Manager: Operations

MECS Africa; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

MECS Africa is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for safe, reliable and cost‑effective plant performance. You will oversee blending and filling operations, align daily production plans with customer demand and drive continuous improvement across maintenance, quality and logistics.

The ideal candidate will have a BSc/BEng in Mechanical, Chemical or Process Engineering, 5+ years in petrochemical environments (lubricants preferred) and a

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level engineering degree required with strong operations background.
• Proven experience leading petrochemical manufacturing and lubricants operations.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting and cost control.

Responsibilities

• Lead blending and filling operations to meet production and customer requirements.
• Ensure daily production and filling plans are achieved.
• Drive operational efficiency, reliability, quality and continuous improvement.
• Manage packing materials, inbound goods, inventory and warehouse activities.
• Ensure safety, SHEQ KPIs and regulatory compliance are met.
• Oversee OPEX and CAPEX budgets, forecasting and expenditure.
• Foster a culture of incident-free, safety-focused operations.
• Lead, develop and motivate a diverse manufacturing team.
• Resource planning, recruitment, training and succession development.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Budgeting

OPEX & CAPEX

Inventory management

Safety leadership

Education

BSc/BEng in Mechanical, Chemical or Process Engineering

Job description

The successful candidate will provide strategic and operational leadership to ensure safe, reliable and cost-effective plant performance while meeting production plans, customer demand and Operational Excellence objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage blending and filling operations to meet production and customer requirements.
• Ensure daily production and filling plans are achieved.
• Drive operational efficiency, reliability, quality and continuous improvement.
• Manage packaging materials, inbound goods, inventory and warehouse activities.
• Ensure all SHEQ, safety and operational KPIs are achieved.
• Manage OPEX and CAPEX budgets, forecasting and expenditure.
• Drive cost efficiency and maximise operational performance with minimal capital investment.
• Collaborate with Planning & Supply Chain, Logistics, Quality, Maintenance, Finance, SHEQ and Procurement.
• Lead, develop and motivate a diverse manufacturing team.
• Ensure appropriate resource planning, recruitment, training and succession development.
• Champion a strong incident-free and safety-focused culture.
• Build effective relationships with raw material suppliers and other key stakeholders.
• Drive compliance with operational procedures, regulatory requirements and management systems.

Minimum Requirements

• BSc/BEng in Mechanical, Chemical or Process Engineering.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in a petrochemical environment, specifically lubricants manufacturing.
• Minimum 5-10 years' experience as an Operations Manager or in a similar senior operational leadership role.
• Proven experience managing manufacturing operations and diverse teams.
• Strong knowledge of operations management and organisational effectiveness.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, OPEX and CAPEX management.
• Strong understanding of business and financial principles.
• Proven inventory management experience.
• Excellent leadership, communication and organisational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, develop and motivate manufacturing teams.

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a hands-on, commercially astute and safety-focused operations leader who can translate strategic objectives into strong day-to-day plant performance and build a culture of accountability, operational excellence and continuous improvement.