General Manager

Elchemie Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 893,000 - 1,116,000; Full time

Job summary

Elchemie Recruitment is seeking a General Manager to lead our Johannesburg manufacturing operations. This senior role combines operational leadership with commercial accountability across production, planning, and customer delivery.

You will drive lean manufacturing, manage budgets and working capital, and lead a unionised workforce on the production floor while engaging with the Board. A bachelor’s in engineering or related field, 10+ years in manufacturing, and ERP/SAP/Qliksense experience are

Qualifications

• A relevant bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Production Management, Business Management or related discipline.
• At least 10 years’ experience in manufacturing, with a minimum of five years in a senior operations, plant, factory or general-management position.
• Demonstrable understanding of production-line management, production planning, materials management, quality systems and supply-chain coordination.
• Proven responsibility for budgets, margins, costs, forecasts and operational performance.
• Strong working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems. SAP and Qliksense exposure would be advantageous.
• Experience using production data, dashboards and digital reporting tools to manage performance.
• Sound understanding of lean manufacturing, root-cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Experience leading employees in a unionised manufacturing environment.
• Willingness to be highly visible and actively involved on the production floor.

Responsibilities

• Assume full accountability for the day-to-day performance of the manufacturing operation.
• Translate customer demand and forecasts into credible production, labour, material and capacity plans.
• Ensure effective production scheduling, line balancing, workflow management and allocation of resources.
• Drive output, productivity, quality, OTIF delivery and cost-per-unit performance.
• Identify and resolve production bottlenecks, material shortages, equipment constraints and process inefficiencies.
• Reduce scrap, rework, wire recuts, material wastage and avoidable overtime.
• Ensure the integrity of BOMs, production data, job packs and related master data.
• Take accountability for the profitability and financial sustainability of the business.
• Manage budgets, forecasts, operating expenditure, gross margin and working-capital performance.
• Analyse production and financial data and convert it into practical corrective action.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimisation, operational growth and customer diversification.
• Prepare and submit accurate monthly executive reports and rolling operational plans.
• Present business performance, risks and recovery plans to executive management and the Board where required.
• Provide visible, fair and consistent leadership across the operation.
• Rebuild trust between employees, supervisors and management through honest communication, follow-through and respectful engagement.
• Lead effectively within a unionised environment and maintain constructive relationships with employee representatives and organised labour.
• Address conflict and employee concerns diplomatically while maintaining appropriate standards, discipline and accountability.
• Develop supervisors and managers, clarify responsibilities and establish measurable performance expectations.
• Create a culture in which employees understand the production plan, customer expectations and their contribution to business performance.
• Champion the effective use of ERP systems, production data, digital dashboards and management information.
• Improve planning accuracy, production visibility, traceability and data-based decision-making.
• Drive lean manufacturing, root-cause analysis, standardised work and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Evaluate appropriate automation, equipment and manufacturing technology that will improve quality, capacity and efficiency.
• Ensure that system and production data—particularly SAP dates, BOMs, material status and order information—are accurate and actively managed.
• Maintain compliance with applicable quality, safety and environmental standards.
• Ensure effective internal controls, audit readiness, risk management and statutory compliance.
• Promote a zero-harm culture and ensure that operational pressure never compromises safety or product quality.
• Maintain disciplined quality controls throughout the manufacturing and testing process.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Operations Management/Production Management/Business Management or related discipline

Tools

SAP

Qliksense

Job description

Job Title: General Manager

Location: Johannesburg Eastern Suburbs

Industry: Automotive

Type: Permanent

Environment: Management

A specialist manufacturer of electrical wiring harnesses for the automotive, mining, rail, agriculture, military, marine, and bus and truck industries, and we are looking for an accomplished General Manager to lead our Richards Bay and Johannesburg-based manufacturing operations. This is a senior operational and commercial leadership position, requiring more than traditional factory-management experience. The successful candidate will assume full accountability for the performance, stability and future development of the business, bringing together production excellence, financial discipline, customer delivery, employee engagement and continuous improvement.

