Operations Manager
Vacancy at a glance
Confirm details and submission instructions on the original advert.
Overview
The Sauce Plant Ops Manager is responsible for the end-to-end material flow of the Pedros Sauce Plant, from supplier to plant to the Pedros Distribution Centres. The role owns DC replenishment planning, procurement of raw materials and packaging, warehouse operations and distribution, ensuring that Production always has the materials it needs and that QA-released finished sauces reach every DC on time, in full and traceable by batch. The Sauce Plant Ops Manager leads the supply chain and warehouse team and upholds food-safety, traceability, safety and quality standards in line with HACCP, GMP and FSSC 22000 requirements.
Requirements
- Degree or national diploma in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Management or Industrial Engineering - essential
- SAPICS or APICS / ASCM (CPIM or CSCP) certification - advantageous
- Minimum 7 years' supply chain or logistics experience, including at least 3 years managing a team
- Experience in a food manufacturing or FMCG environment - strongly preferred
- Hands-on experience running a food-grade warehouse with batch traceability, FIFO / FEFO and QA hold controls
- Experience planning secondary distribution to multiple DCs, ideally on national long-haul routes
- Working knowledge of ERP and WMS systems and advanced MS Excel
Responsibilities
- Manage the end-to-end material flow of the Sauce Plant across DC replenishment planning, procurement, warehouse operations and distribution to the DCs
- Translate DC demand and stock positions into weekly finished-goods requirements per SKU for the Production Manager
- Set and review finished-goods cover targets per DC
- Maintain a rolling 12-week raw materials and packaging plan
- Place purchase orders for raw materials and packaging with approved suppliers
- Manage supplier lead times, minimum order quantities and delivery performance
- Work with Quality Assurance on supplier approval, non-conforming deliveries and supplier returns
- Oversee raw materials, packaging and finished-goods stores
- Ensure stock accuracy through cycle counts and month-end stock takes reconciled with Finance
- Agree fixed dispatch days per DC and plan full, cost-efficient loads with transport providers
- Manage carriers, delivery documentation, batch details per load and proof of delivery
- Resolve DC receiving discrepancies, damages and rejections
- Maintain a plant-to-DC service level agreement covering delivery standards and transfer of ownership
- Ensure every batch can be traced from supplier lot to DC within 2 hours
- Plan and support the supply roll-out to the KZN and Gauteng DCs
- Lead, coach and manage the supply chain and warehouse team
- Ensure compliance with SOPs, Health & Safety requirements
- Keep stores and dispatch areas audit-ready
- Own supply chain master data and stock transactions
- Monitor and report supply chain KPIs to the Plant Manager
- Identify and implement improvements to planning, procurement, warehouse and distribution processes
Prepare for this opportunity
SpanSam guidance · Practical advice based on this listing, not additional employer requirements.
Match your background to the requirements
Compare the qualification named in the requirements with your completed studies. Use the exact qualification title and completion date in your CV. If your studies are still in progress, say so clearly. Check the source before assuming that a different qualification will be accepted.
Check the type and length of experience requested. Make relevant roles easy to find with consistent start and end dates, then explain your own responsibilities. Label internships, practical training and volunteering accurately so the recruiter can distinguish them from other employment.
Use the duties to tailor your CV
For Operations Manager, use the responsibilities above to decide which examples deserve space in your application. Choose a relevant task or project, explain what you personally did and describe the outcome. Use a measurable result where you have one, without inventing figures or sharing confidential information.
You do not need to repeat the whole advert in your CV. Help the reader connect your evidence to the advertised work. If you have not performed a duty before, describe relevant learning or transferable experience honestly rather than presenting it as a task you have already done.
Plan your submission
Check the original application page before preparing your final submission. If it uses a portal, review the required fields and file formats, complete each required step and look for a submission confirmation. Uploading a CV or creating a profile may be only part of the process.
Before applying, consider the advertised workplace and employment arrangement. Check any practical conditions that affect your availability with the employer rather than relying on another vacancy with a similar title.
About this listing: SpanSam is an opportunity discovery service and is not the hiring employer unless explicitly stated. Application decisions and source-listing changes are controlled by the employer or institution.