Operational Excellence Specialist at Astron Energy (Pty) Ltd.

Reporting to the Business Support Manager, the Operations Excellence Specialist is accountable for driving the development and continuous improvement in operating standards, processes and procedures within Sales Operations.  In addition, this role is responsible for providing leadership, coaching and mentoring to Sales Operations (SM’s and TM’s) in order to ensure successful & consistent delivery of operational and financial requirements as well as SHEQ requirements throughout the Astron Energy retail network.

•  The Operations Excellence Specialist is the focal point for sharing & embedding best practices and driving the effort to improve the technical expertise of front-line staff (SM’s & TM’s) on an on-going basis.
• Steward the execution of OE standard processes and work practices specifically focused on the OE elements and ensuring Retail operating processes and standards meet expectations with heavy emphasis on CHESM, standard operating procedures & Management of Change.
• Identification, prioritization, preparation, execution and post-implementation review of improvement projects inside and outside (where appropriate) of the Retail Team.
• Working closely with Retail leaders & internal / external key stakeholders to define improvement plans and objectives that align to the Retail Customer Success vision, strategy and roadmap.
• Measure and report results from improvement projects. Coaching of change agents, team and leaders to ensure the maximum positive impact of continuous improvement efforts.
• Deliver proactive and effective communication related to improvement initiatives.
• Mobilize commitment for change and enable the continuous sustainability of change initiatives.
• Develop a culture of continuous improvement in the Retail team & key stakeholders internally and externally.  
• Develop matrix relationships to involve process experts and conduct improvement activities using problem-solving techniques such as brainstorming, fishbone, 5 whys, Think Sales, Lean Six Sigma, LPS, Etc.  
• Manage and optimize the Customer Engagement & consumer behavior related team’s approach to policy, process mapping, procedure and SOP development, storage and communication, working closely with the Marketing team.

Professional Qualification and Certifications:

Preferably:

• A Post Graduate degree in business management, Retail, industrial engineering, or related fields.
• OE level certification or related field of study
• Quality or Process Design or Project Management or Business Analysis
• Exposure to Retail / Client Services environment is essential

Work Experience:

• At least 5 years’ experience leading operational excellence and continuous teams, preferably in a service or operational / retail environment.
• Project management skills to manage the process of providing excellent operational service (efficient, effective and qualitative), turnaround, and continuous improvement (LEAN, Value chain, QRM, etc.)
• Skilled in using data and analysis to drive effective decision-making.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office/G-Suite applications are required
• Multinational experience, working with various cultures and global teams would be advantageous.

Knowledge and skills:

• Well developed and effective verbal and written communication skills used in working with peers and employees at all levels
• Strong interpersonal skills to effectively deal with internal customers; foster open upward and downward communication within the organisation built on mutual respect.
• Able to define problem statements and required outcomes based on cost benefit analysis linked to business objectives.

Application deadline:

02 November 2022