🚀 We’re Hiring: Operations Manager

📍 Location: Johannesburg
📂 Department: Cash Operations
👤 Reports to: Operations Technical Support Manager
💼 Employment Type: Permanent

⭐ Role Purpose

The Operations Manager (Operations Enablement & Transformation) is responsible for driving operational coordination, governance, and execution across multiple operational departments, including Technical Support, Inventory, Risk, CIT, Deployments, and the Contact Centre.

This role acts as a central integration point to ensure alignment, visibility, and continuous improvement across Operations. While providing strategic enablement to Technical Support, the role focuses on cross‑functional initiatives, product pilots, AI and digitisation enablement, process optimisation, and project execution, working closely with departmental leads.

AI and digital initiatives will be supported through structured upskilling, mentorship, and departmental collaboration, ensuring operational effectiveness while building long‑term capability across teams.

🔍 Key Responsibilities

🔄 1. Cross‑Functional Operational Coordination

• Act as the central coordination hub across Inventory, Risk, CIT, Deployments, Contact Centre, and Technical Support
• Align stakeholders to ensure efficient execution of operational initiatives
• Identify and remove cross‑functional bottlenecks impacting service delivery
• Maintain visibility of operational priorities, risks, and dependencies

🛠️ 2. Technical Support Strategic Enablement

• Provide strategic support to Technical Support, focusing on escalations, SLA adherence, and performance trends
• Support coordination of high‑impact incidents and recurring operational issues
• Drive root‑cause analysis and preventative actions for cross‑functional challenges

🚀 3. Product Pilots & Operational Rollouts

• Coordinate product pilots and field testing with Technical Support, Product, Deployments, and Business units
• Define pilot scope, success metrics, and operational readiness criteria
• Ensure structured execution, tracking, and reporting of pilot outcomes
• Drive controlled rollouts of new products, features, and process improvements
• Ensure smooth transition from pilot to BAU operations

🔐 4. Systems Access Governance & Control

• Own and manage operational access control frameworks
• Ensure access provisioning aligns with role requirements and risk controls
• Conduct regular access reviews and audits with IT, Systems, and Risk teams
• Maintain accurate access documentation and controls

🎓 5. Training, Onboarding & Knowledge Management

• Manage and drive onboarding and training programmes for staff and vendors
• Ensure effective product and process knowledge transfer across teams
• Maintain operational readiness for:
– New product launches
– System changes
– Process updates
• Align training material to SOPs and operational requirements

🚨 6. Escalation Governance

• Identify trends impacting uptime and service delivery
• Oversee major incidents and cross‑functional escalations
• Promote proactive problem‑solving and accountability across Operations

🤝 7. Vendor Governance & Performance Support

• Own Bag Vendor supply‑chain governance, focusing on performance, cost, and quality
• Support vendor governance initiatives across Operations
• Participate in vendor performance reviews
• Support resolution of systemic vendor‑related service issues

⚙️ 8. Operational Process Optimisation & Governance

• Design, standardise, and improve cross‑functional operational processes
• Ensure processes are documented, digitised, and consistently applied
• Identify inefficiencies and drive continuous improvement initiatives
• Maintain governance and operational standards across teams

🤖 9. AI, Automation & Digital Enablement

• Identify and drive AI and automation opportunities across Operations
• Collaborate with IT, Systems, and Data teams on solution design and delivery
• Participate in structured upskilling to build operational AI/digital capability
• Drive adoption of scalable, practical digital tools and automation

📊 10. Project Management & Cross‑Functional Execution

• Coordinate complex cross‑functional operational projects
• Act as Operations coordination point for initiatives involving IT, Systems, Product, and Data teams
• Ensure:
– Clear ownership and scope
– Timeline and milestone tracking
– Stakeholder alignment
• Track delivery and ensure post‑implementation benefit realisation

📈 11. Reporting, Insights & Feedback Loops

• Consolidate and standardise operational reporting
• Provide insights into performance trends, risks, and opportunities
• Ensure reporting accuracy and alignment across teams
• Support leadership decision‑making with structured data and analysis

📘 12. Cash Operations Playbook & Documentation

• Own and maintain the Cash Operations Playbook
• Ensure all SOPs, product manuals, and operational documentation are:
– Up‑to‑date
– Standardised
– Digitised and accessible
• Drive consistency and compliance across operational processes

💡 Skills & Competencies

• Strong cross‑functional coordination and influence (without direct authority)
• Excellent problem‑solving and structured thinking capability
• High attention to detail
• Strong stakeholder management across Operations, Technology, Vendors, and Business
• Analytical mindset with strong reporting and insight capability
• Ability to operate effectively in high‑pressure, SLA‑driven environments
• Strong communication and facilitation skills

🎓 Experience & Qualifications

Qualifications
• Matric
• Diploma/Degree in Business Management or Project Management (advantageous)

Experience
4–6+ years’ experience in Operations, Technical Support, or Service Delivery environments
Experience in fintech, banking, telecommunications, or similar industries advantageous

Proven exposure to:
– Escalation management
– Cross‑functional coordination
– Project delivery or operational support
– Process improvement initiatives

• Exposure to systems, data, automation, or AI initiatives beneficial

✅ Success Profile

A successful candidate will:
• Be hands‑on in supporting Technical Support performance and escalation resolution
• Drive execution across multiple teams without direct authority
• Introduce structure, discipline, and visibility in complex operational environments
• Proactively identify and resolve systemic operational issues
• Grow into AI and digitisation enablement with structured support
• Enable scalable Operations through process, technology, and people readiness

🌟 Our Values

At Lesaka, we are guided by four core values:
✔ Entrepreneurial Spirit – We innovate boldly and act with ownership
✔ Integrity – We operate with honesty, trust, and transparency
✔ Collective Wisdom – We collaborate and leverage shared expertise
✔ Bias to Action – We deliver with urgency, discipline, and focus

📌 Preference will be made to support EE / AA measures.

🔥 Ready to Enable and Transform Operations?

If you’re a structured, solution‑oriented operational leader passionate about enablement, governance, digitisation, and cross‑functional execution — this role offers a highly impactful opportunity within Cash Operations.

📩 Apply now — or share this opportunity with a strong operational transformation leader!

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