Electrical Systems Engineer

Fermel (Pty) Ltd; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 450,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Fermel (Pty) Ltd in Gauteng is seeking an Electrical Engineer responsible for the development of systems used on underground Trackless Mobile Machinery. The ideal candidate will design electrical architectures, coordinate development and troubleshooting, and support machine-level design activities.

This role requires a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering and a minimum of 3–5 years of relevant experience. The candidate will work in a rigorous environment ensuring compliance with industry standards.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in an electrical design or vehicle systems engineering role.
• Proven experience in mobile equipment, automotive, or mining machinery.
• Experience with CAN communication network design and troubleshooting.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop DC electrical systems for mining machinery.
• Integrate electronic control systems and support for machine-level design.
• Conduct fault finding and root cause analysis on electrical issues.

Skills

Electrical design experience

Experience in mobile equipment

Problem solving skills

Hands-on approach

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering

Job description

The Electrical Engineer will be responsible for the design, development, validation, and support of electrical and electronic systems used on underground Trackless Mobile Machinery (TMM). The role focuses on low-voltage vehicle electrical architectures, control systems integration, CAN-based communication systems, and support for machine‑level electrical design activities throughout the product lifecycle.

Minimum Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent qualification.
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in an electrical design or vehicle systems engineering role.
• Proven experience in mobile equipment, automotive, mining machinery, heavy equipment or related environments.
• Demonstrated practical experience in design and implementation of machine electrical systems.

Technical Responsibilities

• Design and develop 12V and 24V DC electrical systems and architectures for underground mining machinery.
• Develop and maintain electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, harness layouts, and system documentation.
• Design and specify electrical distribution systems including:
  • Power distribution
  • Protection systems
  • Relay and fuse selection
  • Circuit protection strategies
  • Grounding strategies
• Develop and validate electrical circuits for machine subsystems including:
  • Lighting systems
  • Safety systems
  • Control systems
  • Sensors
  • Actuators
  • Operator interfaces
  • Auxiliary equipment
• Integrate electronic control systems and machine controllers into vehicle platforms.
• Support CAN communication network design, implementation, and troubleshooting.
• Develop and maintain CAN databases and communication architecture.
• Conduct fault finding and root cause analysis on electrical and control system issues.
• Perform electrical testing, system validation, and verification activities.
• Support prototype machine development and commissioning.
• Participate in design reviews and engineering change processes.
• Manage and control the Engineering Change Notification (ECN) process for all electrical system design changes and product updates.
• Maintain alignment between electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and harness manufacturing documentation, ensuring revision control and implementation accuracy.
• Oversee electrical system updates relating to harness design, hardware selection, component specification, and manufacturing integration.
• Develop, standardize, and maintain electrical design standards and platform architectures across machine product ranges.
• Drive the selection and validation of robust electrical hardware suitable for harsh underground mining operating environments.
• Standardize electrical systems and components to improve reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and product commonality across machine platforms.
• Ensure electrical system designs comply with applicable OEM standards, machine safety requirements, and industry best practices.
• Support manufacturing and field teams with technical investigations and product improvements.

The candidate will contribute to the development of reliable, robust, and maintainable electrical systems suitable for harsh underground mining environments while ensuring compliance with applicable standards and operational requirements.

Advantageous

• Experience with high‑voltage electrical systems.
• Experience with Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) architecture and system design.
• Familiarity with:
  • Battery management systems (BMS)
  • Inverters
  • DC‑DC converters
  • Motor controllers
  • Charging systems
  • Functional safety concepts
• Understanding of EMC/EMI design considerations.
• Knowledge of mining equipment regulatory requirements and standards.

Preferred Technical Attributes

• Strong systems engineering mindset.
• Ability to perform structured problem solving and root cause analysis.
• Hands‑on approach to machine testing and commissioning.
• Understanding of machine integration and subsystem interaction.
• Ability to work across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong technical reporting and documentation skills.