Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Talent Candey; Somerset West; On-site; ZAR 4,500,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent Candey seeks a highly experienced Chief Operating Officer to join its Executive Leadership team. The role partners with the CEO to translate strategy into enterprise-wide execution, overseeing operating model design, governance, risk, and continuous improvement.

A key priority is readiness for the 2027 launch, with a scalable model to support future growth. The COO will collaborate with Product, Technology, Credit, Payments, Risk and Finance to drive performance, transformation and

Qualifications

• Grade 12.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification in Business Management, Operations Management, Finance, Commerce, Information Systems, Risk Management, or a related discipline.
• Postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Management, Operations, Risk or Finance will be advantageous.
• MBA or equivalent senior management qualification will be highly advantageous.
• Additional qualifications in Operations, Risk, Compliance, Project Management or Business Process Management will be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO and Executive Committee in developing and executing the organization’s overall strategy.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear execution plans, objectives, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
• Drive organizational alignment and accountability for strategic delivery.
• Identify and resolve cross-functional barriers affecting execution.
• Own and continuously develop the enterprise operating model.
• Align people, processes, systems, technology, governance, and organizational structures with strategic objectives.
• Establish clear accountability, ownership, and decision-making structures.
• Drive end-to-end process optimization and continuous improvement.
• Lead enterprise readiness for the organization’s planned 2027 launch.
• Ensure people, processes, systems, controls, governance, and operational capabilities are launch-ready.
• Establish readiness criteria, milestones, dependencies, and escalation mechanisms.
• Manage critical dependencies across Operations, Technology, Product, Payments, Credit, Risk and Compliance.
• Establish and oversee an enterprise performance framework.
• Define and monitor KPIs, SLAs and strategic delivery metrics.
• Identify operational trends, bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and emerging risks.
• Drive corrective actions and performance improvement initiatives.
• Lead major enterprise transformation and strategic execution initiatives.
• Drive improvements in efficiency, scalability, and customer outcomes.
• Ensure appropriate change management, communication, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ensure operational risks are effectively identified, assessed, and managed.
• Embed appropriate controls across critical business processes.
• Ensure operational incidents and control failures are escalated and addressed.
• Partner closely with Risk, Compliance, Legal and Internal Audit functions.
• Maintain appropriate governance and regulatory standards.
• Ensure the operating model delivers a consistent and effective customer experience.
• Identify and resolve customer-impacting operational issues.
• Monitor service failures, complaints, and operational friction.
• Partner with Technology and Product leadership to ensure solutions support operational and strategic requirements.
• Ensure business and operational requirements are incorporated into technology development.
• Provide executive oversight of significant technology changes affecting operations.
• Provide executive oversight of key third-party operational dependencies.
• Establish appropriate performance standards, SLAs, and governance arrangements.
• Monitor vendor performance and manage associated operational risks.
• Contribute to enterprise investment and resource allocation decisions.
• Manage the Operations budget within approved authority.
• Drive productivity, efficiency, and cost optimization.
• Build and lead a high-performing Operations function.
• Establish appropriate organizational structures, responsibilities, and accountability.
• Ensure the organization has the capability and capacity required to achieve its strategic objectives.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Operational excellence

Change management

Risk management

Governance

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Decision making

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Operations/Finance/Commerce/Information Systems/Risk Management

Postgraduate qualification in Business Administration/Management/Operations/Risk or Finance

MBA or equivalent senior management qualification

Job description

Our reputable client is seeking a highly experienced and commercially astute Chief Operating Officer (COO) to join their Executive Leadership team.

The successful candidate will act as a key strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer and will be responsible for translating the organization’s strategy into effective enterprise-wide execution.

This is a senior executive position with responsibility for operational performance, organizational effectiveness, operating model design, enterprise readiness, transformation, governance, risk, resilience, and continuous improvement.

A key initial priority will be ensuring enterprise and operational readiness for the organization’s planned 2027 launch, while establishing a scalable and sustainable operating model capable of supporting future growth.

The COO will work closely with the Executive Committee and key functions including Product, Technology, Credit, Payments, Risk, Compliance and Finance.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Grade 12.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification in Business Management, Operations Management, Finance, Commerce, Information Systems, Risk Management, or a related discipline.
• Postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Management, Operations, Risk or Finance will be advantageous.
• MBA or equivalent senior management qualification will be highly advantageous.
• Additional qualifications in Operations, Risk, Compliance, Project Management or Business Process Management will be advantageous.

