Overview
Operations Manager Jobs in Alberton, Gauteng, South Africa at ExecutivePlacements.com
Title: Operations Manager
Company: ExecutivePlacements.com
Location: Alberton, Gauteng, South Africa
Recruiter:
Sentinel Staffing Services
Job Ref:
CET004291/Mich
Date posted:
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Location:
Alberton, South Africa
Salary:
700000
SUMMARY:
Operations Manager – Food Manufacturing (Plant-Based, Hands-On Role)
Location: Gauteng – ALberton
Industry: Food Manufacturing & Packaging
About The Role
This is not a coordination role. This is not a reporting role.
We are looking for an Operations Manager who has run a plant, fixed real problems, and delivered measurable improvements.
You will be responsible for plant performance, cost, and output — through a Production Manager and Production Assistant. You are not here to replace them, you are here to build a system that consistently delivers results.
If your experience is mostly meetings, dashboards, and theory, this role will not suit you.
POSITION INFO:
What You Will Be Accountable For
Plant Performance
- Deliver production targets without daily firefighting
- Improve overall equipment effectiveness, reduce downtime, and stabilise output
- Build processes that make performance predictable
Food Safety & Quality
- Ensure full compliance with FSSC 22000 and HACCP
- Maintain audit readiness as a standard, not an event
- Own product quality and customer complaints
Commercial & Cost Ownership
- Understand cost per ton, margin, and cost drivers
- Actively reduce waste, inefficiencies, and unnecessary cost
- Translate operational decisions into financial outcomes
Strategic Direction
- Identify constraints limiting growth
- Drive capacity improvements and process optimisation
- Support capital decisions with clear operational logic
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Align Production, QA, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Sales
- Remove bottlenecks between departments
- Ensure production delivers what the business actually needs
Team Leadership
- Lead through the Production Manager, not around them
- Build accountability and discipline in the plant
- Develop people who can run the operation without constant intervention
Compensation
- All-inclusive CTC package: R700,000 – R840,000 per annum
This role is suited to someone ready to step toward General Management responsibility.
Minimum Requirements
- Degree in Mechanical or Process Engineering
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in food manufacturing or packaging
- Strong hands-on experience in:
- Juice, dairy, beverage, or liquid processing environments (advantageous)
- Strong working knowledge of FSSC 22000 and HACCP
What We Expect
- You understand production because you have worked in it
- You can walk into a plant and identify problems quickly
- You take ownership of results, not just processes
- You are comfortable making decisions with real consequences
- You focus on root cause, not symptoms
- You have worked with operators and general workers and can get results through them
- You can simplify processes rather than over-engineer them
- You are as comfortable discussing cost and margin as you are discussing throughput
This Role Is Not For
- Managers who have not spent meaningful time on the plant floor
- Candidates who rely on reporting rather than execution
- Individuals who avoid accountability for outcomes
- People who need structured environments to function
What Success Looks Like
- The plant runs without constant intervention
- Output, quality, and cost are stable and predictable
- Problems are solved at root cause level and do not repeat
- The team performs with clear ownership and accountability
- Structured and meaningful reporting on data that has actually been used and implemented
- Financial performance improves as a direct result of operational decisions
Apply If
You have personally improved a plant’s performance, reduced cost, and built systems that last.
Be prepared to demonstrate this with real examples.
If you cannot point to specific results you have delivered, this role will not be a fit.