Contract Manager

1. POSITION PURPOSE
The Operations Manager is accountable for the end-to-end operational performance of a distributed portfolio comprising a combination of Capitec Sites. The role ensures consistent, compliant, and measurable service delivery aligned to Service Level Agreements (SLAs), client standards, and applicable legislation.
A defining requirement of this position is excellence across three pillars:
Client Relationship Management: Own the day-to-day senior interface with client stakeholders; build trust, manage expectations, and resolve escalations through structured governance and clear communication.
People Leadership: Lead and hold teams accountable across sites through strong visibility, discipline, coaching, performance management, and a culture of service excellence.
Project Delivery: Plan and execute operational projects and improvement initiatives that protect uptime, elevate user experience, standardise performance, and reduce risk across the portfolio.
2. ROLE CONTEXT / OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
This is a high-intensity, multi-site role where service reliability, stakeholder responsiveness, safety, and reputation management are critical. Work is performed across multiple locations, including periods of peak operational demand, and may require after-hours and weekend support when service continuity or incidents demand it.
3. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
A) Client Relationship & Stakeholder Management
• Serve as the primary operational interface with the client across all Capitec Sites; maintain professional, solutions-led engagement.
• Establish and maintain a structured governance cadence (site meetings, operational reviews, KPI reviews, and escalation pathways) to ensure transparency, predictability, and proactive issue management.
• Manage escalations timeously and ensure corrective actions are implemented, tracked, and closed out with evidence.
• Build collaborative relationships with stakeholders to ensure operational plans support business requirements.
B) Portfolio Operations Management
• Provide full operational oversight of all Capitec Site portfolio, ensuring each site meets defined performance, safety, quality, and service standards.
• Ensure facilities are operationally ready and consistently supported, including proactive planning for high-occupancy cycles and peak demand periods.
• Conduct regular site inspections, service audits, and performance reviews; ensure actions are prioritised and delivered.
• Implement standard operating routines that create consistent outcomes across all locations (walkabouts, checks, reporting discipline, close-out processes).
C) Soft Services Delivery & Quality Assurance
• Oversee and integrate soft services (including but not limited to cleaning, hygiene and pest control) in line with scope, specifications, and SLAs.
• Ensure service delivery is measurable against KPIs, cost-effective, and continuously improved through structured QA and corrective action workflows.
• Maintain visible service leadership on-site, ensuring teams understand standards and deliver consistently across residences and the retail environment.
D) People Leadership, Workforce Management & Culture
• Lead, manage, and develop site teams and supervisors; ensure adequate staffing and effective scheduling across locations.
• Drive a high-performance culture through: clear expectations, routine supervision, coaching, consequence management, and recognition of strong delivery.
• Enforce attendance, discipline, productivity standards, and quality checks (including work completion verification and checklist sign-off).
• Ensure training, toolbox talks, and capability upliftment are embedded into operational routines.
E) Project & Change Delivery
• Lead and coordinate operational projects and improvement initiatives across the portfolio (e.g., quarterly & bi-annual scheduled services, mobilisation activities, service enhancements, standardisation) to improve outcomes and reduce risk.
• Plan, scope, schedule, and coordinate stakeholders to deliver projects with minimal disruption to core residence and retail operations.
• Ensure project governance: objectives, cost controls, risk controls, communication plans, and handover/acceptance discipline.
F) Contractor & Service Provider Management
• Manage service providers across the portfolio; monitor performance against SLA/KPI requirements and apply corrective actions where required.
• Review performance deliverables and approve job completion evidence (e.g., job cards, service reports) in line with governance requirements.
G) Health, Safety, Risk, Compliance & Business Continuity
• Ensure full compliance with applicable legislation, including Occupational Health & Safety, environmental requirements, and client policies and procedures.
• Drive a zero-incident culture, including visible leadership, safe work practices, and immediate response/containment when issues arise.
• Ensure completion, filing, and audit readiness of risk assessments, incident reporting, compliance audits, and statutory inspections.
• Maintain readiness for emergencies through practical site preparedness and continuity planning aligned to operational best practice.
H) Financial & Commercial Management
• Manage operational budgets across the portfolio, ensuring tight cost control, value optimisation, and transparent cost reporting.
• Forecast operational costs, identify savings opportunities, and support commercial decisions with evidence-based recommendations.
• Implement and enforce disciplined stock control for all operational consumables (ordering, goods receiving, secure storage, distribution, and stock-takes), maintaining agreed minimum/maximum levels, accurate stock registers and audit trails, and proactive re-order triggers to prevent stock-outs, leakage, and wastage across the portfolio.
I) Reporting, Performance Governance & Continuous Improvement
• Compile and submit monthly operational reports, dashboards, and compliance reports with clear insights, trends, and action tracking.
• Support internal/external audits through disciplined record-keeping and governance.
• Identify operational risks and improvement opportunities; standardise processes and implement best-practice methodologies across the portfolio.
4. KEY COMPETENCIES
Technical / Professional
• Ability to set, track and report soft services performance measures (e.g., service quality outcomes and customer satisfaction indicators) and drive corrective actions through structured reviews and dashboards.
• Strong capability in implementing and maintaining a quality management approach for soft services, including inspections, monitoring, analysis, and continual improvement practices.
• Working knowledge of cleaning methodologies, routines, equipment/consumables utilisation, and the ability to translate standards into practical checklists and site-level execution controls
• Multi-site operations leadership and service delivery control
• SLA/KPI management, quality assurance, and corrective action governance
• Budgeting, forecasting, and cost optimisation
• Health & safety compliance, risk management, and audit readiness
• Project coordination and operational change delivery
Leadership / Behavioural
• Strong people leadership with high accountability and sound judgement
• Excellent client-facing capability: stakeholder confidence, calm escalation management, and service mindset
• Structured problem-solving and decisive execution under pressure
• Communication discipline: clear reporting, expectation-setting, and professional engagement
5. EXPERIENCE / BACKGROUND
• Demonstrated track record managing multi-site operational portfolios with measurable service outcomes, preferably in high-occupancy environments (e.g., residences, education, hospitality, or mixed-use).
• Proven capability in leading teams across dispersed sites, managing service providers, and delivering improvements through structured operational governance.
6. WORKING CONDITIONS
• Multi-site operational environment with travel as required.
• On-call availability for incidents/emergencies; after-hours and weekend work may be required.
7. PERFORMANCE MEASURES (KPIs)
• Portfolio service reliability / uptime and consistent standards across sites
• Stakeholder satisfaction and escalation resolution effectiveness
• Compliance outcomes (audit readiness, statutory adherence, H&S performance)
• Budget adherence and cost optimisation delivery
• Contractor/service provider performance against SLAs and KPIs
• Incident reduction and sustained safety performance
8. PERFORMANCE MEASURES (KPIs)
• Minimum 5 years experiences in a related field
• Degree or diploma in a relevant field (e.g Facilities Management, Built Environment, Commerce)
• Project delivery exposure (formal training/certification advantageous) with the ability to plan, execute, and govern operational improvement initiatives.
• Health, Safety, Environment & Quality (SHEQ) knowledge and/or formal training advantageous, with the ability to operate within an audit-ready governance framework.
• Computer literacy and confidence using standard productivity tools and operational reporting systems (e.g., dashboards, registers, and management reporting).
• Professional affiliation/registration with a facilities management professional body (advantageous).