Bushwise Operations Manager

Be the driving force that scales world-class field guide training across Southern Africa.

Location: Hoedspruit, South Africa 

Start Date: January 2026

Type of Contract: Permanent (Full-time)

Reports to: Director of Bushwise 

🦁 WHO YOU ARE

You get things done. No excuses, no drama,  just outcomes. We want that. Bring your process-driven expertise to life, where it matters most.

You might be coming from film production, live events, remote tourism, or expedition logistics, anywhere you’ve had to keep people, equipment, schedules, and assets moving in challenging environments. Now, you're craving more purpose and more ownership. 

You are highly organised, commercially aware and confident in building systems that help teams operate smoothly. You know how to create order without slowing momentum, you communicate clearly under pressure, and you enjoy solving problems before they turn into emergencies. You are comfortable working across multiple sites, leading maintenance or technical teams, improving processes and ensuring that everyone has what they need to deliver an exceptional experience.

✨ WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

This is a high-stakes, high-ownership role at the heart of our organisation’s impact. Everything we do relies on exceptional field operations, and you will be the person who ensures our students and staff are safe, prepared, supported, and able to thrive in remote wilderness environments.

You will build systems, playbooks, and operational readiness that enable Bushwise to scale our offerings. This is a foundational role with a clear pathway toward Head of Operations.

🐘 WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Daily Operational Troubleshooting: Serve as the first point of contact for resolving all day-to-day operational issues across every camp, providing clear, immediate, and lasting solutions. You’ll need to diagnose fast and solve faster. 
  
• Logistics & Asset Operations: Oversee vehicles, generators, radios, tools, solar systems and all camp infrastructure. Create the schedules and systems that keep operations moving, and lead the maintenance team to deliver fast and reliable support.
  
• Playbooks, Checklists & Operating Rhythm: Turn complex field operations into repeatable workflows. Build the templates, SOPs and briefing packs that keep every camp running smoothly.
  
• Risk Management & Compliance: Be responsible for the implementation and enforcement of all Health & Safety (H&S) protocols and assist in developing and delivering training for Crisis Management plans.
  
• Experience Standards & Quality Audits: Visit camps, audit systems, tighten gaps, elevate student experience, and ensure consistency. Ensure adherence to operational standards, safety protocols, and quality control metrics.
  
• Procurement and Inventory: Oversee and implement a centralised, auditable process for all procurement (supplies, equipment, food, etc.) and manage inventory control systems.
  
• Financial Support: Provide accurate data and necessary analysis to the Director for Cost Management, Forecasting, and Reporting.

🦒 WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAM

You bring the operational discipline, communication skill and hands-on leadership needed to keep field operations safe, efficient and high performing. You have 5 to 10 years of experience in operations, production, logistics, or transferable expertise from demanding environments such as film and TV production, events and festival logistics, expedition or overland operations, remote tourism or safari lodges, or other roles where you kept people and critical assets moving in fast-changing conditions.

You are:

• Highly organised, with strong systems thinking and the ability to bring structure to multi-site field environments.
  
• Calm and solutions-focused, confident in making decisions even when information is incomplete.
  
• A clear and proactive communicator who can coordinate effectively across teams, suppliers and remote field staff.
  
• Improvement-driven, always aiming to prevent issues rather than react to them.
  
• Comfortable leading maintenance or technical personnel and ensuring reliable operational support.
  
• Confident with operational tools and software, including spreadsheets, inventory systems and task tracking platforms.
  
• Practical and hands-on, willing to step in when needed to keep operations running smoothly.
  
• Demonstrated experience in a commercially focused, process-driven project management or operations role, ideally within the tourism or hospitality industry (lodge experience is a bonus but not mandatory).
• A systematic mindset, highly comfortable with designing and using systems like spreadsheets and task trackers to manage complex logistics.
• Experience in creating and implementing operational SOPs and driving efficiency improvements.
• Proven ability to take executive ownership and act as a leader with foresight, not merely a follower, ready to act as a Director's right-hand.
• Experience or the keen ability to manage multiple sites or set up new operational hubs.
• Strong focus on Health & Safety (H&S) implementation and compliance documentation.

Bonus if you also have:

• Experience setting up or managing multiple camps, sites or operational hubs.
  
• A background in Health and Safety implementation, compliance processes or crisis readiness.
  
• Experience working through periods of organisational growth or operational scaling.
  
• Familiarity with fleet, maintenance or asset scheduling (helpful, not essential).
  

🐾 WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU

• Basic monthly salary of up to R45 000 with growth as the role scales
  
• A clear path for career growth within the organisation
  
• Work in iconic wildlife areas and shape the operational future of field guide training
  
• Generous leave policy 
  
• Flexible, collaborative, and fun culture
  
• Work directly with our Director and leadership team
  
• Access to in-house wellbeing support
  

☀️ WORKING AT BUSHWISE 

Bushwise is a leading Field Guide Training company, dedicated to developing the next generation of expert field guides and conservationists. We offer immersive, career-launching courses in some of Africa's most stunning wild spaces. Our commitment is to life-changing transformation, providing students with the knowledge, skills, and values to become successful professionals who drive real-world biodiversity outcomes. We are part of the broader Second Nature organisation. 

To learn more about our broader organisation, Second Nature follow the link here! 

🔍 OUR HIRING PROCESS

1. Interview with People Team
   
2. Interview with your future manager
   
3. Practical scenario or field-based operational challenge
   
4. Final interview with Senior Leadership
   
5. Background checks
   

✅ YOUR NEXT STEP

If you're ready to be at the heart of every journey, bringing meticulous care to world-changing impact as a leader in operations, we want to hear from you.

Please send us your CV and a short Cover Letter sharing why this role is the right fit for you.

Kindly note: We genuinely appreciate every application we receive. If you haven’t heard from us within 3–4 weeks, it likely means we’ve moved forward with other candidates this time. That said, we’d love for you to stay connected and consider applying again in the future!