led model.

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you have not heard from us in 2 weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Since our inception, Stonebridge HR Solutions has been totally focused on building a strategic, quality search practice.

Stonebridge HR Solutions strives to source first class talent, delivering only the highest quality service to our candidates and clients. We are in the business to transform both organisations and careers. Through the wide range of recruitment and talent acquisition services we offer, we can help realize the full potential of our candidates and clients. We treasure the relationships that we build with our clients and our candidates because they are the key to our success and it is reinforced by the five values that drive our business strategy.

Integrity: We pride ourselves on building ethical relationships with colleagues, clients, and candidates based on honesty, transparency, and mutual trust.

Respect: We treat everyone with consideration and fairness and we are always willing to listen.

Responsibility: We take full responsibility to uphold our commitments to our clients and candidates to the best of our ability.

Commitment: We are committed to delivering excellent services. We work together as a team and share our knowledge to continuously improve our services.