Managing Director (Meat Wholesale Industry)

HR-Simplified (Pty) Ltd; Middelburg; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A South African food distribution company is seeking a Managing Director to lead sustainable growth across agricultural, milling, retail, and farming operations. The role involves executing growth strategies, ensuring financial stewardship, and managing operational performance. Visionary leadership and a strong understanding of the wholesale meat industry are essential to this position, along with excellent stakeholder engagement skills. The company prioritizes sustainability and community impact.

Qualifications

• In-depth understanding of the wholesale meat industry.
• Experience in managing diverse operational divisions.
• Ability to align operations with strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of the company’s growth strategy.
• Oversee day-to-day operations across divisions.
• Prepare and manage annual budgets and capital investments.
• Provide leadership to senior executives and managers.
• Act as the face of the company to stakeholders.

Skills

Visionary leadership

Commercial acumen

Operational management

Financial control skills

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation ability

Job description

About the Company

The company began operations in August 2021, with a vision to supply both fresh and frozen food products to a wide range of customers through wholesale distribution.

In September 2021, we expanded with the opening of our first retail store in Middelburg, followed by additional locations in Witbank, Rayton (Jan Ellis), Alzu Petroport and Nelspruit over the following years.

In 2023, we established a dedicated wholesale facility in Nelspruit, focused on servicing customers across the Lowveld region.

Our Middelburg facility operates a fleet of 9 delivery trucks, enabling us to serve clients across Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Gauteng—with plans to expand into other provinces. The Nelspruit branch currently runs with 1 truck to meet local delivery needs.

Our primary customer base includes national chain stores such as Spar, Family Pick n Pay, OK Foods, OK Express, as well as leading fuel station convenience stores, Makro, Consolidated Store Holdings (Savealot), Hypercheck, and popular restaurants like Spur and Hennies.

We proudly stock and distribute leading brands such as Goldi, Rainbow, Chalmar, Eskort, Berkshire, Molare, Henwil, Godrich Flour, as well as Alzu Eggs, our own branded cooking oil, and Alzu bottled water.

The company is fully GFSI compliant and holds a valid certificate of compliance issued by our local municipality, ensuring food safety and quality across all operations.

About the Role

The Managing Director (MD) of the company will provide overall leadership and direction to ensure sustainable growth across the company’s agricultural, milling, retail, and farming operations. The MD will oversee strategy execution, financial stewardship, operational performance, and people development while upholding the values of sustainability, innovation, and community impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of the company’s growth strategy across retail businesses.
• Expand market share by identifying new products, channels, and business opportunities.
• Drive sustainability initiatives in line with modern environmental standards.
• Report to the Board on progress against strategic goals.

Operational Management

• Oversee day-to-day operations across all divisions, including but not limited to the retail and wholesale meat operations.
• Ensure compliance with industry regulations (e.g., food safety, health & safety, environmental laws, labour laws).
• Implement systems for efficiency, cost control, and quality assurance.
• Monitor supply chain, production, and distribution to ensure reliability and profitability.

Financial Stewardship

• Deliver strong financial results and safeguard the long-term sustainability of the Group.
• Prepare and manage annual budgets, forecasts, and capital investments.
• Oversee pricing strategies, margins, and profitability across divisions.
• Report regularly to the Board on financial performance and risk management.

People & Culture

• Provide leadership to senior executives, farm managers, mill managers, and retail heads.
• Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee talent development, succession planning, and skills upliftment for farming and technical teams.
• Champion transformation and compliance with South African labour legislation.

Stakeholder Management

• Act as the face of the company to customers, suppliers, farming communities, industry associations, and regulators.
• Build strong partnerships with agricultural institutions, cooperatives, and government bodies.
• Uphold the company’s reputation for ethical conduct, quality products, and community development.
• Drive corporate social responsibility projects aligned with rural development and food security.

Candidate Requirements

• Visionary leadership with strong commercial acumen.
• In‑depth understanding of wholesale meat industry.
• Strong operational management and financial control skills.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and negotiation ability.
• Experience in managing diverse operational divisions and aligning them with strategic objectives.