Operations Manager

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Oversee the daily operations of the business across procurement, warehouse, dispatch, stock control, and operational logistics.
• Create operational discipline and accountability across all operational departments — not through directives alone but through visible presence, clear standards, and consistent enforcement.
• Develop, implement, and enforce operational SOPs, controls, and reporting structures that allow the business to operate at a consistent standard with or without the CEO’s physical presence.
• Ensure operational alignment between procurement, warehouse, finance, and sales teams — eliminating the inter-departmental coordination gaps that currently cost the business time and money.
• Drive a culture of execution, urgency, communication, and accountability across every operational function.

Procurement Management

• Oversee procurement planning and operational procurement execution in close coordination with the Procurement Manager.
• Ensure procurement aligns with sales velocity, current stock levels, warehouse capacity, and working capital requirements at all times.
• Improve supplier performance, fulfilment discipline, and delivery reliability — holding suppliers accountable to agreed commitments.
• Monitor procurement lead times, stock availability, and supplier accountability on a weekly basis.
• Drive the elimination of stockouts, duplicate ordering, and dead stock exposure — three of the most significant operational cost drivers in the current business.
• Support supplier negotiations and operational procurement strategy — using warehouse expansion and volume growth as leverage.

Warehouse & Inventory Operations

• Oversee warehouse efficiency, stock movement, stock accuracy, and inventory discipline across day and night shifts.
• Ensure proper FIFO (First In First Out) and FEFO (First Expiry First Out) implementation — particularly for perishable, beverage, and near-expiry products.
• Improve warehouse productivity, loading speed, and unloading turnaround times — driving measurable improvement month on month.
• Reduce stock variances, damages, leakages, and operational inefficiencies — monitoring root causes and implementing permanent fixes.
• Ensure the warehouse operates in alignment with palletised and forklift-based workflows as the new 800 sqm facility comes online in July 2026.
• Oversee warehouse KPI tracking and operational reporting — all data live in Odoo, not on spreadsheets.

Stock Control & Security

• Strengthen stock control systems and inventory accountability — every product, every movement, every location recorded and reconcilable.
• Oversee stock auditing processes and stock variance investigations in coordination with the Stock Auditor and Finance team.
• Ensure operational controls exist to minimise theft, losses, shrinkage, and stock manipulation— physical controls, system controls, and a culture of accountability.
• Improve visibility and traceability of all inventory movement — from supplier delivery through to customer dispatch.
• Work closely with the Stock Auditor and the CFO to maintain inventory integrity and ensure audit findings are resolved within the Operations function.

Waybill & Dispatch Accuracy

• Ensure dispatch and waybilling accuracy across all outbound deliveries — zero tolerance for mismatches between what was ordered, what was picked, and what left the warehouse.
• Reduce invoice discrepancies, delivery mismatches, and stock reconciliation issues to zero within the first 90 days.
• Improve dispatch coordination between warehouse, logistics, and sales operations — the chain from order to delivery must be seamless and documented.
• Implement and enforce controls around outbound stock movement and customer fulfilment— every release requires a waybill, a signature, and a record in Odoo.

Cost Management & Operational Efficiency

• Drive operational efficiencies capable of improving operational margins and Cost of Goods performance from approximately 9% toward an 18% target.
• Reduce operational wastage, damages, stock losses, and unnecessary operational expenses — with a monthly report showing what was reduced and how.
• Improve inventory turnover and working capital efficiency — products must move faster and dead stock must reduce month on month.
• Monitor operational costs relating to warehousing, procurement, handling, and distribution— producing a monthly cost analysis for the CFO.
• Lead operational budgeting input and cost optimisation initiatives — the Operations Manager is a commercial role, not just an operational one.

Systems Implementation & Digital Transformation

•  Lead the adoption of ERP within the warehouse, procurement, and logistics functions — the Operations Manager is the champion of this transition, not a passive user.
• Transition the team from manual processes toward digitised operational systems — no exceptions. Paper-only records are not acceptable after the first 60 days.
• Ensure operational adoption of warehouse systems, stock management tools, and reporting processes across all shifts and all team members.
• Work with the systems team to improve operational visibility and reporting — if a number is not in Odoo, it does not exist.
• Drive barcode, inventory tracking, and operational automation initiatives within the new warehouse facility.

Warehouse Transition Management

• Lead the operational transition into the new 800 sqm warehouse facility — the target is full operational readiness by 31 July 2026.
• Ensure operational readiness for warehouse launch — team trained, SOPs live, Odoo active, shifts structured, vehicles allocated.
• Coordinate warehouse layout execution, operational flow planning, and process integration— working with the Warehouse Manager and construction team.
• Ensure minimal operational disruption during transition — the business cannot afford a single day of significantly reduced throughput.
• Align warehouse operations with future growth and scalability requirements — the facility must be designed to scale to Kumasi and Tamale, not just to serve Accra.

Team Management & Performance

• Lead, supervise, and coordinate all operational teams — Warehouse Manager, shift supervisors, Team Leaders, Pickers, Loaders, Waybillers, and Logistics staff.
• Create performance accountability structures and KPI tracking for every person in the Operations function — no one operates without a measurable standard.
• Improve communication and coordination across departments — weekly cross-functional operations meeting, daily briefing reports, and a culture of proactive escalation.
• Support recruitment, training, onboarding, and operational staff development in close partnership with the HR Manager.
• Build a high-performance operations culture where people take pride in the standard of their work — not just because they are told to, but because the Operations Manager models it.

Reporting & Analytics

• Produce a daily operational summary and submit to the CEO by 08:30 every working day — one page, three numbers: orders fulfilled, vehicles dispatched, open issues.
• Present a weekly operations report at the senior team meeting chaired by the CFO.
• Monitor stock performance, procurement trends, warehouse productivity, and operational bottlenecks — using Odoo data to drive decisions.
• Use data and reporting to support operational decision-making — the Operations Manager is expected to arrive at every meeting with numbers, not impressions.
• Escalate operational risks, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies proactively — not reactively. The CEO should never learn about a problem from someone other than the Operations Manager.

Required Experience & Qualifications

Essential

•  Minimum three (3) to five (5) years of operational management experience in FMCG, distribution, warehouse, logistics, or supply chain.
• Strong experience managing warehouse and procurement operations — not just overseeing them but driving measurable improvement.
• Demonstrated experience managing operational teams of 15 or more people across multiple functions or shifts.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, stock control, FIFO/FEFO, and operational cost drivers.
• Strong commercial and analytical thinking — this person reads data and acts on it.
• Experience leading operational teams in fast-paced, high-volume FMCG environments.
• Ability to manage operational pressure and multi-department coordination without losing composure or control.
• Strong leadership and communication skills — able to manage upward to the CEO and downward to the loading floor with equal effectiveness.
• Ghanaian market experience — understanding of trade channels, supplier dynamics, and operational realities in the Ghanaian commercial context.

Advantageous

• Experience implementing or using an ERP system — particularly Odoo, SAP, or any inventory management platform.
• Experience managing a day and night shift operation or a 24-hour distribution environment.
• Knowledge of procurement supplier negotiation, credit terms management, and procurement cost structures.
• Exposure to multi-site or national operational expansion.
• Familiarity with the Costco-style warehouse-retail model or large-format FMCG distribution.

Education

• A degree or HND in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Management, or a related field is preferred.
• Equivalent professional qualifications and demonstrated operational track record will be considered in lieu of a formal degree.

Location: Accra, Ghana

Salary: Attractive