Managing Director

Posted 18 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Cape Town, Western Cape, ZAF
Hybrid
Expert/Leader
eCommerce • Fashion • Retail
The Role
Lead and run day-to-day operations and commercial performance for a fast-paced ecommerce/retail business. Own revenue, margin, and profitability; unblock teams across supply, demand, tech and ops; drive execution, remove friction, and build a culture of ownership and accountability. Translate strategy into tangible results, make timely decisions with imperfect data, and strengthen team performance.
Summary Generated by Built In

This isn’t a sit-in-meetings-and-nod MD role. Forget layers of middle management and dusty 40-page strategy decks.


You’re here to run the business, fix what’s broken, and make things better week by week. You own performance, pace, and outcomes. Something’s off? You don’t write a doc, you sort it out.
You’ll work alongside our strategy team, but ultimately, this is “here are the keys, drive” territory.

Commercial performance

• Own revenue, margin, and profitability like it’s your own money.

• Spot opportunities and move quickly

• Make good calls without waiting for perfect data (it rarely exists)

• ️ Execution & ops

• Keep things running across Supply, Demand, Tech and Operations

• Unblock teams and remove friction

• Fix what’s not working without overcomplicating it

Leadership

• Lead a team of smart, driven people

• Build a culture of ownership and follow-through

• Have the awkward conversations early, not after 6 months of side-eye

Strategy

• Set direction, but stay close to what’s actually happening

• Balance big picture thinking with day-to-day reality

Strat Team Partnership

• The Bridge: You aren't a solo act. You’re a key player in our Strat Team, turning high-level vision into floor-level results.

• Sparring Partner: Be the one who challenges the "why" and perfects the "how." We need a leader who aligns with the executive layer but isn't afraid to poke holes in a plan if it's too slow or too complex.

Personal Skills and Attributes

• You’ve run or played a key role in a fast-paced ecommerce or retail business

• You understand the numbers and what drives them

• You make decisions and keep things moving

• You’re comfortable in a bit of chaos and can bring order where needed

• You take proper ownership

• You’re happy to get into the detail when it counts

Experience

This is NOT the opportunity for you if…

• You enjoy strategy more than execution

• You need everything perfectly structured before starting

• You avoid tough conversations

• You want a polished corporate environment

• You’re here for the title, not the work

• You don’t like getting into the detail when things get messy

What success looks like in 12 months

• Revenue and profitability are clearly up

• The team is stronger and more accountable

• Decisions happen faster

• Fewer bottlenecks, more momentum

• The business runs better, plain and simple

A peek into how we operate

• We’re a small team doing big things.

• We focus on getting things done, not looking busy

• We’re honest and direct, but fair

• We move quickly and fix as we go

• We take the work seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously
The Hard Truth: Not For Everyone

  • You own the numbers: Revenue, margin, profit, it’s on you. No passing it sideways.

  • You decide without waiting for perfect info: If you need certainty to move, you’ll always be late.

  • You run the whole machine: Supply, demand, tech, ops, if it’s stuck, it’s yours to unstick.

  • You don’t escalate, you execute: Problems don’t travel upward here. They get handled.

  • You’re in the detail when it matters: Not all day, but enough to know exactly what’s really going on.

  • Speed is part of the job: If things slow down, you’re the one expected to pick up the pace.

If this is your speed, let’s talk. Stop managing and start owning, the keys are in the ignition.

MyRunway is committed to transformation and redressing of past inequalities. Our employment equity goals will be taken into account in our selection process.

Skills Required

  • Experience running or playing a key role in a fast-paced ecommerce or retail business
  • Proven commercial acumen with responsibility for revenue, margin, and profitability
  • Demonstrated ability to execute and manage across Supply, Demand, Tech, and Operations
  • Strong leadership: build culture of ownership, lead teams, and hold people accountable
  • Comfort making decisions with imperfect data and moving quickly
  • Ability to engage in operational detail when necessary and unstick problems
  • Willingness to have difficult conversations early and manage performance issues
  • Ownership mindset: accountable for outcomes, pace, and performance
  • Bias for speed, iterative improvement, and pragmatic problem solving
Am I A Good Fit?
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The Company
126 Employees
Year Founded: 2012

What We Do

MyRunway is a fast-growing South African online fashion retailer and innovative fashion tech company dedicated to making great brands accessible to everyone. The company offers a wide range of high-end clothing, shoes, accessories, beauty products, and homeware for men, women, and children, providing exclusive deals on over 500 local and international designer brands through its e-commerce platform and mobile app.

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