Section Manager -Cold Storage

Bay Recruit; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 360,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Bay Recruit is seeking an experienced operations professional to lead a cold-storage and dispatch team in Gqeberha. You will manage daily dispatch, loading, staging, and temperature-controlled movements under pressure.

The role requires strong leadership, ability to coordinate with transporters, supervise staff, monitor inspections, and maintain safety and procedures in a fast-paced warehouse environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years experience in cold storage, warehousing, logistics or operations.
• Proven leadership and staff supervision capabilities.
• Experience coordinating dispatch, transporters and stock movement.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Detail-oriented and able to enforce procedures.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily dispatch operations and a team of loaders, drivers, fridge operators and scanners.
• Oversee cold storage, pallet movements and correct loading into containers.
• Coordinate with transporters and dispatch office on deliveries and specifications.
• Ensure PPECB re-inspections and proper documentation.
• Investigate operational incidents and address infrastructure issues (forklifts, ramps, bay doors).

Skills

Team leadership

Staff supervision

Dispatch & stock movement

Cold storage operations

Fast-paced environment

Multi-team coordination

Stakeholder coordination

Job description

Are you an experienced operations or cold-storage professional who can lead a team, manage daily dispatch operations and keep things running smoothly under pressure?

Key Responsibilities

TEAM & STAFF MANAGEMENT

Manage and allocate duties to loaders, drivers, fridge operators and scanners Monitor staff performance and productivity Manage absenteeism and disciplinary matters Prepare overtime, cleaning and lunch rosters Ensure staff understand and follow company procedures and code of conduct

COLD STORAGE & DISPATCH OPERATIONS

Oversee daily loading, dispatch and pallet movements Ensure the correct fruit, pallets and consignments are loaded into the correct containers Ensure orders are prepared at the correct drop temperature Monitor cold-room operations and conduct daily inspections Ensure pallets are correctly labelled, scanned and positioned

TRANSPORT & CONTAINER COORDINATION

Coordinate with transporters and follow up on container deliveries Ensure containers arrive and are loaded promptly Liaise with dispatch office regarding transporters, specifications, stack times and inspections

QUALITY & INSPECTIONS

Coordinate PPECB re-inspections Ensure documentation, pallets and product are correctly prepared Ensure sufficient staff are available for inspections Ensure inspected stock is returned to the correct pallets and fridges

PROBLEM-SOLVING & OPERATIONAL CONTROL

Investigate fallen pallets and operational incidents Report damaged containers and coordinate repairs Address infrastructure issues such as forklift damage, loading ramps and bay doors Ensure adequate cold-room space and efficient movement of stock

Requirements

• Experienced in cold storage, warehousing, logistics or operations,Minimum of 5 years.
• Strong in team leadership and staff supervision
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced operational environment
• Able to manage multiple teams and priorities simultaneously
• Strong with dispatch, pallets, containers and stock movement
• Confident dealing with transporters, dispatch teams and operational staff
• Comfortable handling staff performance, absenteeism and disciplinary matters
• Detail-oriented and able to enforce procedures
• A strong problem-solver who can take control of operational issues