Chief Executive Officer

**Synopsis** Purpose of the Role**

The CEO of the Localisation Support Fund (LSF) will be responsible for leading the strategic and operational direction of the organization, ensuring it effectively delivers on its mandate of promoting industrial growth, competitiveness and localisation in South Africa. Reporting to the Board, the CEO will build and lead a capable team, ensuring the organization has the necessary skills in key areas such as programme and project development; project management; deal-making; strategy; research; advocacy, stakeholder engagement; and monitoring and evaluation.

This role requires an individual with a deep understanding of the South African manufacturing landscape and the ability to foster relationships with public and private stakeholders to drive the LSF’s strategic objectives
**Job Description** Overview of the LSF**

Established as a non-profit company in 2021 and funded by private sector contributors, the LSF exists to catalyse and enable deepening industrialisation through programmatic interventions that enhance the competitiveness of South African manufacturing in ways that both grow exports and increase localisation.

The LSF’s strategy is focused on promoting industrial growth through export competitiveness and localisation in key sectors within South Africa, with an emphasis on enhancing the country’s manufacturing capabilities. This strategy aims to identify and unblock export and localisation opportunities by providing targeted technical support at cluster and firm level, fostering strategic partnerships, implementing initiatives that drive competitiveness and value chain development in ways that address regulatory barriers, and binding constraints in the manufacturing ecosystem and related and supporting industries. The LSF prioritizes technical support, project development, stakeholder engagement, and research-backed decision-making to ensure impactful interventions.

As a network orchestrator within the localisation ecosystem, the LSF facilitates end-to-end connection and alignment between supply
- and demand-side participants. It enhances the value of these interactions by funding industry research and deploying technical expert resources to accelerate or unblock growth opportunities in the manufacturing sector.
**Qualification and Experience** Qualifications**:

- A relevant tertiary-level qualification in business, economics, industrial policy, or related fields.
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in a leadership role within a public or private sector entity, ideally with exposure to industrial development, localisation, or economic development at an Executive level.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multi-disciplinary teams and oversee complex projects.
- Experience in dealing with government entities, policy development, and stakeholder management is highly advantageous.

**Roles and Responsibilities** Strategic Leadership**
- Execute the LSF’s overall strategy, ensuring alignment with its mission of catalysing industrial growth through export competitiveness and localisation.
- Ensure that the organization’s programmes of support are scalable, impactful, and aligned with the LSF’s strategic goals.
- Lead the design and implementation of new initiatives that address key manufacturing competitiveness challenges in priority sectors with a view to growing exports and/or localisation.

**Operational Leadership and governance**
- Manage the organisation in line with the strategic plan, in strict compliance with the Articles of Association and the regulatory requirements as a Public Benefit Organisation, and within the limits of authority delegated to the CEO by the board from time to time;
- Develop annual objectives and periodic business, funding and operating plans and budgets for the organisation, recommend such objectives, plans and budgets to the board for adoption, monitor and report such organisational performance to the Board;
- Ensure the efficient allocation of the financial, human and other resources required by the organisation to achieve its strategic goals;
- Oversee the implementation of effective control, monitoring and performance standards and systems relative to the utilization of all organisational resources;
- Ensure appropriate and timely disclosure of material information with respect to the organisations affairs; and

**Organizational Development**
- Build and lead a multidisciplinary team capable of delivering high-impact projects across different manufacturing value chains.
- Foster a results-oriented organizational culture focused on performance, continuous learning, and adaptability.
- Ensure organizational growth by securing necessary technical, financial, and human resources to deliver on the LSF’s mandate.

**Programme Development and Management**
- Oversee the proactive identification, development, and implementation of programmes and projects that upgrade local manufacturing competitiveness.
- Establish and enhance