What you’ll be doing

• Operational and production leadership
  • Assume full accountability for the day-to-day performance of the manufacturing operation.
  • Translate customer demand and forecasts into credible production, labour, material and capacity plans.
  • Ensure effective production scheduling, line balancing, workflow management and allocation of resources.
  • Drive output, productivity, quality, OTIF delivery and cost-per-unit performance.
  • Identify and resolve production bottlenecks, material shortages, equipment constraints and process inefficiencies.
  • Reduce scrap, rework, wire recuts, material wastage and avoidable overtime.
  • Ensure the integrity of BOMs, production data, job packs and related master data.
• Commercial and financial management
  • Take accountability for the profitability and financial sustainability of the business.
  • Manage budgets, forecasts, operating expenditure, gross margin and working-capital performance.
  • Analyse production and financial data and convert it into practical corrective action.
  • Identify opportunities for cost optimisation, operational growth and customer diversification.
  • Prepare and submit accurate monthly executive reports and rolling operational plans.
  • Present business performance, risks and recovery plans to executive management and the Board where required.
• People leadership and employee relations
  • Provide visible, fair and consistent leadership across the operation.
  • Rebuild trust between employees, supervisors and management through honest communication, follow-through and respectful engagement.
  • Lead effectively within a unionised environment and maintain constructive relationships with employee representatives and organised labour.
  • Address conflict and employee concerns diplomatically while maintaining appropriate standards, discipline and accountability.
  • Develop supervisors and managers, clarify responsibilities and establish measurable performance expectations.
  • Create a culture in which employees understand the production plan, customer expectations and their contribution to business performance.
• Technology and continuous improvement
  • Champion the effective use of ERP systems, production data, digital dashboards and management information.
  • Improve planning accuracy, production visibility, traceability and data-based decision-making.
  • Drive lean manufacturing, root-cause analysis, standardised work and continuous-improvement initiatives.
  • Evaluate appropriate automation, equipment and manufacturing technology that will improve quality, capacity and efficiency.
  • Ensure that system and production data—particularly SAP dates, BOMs, material status and order information—are accurate and actively managed.
• Quality, safety and governance
  • Maintain compliance with applicable quality, safety and environmental standards.
  • Ensure effective internal controls, audit readiness, risk management and statutory compliance.
  • Promote a zero-harm culture and ensure that operational pressure never compromises safety or product quality.
  • Maintain disciplined quality controls throughout the manufacturing and testing process.

This role will suit a commercially minded manufacturing leader who is equally comfortable reviewing a margin report, interrogating a production schedule, walking a manufacturing line, engaging a key customer and having a difficult but respectful conversation with employees or union representatives.

What you’ll need

• A relevant bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Production Management, Business Management or a related discipline would be highly advantageous.
• At least 10 years’ experience in manufacturing, with a minimum of five years in a senior operations, plant, factory or general-management position.
• Demonstrable understanding of production-line management, production planning, materials management, quality systems and supply-chain coordination.
• Proven responsibility for budgets, margins, costs, forecasts and operational performance.
• Strong working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems. SAP and Qliksense exposure would be advantageous.
• Experience using production data, dashboards and digital reporting tools to manage performance.
• Sound understanding of lean manufacturing, root-cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Experience leading employees in a unionised manufacturing environment.
• Willingness to be highly visible and actively involved on the production floor.

What is in it for you?

• Market-related monthly CTC of R80 000 - R100 000 (depending on qualifications, experience and interview performance).
• Benefits, which include Medical Aid and Provident Fund company contributions.

A Few Things to Know

• The successful candidate should be:
  • Diplomatic, emotionally intelligent and credible.
  • Decisive without being authoritarian.
  • Fair, consistent and accountable.
  • Technologically confident and data-driven.
  • Commercially astute and financially disciplined.
  • Structured, resilient and calm under pressure.
  • A strong communicator across production-floor, customer, union and Board environments.
  • Capable of stabilising an operation while building its longer-term capability.
• Performance will be measured against defined operational and leadership outcomes, including:
  • Gross margin performance
  • Operating costs against budget.
  • On-time and in-full delivery.
  • Production quality, scrap and rework.
  • Labour productivity and overtime control.
  • Rolling production and capacity planning.
  • Supervisor and management performance.
  • Customer satisfaction and recovery-plan execution.
  • Safety, audit and governance compliance.
  • Employee engagement and labour-relations stability.
  • Timely and accurate executive reporting.