Product & Manufacturing Engineering Executive

Product & Manufacturing Engineering Executive

Location: South Africa, Maitland

Industry: Precision Engineering / Advanced Manufacturing

Reporting to: General Manager

Level: Executive / Senior Management

Overview

A well-established precision engineering and manufacturing organisation is seeking an experienced Product & Manufacturing Engineering Executive to lead its engineering, maintenance, and toolroom functions.

This is a senior leadership role within a high-performance manufacturing environment responsible for ensuring engineering excellence, efficient production processes, and continuous operational improvement.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in supporting manufacturing operations, driving technical innovation, maintaining world-class engineering standards, and ensuring the organisation remains globally competitive in terms of cost, quality, and delivery.

The role requires a technically credible engineering leader with deep experience in machining and/or assembly environments, strong project leadership capability, and the ability to collaborate effectively across production, quality, supply chain, and executive leadership teams.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership to the engineering function to ensure the reliable and cost-effective manufacture of products.
• Ensure product master data integrity to support accurate costing, production planning, and manufacturing execution.
• Lead the implementation of engineering best practices and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance manufacturing efficiency, throughput, and cost competitiveness.
• Collaborate with production teams to develop and optimise manufacturing processes and production systems.
• Ensure all engineering and production processes comply with relevant industry standards and organisational requirements.
• Work closely with the Quality department to ensure achievable and sustainable quality standards across manufacturing operations.
• Manage configuration control and product engineering documentation.
• Maintain overall responsibility for ERP engineering master data, including:

o Bill of Materials (BOM)

o Routing structures

o Engineering change processes

• Lead technical investigations and root cause analysis internally and with customers where required.
• Develop and present CAPEX proposals aimed at improving production capacity, efficiency, or cost reduction.
• Lead departmental engineering projects and improvement initiatives.

Manufacturing Support

• Provide direct engineering support to manufacturing teams to ensure stable and efficient production operations.
• Enable operational teams to translate customer concepts into practical, manufacturable engineering solutions.
• Drive initiatives to improve:

1. Throughput
2. Manufacturing efficiency
3. Production reliability
4. Cost optimisation

Maintenance & Toolroom Leadership

• Serve as the Competent Person for Supervisor of Machinery (GMR 2.1).
• Provide full management oversight of the maintenance department.
• Drive the implementation of preventative maintenance programmes aligned with Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) principles.
• Ensure maintenance service levels support uninterrupted manufacturing operations.
• Provide full leadership and oversight of the toolroom function.
• Ensure tooling availability and reliability to support production schedules.
• Implement preventative systems to ensure press tools and manufacturing equipment remain operational and available.
• Lead engineering and maintenance improvement projects through to successful completion.
• Promote and enforce a strong safety culture across engineering and maintenance teams.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead and develop a team of engineering professionals and technical specialists.
• Create a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration between engineering, production, quality, and supply chain.
• Support the development of engineering capability within the organisation.
• Encourage innovation and practical engineering problem solving.
• Promote clear communication, ownership of outcomes, and disciplined execution within the team.

Strategic Contribution

• The Engineering Executive will contribute to organisational success by:
• Ensuring globally competitive manufacturing costs
• Improving operational reliability and efficiency
• Supporting customer satisfaction and delivery performance
• Leading engineering innovation within the manufacturing environment
• Strengthening collaboration across operational departments
• Contributing to long-term business growth and sustainability

Key Performance Indicators

• Success in this role will be measured through:
• Manufacturing profitability and operational sustainability
• Competitive global manufacturing cost structures
• Customer satisfaction and delivery performance
• Operational efficiency and downtime reduction
• Successful implementation of engineering and improvement projects
• Development and retention of engineering talent
• Supplier and operational partnership effectiveness
• Contribution to responsible corporate and safety practices

Minimum Requirements (Non-Negotiable)

• B.Eng or B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering
• 10 – 15 years of relevant engineering experience
• Minimum 5 years in a senior leadership or management role
• Strong exposure to manufacturing environments involving machining and/or assembly operations

Project management experience

• Experience working with ERP systems (SAP preferred)
• Solid understanding of the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Strong leadership capability within a production environment

Advantageous

• Government Certificate of Competency (GCC)
• Experience in high-precision or complex manufacturing environments
• Exposure to advanced manufacturing optimisation initiatives

Key Skills & Competencies

• Advanced mechanical engineering knowledge
• Manufacturing process optimisation
• Operational problem solving
• Engineering project management
• ERP / SAP master data management
• Root cause analysis and technical investigation
• Cross-functional leadership
• Strategic engineering planning
• Continuous improvement methodologies
• Safety and compliance leadership

Leadership & Working Environment

• This role operates within a fast-paced manufacturing environment where engineering, production, and operational leadership collaborate closely to solve complex technical challenges.
• The culture values:

1. Technical credibility
2. Direct and transparent communication
3. Fact-based decision making
4. Accountability for results
5. Practical problem solving
6. Cross-functional teamwork

• Leaders are expected to engage actively in discussions, contribute their expertise confidently, and support decisions with sound engineering judgement.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• The successful candidate will be a hands-on engineering leader who thrives in operational manufacturing environments and is comfortable balancing technical depth with strategic leadership.
• They should demonstrate:

1. Strong technical credibility with production teams
2. A practical approach to engineering challenges
3. Confidence in engaging with senior operational leaders
4. The ability to drive measurable improvements in manufacturing performance
5. A commitment to safety, quality, and operational excellence