Experience

• Minimum 10+ years' relevant professional experience, with significant exposure to operational and/or enterprise leadership.
• Minimum 5 years' experience at Senior Management or Executive level.
• Proven experience designing, implementing, or transforming enterprise operating models.
• Experience within a regulated financial services, fintech, payments, or similarly complex environment.
• Experience leading enterprise or operational readiness for a major product, platform, business, or organizational launch.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional transformation and strategic execution initiatives.
• Strong experience in operational risk, resilience, controls, and governance.
• Experience managing significant operational teams and/or multiple business functions.
• Previous experience operating as a member of an Executive Committee, Board, or equivalent senior governance forum.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Experience managing significant third-party and vendor dependencies.
• Experience operating within a high-growth, technology-enabled environment.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into measurable execution and business outcomes.
• Strong command of English and Afrikaans.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Strategy & Execution

• Partner with the CEO and Executive Committee in developing and executing the organization’s overall strategy.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear execution plans, objectives, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
• Drive organizational alignment and accountability for strategic delivery.
• Identify and resolve cross-functional barriers affecting execution.

Operating Model & Organizational Effectiveness

• Own and continuously develop the enterprise operating model.
• Align people, processes, systems, technology, governance, and organizational structures with strategic objectives.
• Establish clear accountability, ownership, and decision-making structures.
• Drive end-to-end process optimization and continuous improvement.

Enterprise & Operational Readiness

• Lead enterprise readiness for the organization’s planned 2027 launch.
• Ensure people, processes, systems, controls, governance, and operational capabilities are launch-ready.
• Establish readiness criteria, milestones, dependencies, and escalation mechanisms.
• Manage critical dependencies across Operations, Technology, Product, Payments, Credit, Risk and Compliance.

Operational Excellence & Performance

• Establish and oversee an enterprise performance framework.
• Define and monitor KPIs, SLAs and strategic delivery metrics.
• Identify operational trends, bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and emerging risks.
• Drive corrective actions and performance improvement initiatives.

Business Transformation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead major enterprise transformation and strategic execution initiatives.
• Drive improvements in efficiency, scalability, and customer outcomes.
• Ensure appropriate change management, communication, and stakeholder engagement.

Risk, Governance & Resilience

• Ensure operational risks are effectively identified, assessed, and managed.
• Embed appropriate controls across critical business processes.
• Ensure operational incidents and control failures are escalated and addressed.
• Partner closely with Risk, Compliance, Legal and Internal Audit functions.
• Maintain appropriate governance and regulatory standards.

Customer & Service Experience

• Ensure the operating model delivers a consistent and effective customer experience.
• Identify and resolve customer-impacting operational issues.
• Monitor service failures, complaints, and operational friction.

Technology & Digital Enablement

• Partner with Technology and Product leadership to ensure solutions support operational and strategic requirements.
• Ensure business and operational requirements are incorporated into technology development.
• Provide executive oversight of significant technology changes affecting operations.

Third-Party & Vendor Management

• Provide executive oversight of key third-party operational dependencies.
• Establish appropriate performance standards, SLAs, and governance arrangements.
• Monitor vendor performance and manage associated operational risks.

Financial & Resource Optimization

• Contribute to enterprise investment and resource allocation decisions.
• Manage the Operations budget within approved authority.
• Drive productivity, efficiency, and cost optimization.

People Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing Operations function.
• Establish appropriate organizational structures, responsibilities, and accountability.
• Ensure the organization has the capability and capacity required to achieve its strategic objectives.

Key Competencies & Attributes

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic and enterprise leadership.
• Strong execution capability.
• Operating model design and optimization.
• Commercial and financial acumen.
• Operational excellence.
• Risk and governance expertise.
• Transformation and change leadership.
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving ability.
• Customer-centric thinking.
• Exceptional people leadership.
• Stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Executive-level communication skills.
• High levels of integrity and ethical conduct.
• Executive maturity and sound judgement.
• High emotional intelligence.
• Ability to operate effectively under pressure and ambiguity.
• Resilience and adaptability.
• Strong accountability and ownership.
• Continuous improvement mindset.

Please take note: if you have not been contacted within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.