Regional Manager - Cape Town

Buffalo Sa; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Buffalo International in Cape Town is seeking a Regional Manager to lead the regional e-commerce courier network, overseeing multiple hubs, depots and last-mile delivery to achieve service, safety, quality, cost and growth targets.

The role translates national strategy into regional execution, balancing parcel volumes with network capacity and coordinating across line-haul, sortation and last-mile delivery. Strong leadership, stakeholder engagement and financial acumen are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, Industrial Engineering or related field.
• At least 10 years’ experience in courier, ecommerce, logistics, distribution, transport or fulfilment operations.
• At least 5 years’ experience in a senior operational leadership role with responsibility for multiple sites or a large geographical area.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, high-volume and multi-shift operations.
• Proven responsibility for significant operating budgets, cost control and performance improvement.

Responsibilities

• Take end-to-end accountability for regional courier operations, including inbound processing, sortation, line-haul, depot operations, last-mile delivery, collections, returns and exception management.
• Lead Hub Managers, Depot Managers and Area Managers to achieve operational and customer-service targets.
• Translate national operating plans into regional priorities, targets and execution plans.
• Establish consistent operating standards, governance and management routines across regional facilities.
• Review daily network performance and coordinate corrective action when service, capacity or quality targets are at risk.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Budget management

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Team coaching

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Logistics or related field

Job description

Job category: Transport and Logistics Management

Location: Cape Town

Contract: Permanent

Remuneration: Market Related

EE position: No

Introduction

Role purposeThe Regional Manager is accountable for the overall performance of an e-commerce courier network across a defined geographical region. The role leads multiple hubs, depots and delivery operations to achieve service, safety, quality, cost and growth objectives.The Regional Manager translates national strategy into consistent regional execution, balances parcel volumes with network capacity and ensures effective coordination across line-haul, sortation and last-mile delivery. The position requires a commercially minded operations leader who can manage through others, standardise performance across multiple sites and respond decisively to network disruptions.

Regional operational leadership

• Take end-to-end accountability for regional courier operations, including inbound processing, sortation, line-haul, depot operations, last-mile delivery, collections, returns and exception management.


• Lead Hub Managers, Depot Managers and Area Managers to achieve agreed operational and customer-service targets.


• Translate national operating plans into clear regional priorities, targets and execution plans.


• Establish consistent operating standards, governance and management routines across all regional facilities.


• Review daily network performance and coordinate corrective action when service, capacity or quality targets are at risk.

Network planning and capacity management

• Develop regional capacity plans based on parcel forecasts, customer demand, network growth and seasonal patterns.


• Align facilities, labour, fleet, line-haul and delivery capacity with anticipated volumes.


• Plan for major promotional campaigns, peak trading periods and unexpected demand surges.


• Identify network constraints and recommend changes to routes, schedules, facilities, operating models or resource allocation.

Service and performance management

Ensure consistent achievement of regional service-level agreements and customer commitments.

Monitor and improve key performance indicators, including:

• On-time collection and delivery


• On-time hub and depot processing


• Line-haul departure and arrival performance


• Parcel backlog and dwell time


• Sortation and routing accuracy


• Parcel loss, theft and damage


• Fleet and route utilisation


• Returns turnaround time
  
• Customer complaints and claims


• Safety incidents


• Employee attendance and turnover

Financial and commercial management

• Own the regional operating budget and deliver agreed cost, productivity and profitability targets.


• Control labour, fleet, line-haul, facilities, maintenance, security and contractor expenses.


• Evaluate trade-offs between cost, capacity, service and customer experience.


• Identify opportunities to improve route density, vehicle utilisation, workforce productivity and network efficiency. Support annual budgeting, financial forecasting and capital-expenditure planning.


• Develop business cases for facility expansions, automation, fleet changes and other operational investments.


• Partner with commercial teams to assess operational requirements, capacity and pricing considerations for new or expanding customers.


• Ensure operational commitments to customers are achievable and commercially sustainable.

People and leadership

• Lead, coach and develop Hub Managers, Depot Managers, Area Managers and regional functional leaders.


• Set clear performance expectations and maintain accountability for safety, service, quality, cost and people outcomes.


• Build a strong leadership pipeline through succession planning, talent reviews and targeted development.


• Ensure regional workforce plans support current operations and anticipated growth.


• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management and employee engagement across the region.


• Promote consistent and fair application of company policies and applicable labour legislation.


• Foster a culture of ownership, teamwork, continuous improvement and customer focus.

Safety, security and compliance

• Ensure all regional operations comply with occupational health and safety requirements, transport regulations, labour legislation, company policies and standard operating procedures.


• Promote visible safety leadership and ensure risks are identified and controlled.


• Maintain effective parcel security, chain-of-custody, access-control and loss-prevention measures.


• Oversee investigations into serious accidents, parcel losses, theft, fraud and major operational incidents.


• Ensure corrective and preventative actions are implemented and sustained across affected sites.

Continuous improvement and technology

• Lead regional productivity, quality and cost-improvement programmes.


• Standardise effective processes and share best practices across sites.


• Use operational data and structured problem-solving to address systemic performance issues.


• Support the implementation of warehouse, transport, scanning, route-optimisation and delivery technologies.


• Ensure sites maintain high levels of system, scanning and data integrity.


• Partner with technology, engineering and facilities teams to improve network reliability and automation.

Customer and stakeholder management

• Act as the senior operational contact for significant regional customer issues and service escalations.


• Work closely with customer service, commercial, finance, technology, security, human resources and national operations teams.


• Build productive relationships with transport contractors, delivery partners, labour providers, landlords and other suppliers.


• Communicate operational risks, capacity limitations and service impacts promptly and accurately.


• Represent the region in national planning, performance and governance forums.


• Engage relevant authorities and community stakeholders when required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, Industrial Engineering or a related field.


• At least 10 years’ experience in courier, e-commerce, logistics, distribution, transport or fulfilment operations.


• At least 5 years’ experience in a senior operational leadership role with responsibility for multiple sites or a large geographical area.


• Demonstrated experience managing complex, high-volume and multi-shift operations.


• Proven responsibility for significant operating budgets, cost control and performance improvement.


• Experience leading managers and large, geographically dispersed workforces.


• Strong knowledge of operational systems, performance reporting and data analysis.


• Willingness and ability to travel frequently within the region and work flexible hours when operationally required.


• Valid driver’s licence where required for regional travel.