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Maersk • South Africa, Heidelberg, 1441 | South Africa

Operations Manager - BAT

Employment type:  Full time
8.6

/10

Transparency ranking
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Job Description

Would you like to be part of a value driven, commercially oriented international environment where we enable global trade every day? We are seeking a dynamic leader with solid knowledge and experience in freight forwarding / warehousing. The Operations Manager is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership across multiple sites within the cluster. The role ensures operational excellence, drives performance, maintains compliance, and supports business growth objectives. This leader oversees Site Managers to deliver consistent service quality, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

WHAT WE OFFER:

When you join Maersk, you’ll find that the world is your workplace. You’ll work in a culturally diverse, stimulating environment, surrounded by new ideas and different ways of doing things. We believe in individual performance within highly professional teams supported by our distinctive values. To us teamwork means acceptance, respect, dedication, and the idea that we can achieve more when we all pull together. Living our values means competing in the marketplace in an ethical way so our name is synonymous with being a credible and valuable business partner. Through Constant Care and Humbleness, we strive to prepare for the future, while never forgetting that our customers and competitors are key to our ability to improve. In our daily work Uprightness and Our Employees mean that transparency and accountability in everything we do go hand in hand with being an inspiring, challenging place to work. At Maersk, we take pride in hiring the best person for the job – irrespective of gender, age, nationality, or religious belief.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Operations Manager is responsible for providing regular and accurate reporting to the Cluster Manager, including:

Operational Reporting:

  • Weekly and monthly updates on site performance, KPI achievement, and operational stability.

  • Progress reports on action plans, performance recovery initiatives, and process improvements.

  • Escalation of critical operational issues, high‑risk incidents, or disruptions.

  • Lead and manage multiple sites to achieve operational, and customer performance targets.

  • Support, coach, and develop Site Managers to ensure strong leadership across all sites.

  • Drive consistent execution of SOPs, quality standards, and operational improvements.

  • Oversee budgets, resource planning, and cost efficiency across sites.

  • Ensure compliance with policies, health & safety regulations, and risk controls.

  • Build strong internal and external stakeholder relationships and act as escalation point for operational issues.

  • Analyse performance data and implement corrective action plans where required.

  • Support the rollout of strategic initiatives, new projects, and change programmes.

Key Competencies:

  • Strong leadership and people management skills

  • Strategic thinker with operational execution capability

  • Excellent communication

  • Data-driven decision-making and problem‑solving ability

  • High adaptability and resilience under pressure

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

  • Site productivity and efficiency metrics

  • Customer satisfaction and SLA adherence

  • Cost control and budget performance

  • Compliance audit results

  • Employee engagement and turnover rates

  • Successful roll‑out of strategic initiatives

#LI-LS2

Maersk is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we embrace different styles of thinking. Maersk is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants without regard to race, colour, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy or parental leave, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with all legal requirements.

We are happy to support your need for any adjustments during the application and hiring process. If you need special assistance or an accommodation to use our website, apply for a position, or to perform a job, please contact us by emailing accommodationrequests@maersk.com.

Company benefits

Open to part time work for some roles
Open to compressed hours
In house training
Health insurance
Dental coverage
Mental health platform access
Compassionate leave
Life assurance
Annual bonus
Referral bonus
Employee assistance programme
Employee discounts
Adoption leave
Private GP service
Buy or sell annual leave
Religious celebration leave
401K
Annual pay rises
Enhanced pension match/contribution
Learning platform
Mentoring
Enhanced maternity leave
Shared parental leave
Women’s health leave
L&D budget
Professional subscriptions
Lunch and learns

Working at Maersk

Company employees:

100,000+

Gender diversity (m:f):

65:35

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