Operations Manager – FAO & Payroll

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead a growing Finance & Accounting Outsourcing (FAO), Payroll and GBS delivery operation based in Umhlanga. This role goes beyond a traditional contact‑centre manager, requiring deep knowledge of payroll, finance and employee administration services, as well as strong leadership to manage people, engage clients and build scalable processes.

Key responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop operational teams and Team Leaders across FAO, payroll support and related GBS services.
• Manage payroll processing, employee data, deductions, benefits, pensions and resolve payroll queries.
• Drive SLA performance, quality, accuracy, productivity and client satisfaction.
• Support transition, onboarding and ramp‑up of new international clients.
• Translate client requirements into delivery models, staffing plans, SOPs and controls.
• Oversee operational risk, compliance, data privacy and audit readiness.
• Build operational capacity as new services and clients are onboarded.
• Produce performance reports, capacity forecasts, risk logs and improvement plans.
• Collaborate with Sales, Implementation, HR, IT, Quality and senior leadership.
• Drive continuous improvement using Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma, automation and workflow optimisation.

Required profile

• 5+ years’ Operations Management experience within BPO, GBS, Shared Services, FAO, Payroll Services, HR Operations or professional services.
• Strong people leadership and performance‑management experience.
• Practical payroll and/or finance operations knowledge.
• Experience managing client‑facing service delivery and SLAs.
• Proven ability to handle transitions, ramp‑ups, knowledge transfer, SOP creation and operational stabilisation.
• International client exposure (UK, Ireland, US) highly advantageous.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Strong understanding of controls, compliance, information security and data privacy.
• Confidence engaging with senior internal and external stakeholders.

Required skills

• Microsoft Excel (advanced)
• Sage
• VIP
• PaySpace
• ERP/general‑ledger platforms
• Payroll applications
• Workflow tools
• Ticketing systems
• Reporting dashboards
• Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen methodologies