General Manager – The Business Exchange (TBE) | South Africa

Location: Johannesburg (with national travel to all center's)
Sector: Premium flexible workspaces
Seniority Level: Senior leadership
Employment Type: Full-time
Reports to: CEO

About The Business Exchange (TBE)

The Business Exchange (TBE) is a premium flexible workspace provider in South Africa, offering beautifully designed environments for entrepreneurs, SMEs, and corporates. As we continue to grow our national footprint, we are looking for an experienced, high-performance General Manager (GM) to lead operations, financial performance, and team capability across all centres.

Role purpose

As General Manager, you will be responsible for the full performance and day-to-day leadership of TBE in South Africa. You will ensure the business consistently delivers a premium tenant experience, while achieving operational excellence, financial discipline, and cultural alignment. This is a role for a hands-on, systems-driven, commercially-minded leader who thrives in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.

Key responsibilities

🔹 Business operations

• Oversee all TBE centers and support functions to ensure efficient, ethical, and compliant operations.

• Uphold a premium standard of service and presentation across every site.

• Drive cross-functional collaboration and communication between teams.

🔹 Service & facilities management

• Ensure all sites meet high standards in cleanliness, aesthetics, safety, and technology.

• Lead operational walkthroughs, audits, and improvement plans.

• Manage vendor performance, contracts, and facilities maintenance.

🔹 Financial management

• Full P&L responsibility across the group and individual sites.

• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.

• Oversee billing, arrears management, procurement and capex governance.

🔹 Sales & occupancy oversight

• Support national sales performance through governance, pricing, and inventory alignment.

• Ensure smooth handover from sales to operations and an excellent onboarding experience.

• Monitor occupancy trends and client retention.

🔹 People & culture leadership

• Build a performance-driven, values-based culture that is firm and kind.

• Manage staffing structures, recruitment quality, and performance management processes.

• Uphold fair HR practices and compliance across the business.

🔹 Reporting & governance

• Provide accurate reporting to the CEO and board via dashboards and KPIs.

• Drive resolution of audit findings, risk items, and operational action plans.

🔹 Strategic execution

• Support the CEO in evaluating new site opportunities and strategic growth projects.

• Maintain a rolling plan for capacity, pricing, and product improvements.

• Manage key landlord and partner relationships.

🔹 Technology & compliance

• Ensure centre technologies (internet, access, CCTV, etc.) are reliable and well-supported.

• Promote strong data integrity across all business systems.

• Uphold compliance with all leases, legal regulations, safety standards, and internal policies.

Key requirements

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, commerce, business or similar.

• CA(SA), CIMA, MBA or similar postgraduate qualification is an advantage.

Experience:

• 10+ years in a senior leadership or GM role with operational and financial accountability.

• 5+ years managing multi-site teams and service operations.

• Experience in flexible workspaces, hospitality, property, or service-based sectors preferred.

• Proven ability to lead budgets, streamline operations, and build effective teams.

Technical skills:

• Strong Excel/spreadsheet and BI/reporting skills.

• Competent in CRM and lease/property billing systems (e.g., MDA/MRI).

• Familiarity with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office.

• Solid understanding of basic IT/networking infrastructure.

Other requirements:

• Valid driver’s license and own vehicle.

• Willingness to travel nationally and be available for after-hours escalations if needed.

Leadership attributes

• Clear, direct communicator with high emotional intelligence.

• Service-driven mindset with strong problem-solving ability.

• Calm under pressure, highly organized, and detail-oriented.

• Low ego, high accountability – a team builder and culture carrier.

• Able to give and receive feedback constructively.

• Talent retention, performance outcomes, and training completion