Business Excellence Manager

The Business Excellence Manager will be responsible for leading and executing business optimisation, process improvement, and management system implementation initiatives across a diverse range of business areas within Hungry Lion. Grounded in a strong analytical and technical foundation, this role bridges the gap between operational engineering and financial performance. The ideal candidate will leverage advanced data analytics and financial modelling to identify bottlenecks, reduce unit costs, and drive measurable throughput increases for clients. This is a mid-level role suited for an analytical problem-solver who has transitioned from a technical engineering environment into management consulting.

WHAT THE JOB ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

• Leading process improvement initiatives across business areas, identifying operational bottlenecks, reducing unit costs, and building the business case for every intervention with NPV, IRR, and payback period analysis
• Designing and implementing management systems at the operational level that drive sustainable behaviour change, not just short-term compliance
• Conducting post-project audits to measure whether the numbers delivered matched what the business case promised, and being honest when they didn't
• Managing the interfaces between technical teams, operational groups, and business units so that improvement projects don't die in the handoff
• Running structural risk assessments on capital spend and operational assets to protect project timelines and returns

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU

• BEng or BSc Eng in any core discipline, i.e. Chemical, Industrial, Mechanical, or Process Engineering
• MBA from a reputable institution, preferably with a finance or business optimisation focus
• 3-5 years of professional experience that combines industry exposure with a track record in management consulting
• A demonstrable history of projects that delivered quantifiable results; specific cost reductions, throughput increases, or efficiency gains you can put a number on
• Advanced data analytics capability - you work with complex, unstructured data and turn it into clear, actionable insights
• Strong financial literacy - NPV, IRR, variable and fixed cost structures, and investment evaluation are tools you use regularly, not concepts you recall from a textbook
• The ability to communicate complex technical and financial findings clearly to both floor-level operators and corporate executives

WHAT YOU GET

• Broad exposure across a multi-country business; this role touches operations, finance, supply chain, and commercial strategy
• Real accountability for outcomes; you build the business case, execute the intervention, and own the post-project audit
• A fast-growing business with genuine inefficiencies still to find and fix
• Direct visibility with senior leadership and the ability to influence how the business allocates capital

WHO WE ARE

Hungry Lion started as one store in Stellenbosch in 1997, built on great food and genuine energy. Today that idea runs across 500+ stores in multiple African countries, and we're still growing - backed by smart use of AI and technology and people who think differently. Whether you're on the floor, in the kitchen, or at HQ, you shape what this brand becomes. The best of Hungry Lion is still ahead, and we're looking for people who want to help build it.

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