Chief Operating Officer (COO)

CareerCare-SA; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 614,000 - 725,000; Full time

Job summary

CareerCare-SA in Johannesburg seeks a seasoned Chief Operating Officer to join as the CEO’s operational right hand, overseeing day-to-day operations, people, systems, and performance.

The role requires driving accountability across Sales, Production, Post-Production and Administration, implementing KPI-driven management, and leveraging AI and automation to improve efficiency and profitability.

Qualifications

• 7+ years’ management experience, including 3+ years in senior management or operational leadership.
• Advanced Excel and data reporting experience.
• Strong commercial and financial understanding with ability to turn data into actionable insight.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the smooth day-to-day running of the business.
• Drive accountability, priorities, deadlines and performance across teams.
• Identify bottlenecks and resolve problems before they escape.
• Manage resources, capacity, workloads and competing priorities.
• Improve coordination between Sales, Production, Post-production and Administration.
• Support the CEO with operational decision-making and execution.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Leadership

Stakeholder management

AI/Automation familiarity

Systems thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Management/Operations

MBA

Tools

Monday.com

Job description

Chief Operating Officer (COO) required in Johannesburg.

Our client is a growing Johannesburg-based creative production business operating across film, television, branded content, live events, post-production and emerging AI-driven production.

We are looking for a senior operational leader to be the CEO’s operational right hand (2IC), taking ownership of day-to-day operations, people, systems, performance and business improvement.

Salary: R55,000 – R65,000 CTC per month depending on experience and qualification.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Operations & Leadership
  • Take ownership of the smooth day-to-day running of the business.
  • Drive accountability, priorities, deadlines and performance across teams.
  • Identify bottlenecks and resolve problems before they escape.
  • Manage resources, capacity, workloads and competing priorities.
  • Improve coordination between Sales, Production, Post-production and Administration.
  • Support the CEO with operational decision-making and execution.
• People & Performance
  • Establish clear roles, responsibilities, KPIs and performance expectations.
  • Conduct and drive performance reviews and one-on-ones.
  • Address underperformance and manage formal performance processes where required.
  • Support recruitment, workforce planning and structured onboarding.
  • Build a culture of ownership, accountability and high performance.
• Systems, AI & Automation
  • Review and improve workflows, systems and SOPs.
  • Identify repetitive or inefficient processes and introduce appropriate automation.
  • Use AI, automation tools and integrations to create measurable operational leverage.
  • Maintain strong system discipline, including clean data, documentation, ownership and quality control.
  • Work confidently with platforms such as Monday.com and other modern workflow systems.
• Data, Excel & Commercial Analysis
  • Consolidate information from different areas of the business into meaningful management insight.
  • Build and maintain dashboards, reports and spreadsheet models.
  • Use advanced Excel, including complex formulas, pivot tables, lookups, data cleaning and reconciliation.
  • Analyse trends, anomalies, costs, utilisation, capacity and performance.
  • Translate data into clear recommendations and actions.
  • Bring strong financial and commercial thinking to operational decisions.
• Sales & Business Improvement
  • Monitor sales pipeline activity, follow-ups and accountability.
  • Ensure opportunities do not fall through the cracks.
  • Improve visibility between Sales and Production.
  • Identify opportunities to improve profitability, efficiency, utilisation and turnaround times.
  • Provide concise management reporting to the CEO.

Requirements:

• 7+ years’ management experience, including 3+ years in senior management or operational leadership.
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Management, Finance, Operations or a related field is advantageous; MBA/advanced qualification beneficial.
• Proven experience with significant responsibility, independent decision-making and people/performance management.
• Strong operational, project, resource and process-management experience, including KPIs, SOPs, systems and accountability.
• Advanced Excel, spreadsheet modelling, data analysis and management reporting skills.
• Strong commercial and financial understanding, with the ability to turn data into actionable business insight.
• Genuine hands-on experience with AI, automation, AI agents, no-code solutions and workflow integrations, with a focus on practical business improvement.
• Strong communication skills and confidence managing difficult conversations and holding people accountable.
• Experience in film, television, advertising, creative agencies, events, media, content, post-production or other fast-paced project-based environments is highly advantageous.
• Exceptional candidates from other industries with strong, transferable senior operational leadership experience may be considered.