Operations manager: Christo van Niekerk

An operations manager is a senior role which involves overseeing the production of goods and/or provision of services. It's an operations manager's job to make sure an organisation is running as well as it can, with a smooth efficient service that meets the expectations and needs of customers.

Christo van Niekerk is the regional operations manager for Shoprite Checkers. He is responsible for determining and directing all operations and determining how they should be done based on the Living Standard Measurements (LSM) of their customers

“I must know what the LSM is for a specific area and have to determine the prices for the items and the volumes I should send there,” says Van Niekerk. His duties include making sure that items in the stores are accounted for, that they are in the right sections and that they are priced correctly.

It is also Van Niekerk's responsibility to ensure that stores have enough stock at all times. His other duties entail checking on the cleanliness of stores and service.

He says he typically spends his days on the move by visiting all the shops he manages with routine inspections. “I sometimes even do surprise visit.”

Van Niekerk says you have to be very patient and always listen to your customers. You need to be calm under pressure, respectful and friendly.

Pull quote:

“Our standards need to be high and customer service has to be perfect”

An operations manager should:

· Be organised.

· Be able to analyse data and make decisions accordingly.

· Be able to motivate a diverse team.