Finance/Ops Manager
A well-established, growing industrial equipment distributor based in Durban is looking for a Finance / Ops Manager to take full ownership of the financial and operational management of the business.
The company has been trading for over 30 years and holds a stable, respected position in its market. It is now consolidating its finance and operations management into a single senior role to strengthen control, reporting and discipline as it continues to grow.
This is a rare seat: a high-autonomy role in an owner-run business where the right person will have a direct, visible impact on how the company performs.
The role
This is a genuine hybrid of finance and operations management. It carries full responsibility for the financial management of the business alongside operational control of stock, purchasing and administration.
It is a senior position reporting directly to the Managing Director, sitting at the centre of how the business runs day to day. A capable admin team is already in place, so this role is the oversight, control and reporting layer, not the person doing every task.
What you will own
- Financial management: monthly management accounts and board packs, cash flow, payment approvals, forex management (alongside the bookkeeper), financing facilities and P&L ownership. Doing this properly and on time is central to the role.
- Stock and purchasing: stock control and planning, ordering and lead-time management, costing and price lists, supplier and accessory negotiations.
- Operational control and reporting: oversight of the admin team, plus sales and service reporting and systems discipline (CRM). This reporting deliberately sits outside the sales function as an independent control point.
- Systems and improvement: identifying and implementing systems to automate manual work, with a real appetite for integrating systems and using technology and AI to make the business more efficient.
Who we are looking for
This is a financial role first. The successful candidate must nail the financial and operational management before anything else. We are looking for:
- A formal financial qualification (degree, CIMA or similar). A CA is welcome but not required.
- Around 5 to 6 years of relevant experience, likely early-to-mid thirties.
- Strong financial fluency, with an understanding that the right numbers, presented clearly at the right time, change behaviour.
- An operational instinct: comfortable owning stock, purchasing and process, not just reporting on them.
- Systems-minded: curious about how systems talk to each other and keen on automation. Not an IT specialist, but technically capable and willing.
- Based in or willing to relocate to Durban. This is an in-office role.
Where this role can lead
This seat is built with a long-term trajectory in mind. For the right person it carries real leadership potential over time. Beyond the financial and operational skill set, we are therefore looking for someone who brings leadership potential and ambition, the ability to engage confidently with customers and senior stakeholders, and genuine discipline and ownership. The Finance / Ops Manager role must be earned and delivered first. Everything beyond that follows from it.
