Business Manager – Roots

Position

Business Manager – Living Roots at U-Turn Homeless Ministries

Cape Town - Kenilworth

Full time

This is a full‑time position and will initially be offered as a one‑year fixed‑term contract. The ideal candidate is a person with strong horticultural experience and an entrepreneurial mindset who wants to make a difference. The business manager will be responsible for growing this fledgling social enterprise. This will include growing existing income streams, such as the plant nursery in Claremont and innovating to set up additional income streams for the business.

The role will also involve overseeing the day‑to‑day running of the business, including managing staff and finances, providing support and training to U‑turn Champions placed with Living Roots, and overseeing plant propagation.

• Manage Living Roots and all its operations, including the retail & wholesale nursery, corporate gardening services and training workshops, etc.
• Provide financial oversight of business income and expenses and manage to the approved budget.
• Provide oversight of the propagation, cultivation & maintenance of all plant stock and support the provision of training for staff on how to do this.
• Manage staff, champions on the U‑Turn Work Readiness Programme and volunteers – including support, new appointments, performance appraisals, leave requests, submission of weekly timesheets, etc.
• Engage with the broader community through speaking appointments, presentations and media releases on Living Roots.
• Network with businesses, organisations and projects in the sector and related sectors.
• Stay up to date with the latest information and research in the field, especially within the broader Cape Town horticultural sector.
• Use and contribute to the existing planning and record‑keeping systems.

• At least five years of experience in the horticultural sector.
• Proven experience in the Cape Town horticulture sector.
• Specific knowledge and expertise in propagating and growing South African Indigenous Plants (desirable).
• 2 years’ experience managing a team and starting/setting up innovative projects (desirable).
• Driver’s license.

• Excellent communication skills – written and verbal (comfortable with public speaking).
• Commercial awareness – especially in the horticultural and retail sectors.
• Strong marketing aptitude.
• Well‑developed interpersonal skills and able to motivate, coach and develop people.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills with a clear ability to prioritise.
• Business management skills – including leadership, strategic thinking, planning and financial management (experience putting together and managing a budget).
• Excellent relationship building and networking.
• A collaborative team player – concerned with the team success as well as individual performance.

• Entrepreneurial mindset.
• Self‑starter – high energy levels, able to self‑direct their work to hit targets.
• Enthusiastic and confident.
• A resourceful individual that is not easily flustered and able to take initiative.
• Flexible – copes well with change.
• Trustworthy – works with integrity.
• Willingness to learn and grow both professionally and personally.
• Able to efficiently manage and cope with stress (for themselves, their employees and their business).
• Organisational Fit (where applicable):
  If in recovery – actively engaged in own ongoing recovery, accessing accountability support and practising recovery behaviour.
• If employed as a Professional – affiliation with a professional board, continued personal development and accessing supervision.
• Gospel orientation – connected to a local fellowship of believers, reading the Bible and grounded in Gospel‑motivated Social Actions.

Candidates interested in this position should apply to (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Applicants must include a CV and a letter of motivation as part of the application. The letter of motivation should be approximately one page in length and include information on why you would like to work at U‑turn and how you fulfil the required skills and attitudes outlined above. Applications without a letter of motivation will NOT be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not have heard from us within 2 weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.

26 February 2026