Fractional E-commerce Operations Lead (Remote | 4–6 hrs/week) - Contract to Hire
## Job Post Title (Upwork)
Fractional E-commerce Operations Lead (Remote | 4–6 hrs/week)
## Overview
We’re a growing South African e-commerce business importing and selling consumer electronics and robotic home products through Takealot and other marketplaces. The owner is based overseas and we need a commercially sharp operations lead to bring structure, prioritisation, and accountability to a small team.
This is a **remote, independent contractor** engagement focused on **outputs and commercial results** (revenue, margin, execution). You’ll work primarily via Slack with access to key dashboards.
## Scope & Outcomes (What you’ll deliver)
You will own a weekly operating rhythm and deliver the following:
• *1) Weekly priority plan (written)**
• A clear 5–8 item weekly plan for the team with owners, deadlines, and expected outcome
• Priorities must tie to revenue/margin impact (not “busy work”)
• *2) Accountability & follow-through**
• Track last week’s priorities: what was done, what wasn’t, why, and the corrective action
• Keep tasks moving and prevent important items from slipping
• *3) Commercial ops oversight**
• Review key SKU performance weekly (sales trends, margin, stock cover, returns)
• Flag risks and opportunities: pricing, listing quality, ad spend efficiency, slow movers
• Recommend actions with reasoning (what to change + expected impact)
• *4) Owner reporting**
• One concise written update after your weekly review:
• Wins / misses
• Decisions needed from the owner
• Risks to revenue/margin
• Next week priorities
• *5) Systems & clarity (light process, high impact)**
• Create/maintain simple checklists/templates so execution is consistent (e.g., pricing review checklist, listing QA checklist, weekly KPI snapshot)
## Tools / Access
• Slack (primary communication)
• Takealot Seller Portal (and/or similar marketplace dashboards)
• Shopify / basic store dashboards (where relevant)
• Shared docs for task tracking (Notion/Sheets/ClickUp—simple is fine)
## Time Commitment
• **4–6 hours per week** to start (first 4–8 weeks)
• Thereafter **2–4 hours per week** depending on performance and stability
• Includes one weekly structured check-in (video/Slack huddle) + async follow-ups
## What we’re looking for
• *Experience**
• 8–10+ years in operations management, general management, or running a small business
• Strong background in e-commerce / retail / FMCG / distribution / import-export
• Experience running weekly operating rhythms and holding teams accountable to outputs
• Comfortable with numbers: margin, stock cover, sell-through, return rates, basic P&L thinking
• *Skills & attributes**
• Commercially minded: prioritises what moves revenue and profit
• Direct, pragmatic communicator (firm but fair)
• Strong judgment: can spot what matters vs noise
• Structured: turns chaos into a simple plan people can execute
• Reliable: follows through and closes loops
• Comfortable working async and independently
• Familiar with marketplaces (Takealot/Amazon/eBay/Walmart/etc.) is a plus
• Familiar with AI tools/workflows is a bonus (not required)
## What this is NOT
• Not a full-time role
• Not a coaching/mentoring engagement
• Not a “build big frameworks” consultancy
• You will not have access to bank accounts or financial signing authority
## Compensation
Hourly rate: **R1,200 – R2,000/hour** (or USD equivalent on Upwork), depending on experience.
Monthly invoicing via Upwork.
## Trial / Fit
We’ll start with a **4-week trial** to ensure the weekly rhythm works and priorities translate into execution.
## To apply (please keep it short)
Include:
1. A 5–10 line summary of relevant experience (e-commerce/ops/GM)
2. One example of how you’d run a weekly ops rhythm (bullet points are fine)
3. Your hourly rate and weekly availability
4. Any marketplace experience (Takealot or similar) and the tools you’ve used
Apply Now
Apply Now
Fractional E-commerce Operations Lead (Remote | 4–6 hrs/week)
## Overview
We’re a growing South African e-commerce business importing and selling consumer electronics and robotic home products through Takealot and other marketplaces. The owner is based overseas and we need a commercially sharp operations lead to bring structure, prioritisation, and accountability to a small team.
This is a **remote, independent contractor** engagement focused on **outputs and commercial results** (revenue, margin, execution). You’ll work primarily via Slack with access to key dashboards.
## Scope & Outcomes (What you’ll deliver)
You will own a weekly operating rhythm and deliver the following:
• *1) Weekly priority plan (written)**
• A clear 5–8 item weekly plan for the team with owners, deadlines, and expected outcome
• Priorities must tie to revenue/margin impact (not “busy work”)
• *2) Accountability & follow-through**
• Track last week’s priorities: what was done, what wasn’t, why, and the corrective action
• Keep tasks moving and prevent important items from slipping
• *3) Commercial ops oversight**
• Review key SKU performance weekly (sales trends, margin, stock cover, returns)
• Flag risks and opportunities: pricing, listing quality, ad spend efficiency, slow movers
• Recommend actions with reasoning (what to change + expected impact)
• *4) Owner reporting**
• One concise written update after your weekly review:
• Wins / misses
• Decisions needed from the owner
• Risks to revenue/margin
• Next week priorities
• *5) Systems & clarity (light process, high impact)**
• Create/maintain simple checklists/templates so execution is consistent (e.g., pricing review checklist, listing QA checklist, weekly KPI snapshot)
## Tools / Access
• Slack (primary communication)
• Takealot Seller Portal (and/or similar marketplace dashboards)
• Shopify / basic store dashboards (where relevant)
• Shared docs for task tracking (Notion/Sheets/ClickUp—simple is fine)
## Time Commitment
• **4–6 hours per week** to start (first 4–8 weeks)
• Thereafter **2–4 hours per week** depending on performance and stability
• Includes one weekly structured check-in (video/Slack huddle) + async follow-ups
## What we’re looking for
• *Experience**
• 8–10+ years in operations management, general management, or running a small business
• Strong background in e-commerce / retail / FMCG / distribution / import-export
• Experience running weekly operating rhythms and holding teams accountable to outputs
• Comfortable with numbers: margin, stock cover, sell-through, return rates, basic P&L thinking
• *Skills & attributes**
• Commercially minded: prioritises what moves revenue and profit
• Direct, pragmatic communicator (firm but fair)
• Strong judgment: can spot what matters vs noise
• Structured: turns chaos into a simple plan people can execute
• Reliable: follows through and closes loops
• Comfortable working async and independently
• Familiar with marketplaces (Takealot/Amazon/eBay/Walmart/etc.) is a plus
• Familiar with AI tools/workflows is a bonus (not required)
## What this is NOT
• Not a full-time role
• Not a coaching/mentoring engagement
• Not a “build big frameworks” consultancy
• You will not have access to bank accounts or financial signing authority
## Compensation
Hourly rate: **R1,200 – R2,000/hour** (or USD equivalent on Upwork), depending on experience.
Monthly invoicing via Upwork.
## Trial / Fit
We’ll start with a **4-week trial** to ensure the weekly rhythm works and priorities translate into execution.
## To apply (please keep it short)
Include:
1. A 5–10 line summary of relevant experience (e-commerce/ops/GM)
2. One example of how you’d run a weekly ops rhythm (bullet points are fine)
3. Your hourly rate and weekly availability
4. Any marketplace experience (Takealot or similar) and the tools you’ve used
Apply Now
Apply Now