Operations Lead

Even; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A mission-driven startup is seeking an Operations Lead to launch and grow operations in South Africa. The successful candidate will manage vendor networks, build supply chain logistics, and identify expansion opportunities while maintaining a focus on social impact. Ideal for someone who is intrinsically motivated to improve lives through innovative solutions. The role includes significant fieldwork and the potential to advance to a leadership position as the company scales.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Opportunity for future equity

Significant autonomy in role

Qualifications

• Experience in supply chain or operations is a plus.
• Experience in community-driven distribution is valued.
• Willingness to upskill in financial management.

Responsibilities

• Conduct vendor recruitment and support in communities.
• Build and manage supply chain logistics.
• Identify growth opportunities for expansion.
• Develop forecasts to support decision making.
• Build relationships with suppliers and public officials.

Skills

Intrinsically motivated by positive social impact

Strong communication skills

Compassionate and honest

Ability to work independently

Emotional maturity

Education

Right to work in South Africa

Tools

Financial tools and spreadsheets

Job description

Even City of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Operations Lead

Contract: 4-month contract with strong likelihood of extension based on performance

Location: South Africa (field-based with some remote work). Based in Cape Town or Johannesburg.

About Our Mission

Even is a startup tackling period poverty.

Today, 20% of South Africans improvise period products, 40% stretch products longer than they should, and 1 in 3 girls miss school every month because of their period.

Period products are not where people with periods are.

Rural South Africans, in particular, walk long distances and pay high markups for a basic hygiene product.

The market is dominated by a handful of companies whose prices have increased faster than inflation.

Adjusting for income and rising costs, period products have become less accessible for the average South African over the past fifteen years.

We believe it is possible for this to be the last generation that misses school, work or community life because of menstruation.

We are looking for a creative, tenacious and thoughtful leader who wants to help write this story.

About Even

Period underwear is the fastest growing menstrual product category globally, yet it remains expensive at ZAR , per pair and largely only available in North America and Europe.

After two and a half years of R&D, Even has built a low-cost, high-performance period underwear by redesigning the manufacturing process and supply chain.

The product can be manufactured at around one sixth of the cost of conventional brands, making it accessible to new markets.

A product alone does not solve the access problem.

South Africa's retail landscape is uneven, and many communities rely on spaza shops, informal retailers and street vendors for everyday essentials.

Even is building a vendor-led distribution model because it is fast, dense, trusted and reaches places formal retail often does not.

Vendors receive stock on a consignment basis, so they take no upfront financial risk.

Every pair carries a unique ID code, and our SMS-based sales platform logs transactions and builds a traceable, data-rich network.

This helps us understand demand patterns, prevent fraud and support vendors with clearer earnings and restock information.

We are now hiring a resourceful and mission-aligned Operations Lead to launch and scale our work in South Africa.

About the Role

You will work closely with the Even HQ team (in London and South Africa) to launch and grow our operations.

A core part of the role is building and supporting a network of vendors such as spaza shops, informal retailers and street vendors across townships and inner-city communities.

You will spend significant time in the field recruiting vendors, onboarding them, checking in regularly, gathering feedback and shaping strategy based on what you learn on the ground.

Expect to spend approximately 50% of your time in the field.

You will also support operational planning and financial decision making.

This includes compiling data from South African operations, assessing performance and presenting insights to the wider team.

Reporting will be to the COO.

The role will begin as an individual contributor position, with the opportunity to build a team as operations scale.

The work combines field time, relationship building, logistics management, simple analytics and strategic thinking.

If the pilot is successful, this role will transition into a long-term leadership position as General Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct vendor recruitment, onboarding and ongoing support in new communities.
• Build and manage a small, agile supply chain including restock planning and last-mile logistics.
• Identify growth opportunities and drive regional expansion.
• Develop simple financial tools, forecasts and frameworks to support decision making.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers, vendors, public officials and partners.
• Gather and analyse vendor and customer feedback to improve operations.
• Work with product and tech teams to integrate community insights.
• Contribute to retailer partnerships, public sector pilots and broader market strategy.

We Are Looking for Someone Who :

• Is intrinsically motivated by positive social impact.
• Is compassionate, honest and committed to personal development. Takes ownership of mistakes and learns quickly.
• Is proactive and comfortable working independently.
• Has emotional maturity and an understanding of community social dynamics.
• Communicates clearly and confidently.
• Is excited about growing into a leadership role.
• Has experience handling company finances, forecasting or spreadsheets or is ready to upskill quickly.
• Holds the right to work in South Africa.
• Holds a driving licence and access to a vehicle; we will of course compensate travel related to work.

Nice to Have (But Not Required)

• Experience leading operations, supply chain or early-stage startup functions.
• Experience in community-driven or last-mile distribution contexts.

Why Join Us

• Contribute to a mission that can meaningfully improve the lives of millions.
• Build something from the ground up with significant autonomy.
• Competitive salary benchmarked to South African start-up leadership roles + meaningful future equity.
• Opportunity for long-term leadership as we scale.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and a short note explaining why this mission matters to you.