Production Operations Coordinator Johannesburg

Salary: Market Related Job Type: Permanent Sectors: Investment Management Reference: 196955 Job Type: Permanent Sectors: Investment Management Reference: 196955 Sectors: Investment Management Reference: 196955 Reference: 196955

Employer: Lesaka Technologies

Role PurposeThe Production Operations Lead is responsible for the end-to-end operational coordination, ensuring the seamless delivery, deployment and ongoing support of software solutions across the organisation. Reporting directly to the Head of Solution delivery, this role serves as the operational backbone of the engineering team, providing leadership, coordination and oversight to production environments and operational processes run smoothly and efficiently. The role provides operational ownership though, release, production deployment and ongoing operational support. Acting as the primary coordination point between Software Development, DevOps, Infrastructure, QA, Product, Information Security and Business stakeholders, the Production Operations Lead ensures effective collaboration, removes operational obstacles, manages competing priorities and keeps delivery on track.

Key ResponsibilitiesEngineering & Production OperationsProvide end-to-end operational coordination across the Software Development function. Support the Head of Software Development with the day-to-day management of engineering operations. Ensure software development activities are coordinated effectively across multiple teams. Monitor delivery progress, priorities, risks and dependencies. Remove operational blockers to enable efficient delivery. Drive operational excellence across engineering processes. Production ManagementCoordinate the management of production systems and live environments. Ensure production services remain stable, secure and highly available. Coordinate software releases, deployments and production readiness activities. Support production validation before and after releases. Monitor production health and coordinate responses to operational issues. Facilitate root cause analysis and post-incident reviews, ensuring lessons learned are implemented. Release & Change CoordinationManage release calendars and deployment schedules. Coordinate change requests and production approvals. Work closely with Development, QA, DevOps and Infrastructure teams to ensure successful deployments. Ensure appropriate governance and documentation for production releases. Minimise operational disruption during software implementations. Incident & Operational SupportCoordinate production incidents through to resolution. Ensure timely communication with technical and business stakeholders during incidents. Escalate critical issues appropriately and track resolution activities. Support problem management and continuous service improvement initiatives. Maintain operational documentation, support procedures and production runbooks. Project & Delivery CoordinationCoordinate engineering initiatives from planning through to production implementation. Support operational readiness. Ensure clear communication across technical and business teams. Reporting & GovernanceProduce regular operational, delivery and production performance reports. Develop dashboards and metrics covering delivery status, incidents, releases, service availability and operational performance. Support governance activities, audits and compliance requirements. Maintain accurate project, production and operational documentation. Process ImprovementIdentify opportunities to improve engineering and production processes. Implement best practices that enhance operational efficiency and delivery quality. Support continuous improvement initiatives across the Software Development function. Champion operational excellence, consistency and collaboration across teams.

Skills & ExperienceEssentialExperience coordinating production operations, software delivery or technical operations within a software development environment. Strong understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Experience coordinating software releases and production deployments. Knowledge of incident, problem and change management processes. Experience working within Agile delivery environments. Excellent organisational, planning and stakeholder management skills. Strong analytical and reporting capabilities. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, business-critical environment. Exceptional communication and coordination skills. DesirableExperience within fintech, financial services or payment technologies. Exposure to cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure. Experience with Jira, Azure DevOps, Confluence or similar delivery tools. Understanding of DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines. Familiarity with ITIL principles and operational governance.

Key CompetenciesOperational leadershipEnd-to-end delivery coordinationProduction and release managementProblem solving and decision makingPlanning and organisationStakeholder engagementRisk managementProcess improvementCollaboration and teamworkAttention to detailAdaptability and resilienceCustomer and business focus Success MeasuresSuccess in this role will be measured by the smooth operation of the Software Development function, the stability and availability of production services, successful software releases, effective incident coordination, accurate operational reporting, strong stakeholder engagement, continuous process improvement and the ability to support the Head of Solution Delivery by ensuring that engineering teams can focus on delivering high-quality software while operational activities are managed efficiently from end to end.