Electrician: Grain Storage and Silo Operations - VKB Engineering Services, Reitz
VKB Agriculture
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Job summary
VKB Group is seeking an experienced Electrician to support grain storage, handling and silo operations. The role focuses on maintaining electrical and automation systems, diagnosing faults, and ensuring reliability during harvest periods.
You will work hands-on, mentor apprentices and drive continuous improvement across the site. The ideal candidate has 10+ years in industrial environments, red seal certification, and strong leadership, safety, and teamwork values.
Qualifications
- Grade 12 with Mathematics and Science and relevant electrical training.
- Electrical Trade Test (Red Seal) and Wireman’s Licence for LV up to 1kV.
- Valid Code B Driver’s Licence and a clear criminal record.
- 10+ years as Electrician in industrial/agricultural processing or grain handling.
Responsibilities
- Conduct preventative, predictive and corrective maintenance on electrical and automation systems.
- Diagnose and resolve faults to ensure uptime.
- Maintain substations, control systems and safe switching procedures.
- Support grain handling and storage infrastructure including conveyors and dryers.
- Mentor apprentices and junior technicians; promote safety and compliance.
- Participate in energy efficiency and continuous improvement initiatives.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
The VKB Group is an agricultural company providing support to farmers and producing straight-from-the-farm foods for consumers. Apart from its various consumer brands, the VKB Group is also represented by its regional brands: VKB, GWK and NTK.
Our roots are firmly planted in agriculture, with farming at our core, continuously growing and evolving throughout the years. Starting with providing everything needed on the farm to produce food, we now operate across the entire food supply chain, including processing, logistics, storage, handling and national and international market channels.
This house of brands, established with the support of our farmer shareholders, forms the foundation for building the agribusiness of the future.
The Engineering Services Division plays a critical role in maintaining and optimising the infrastructure that supports VKB Group's grain storage and handling operations. Our teams are responsible for ensuring the reliability, safety and performance of electrical, automation and operational systems that enable grain to move efficiently from producer to market.
By supporting silo operations, grain intake, drying, storage and dispatch activities, Engineering Services helps safeguard one of South Africa's most important agricultural value chains.
This is not a typical electrician position.
As an Electrician within our grain storage and silo operations environment, you will be responsible for maintaining and improving the electrical and automation systems that keep critical agricultural infrastructure operating.
Your expertise will directly influence equipment reliability, operational uptime and the successful movement of grain during peak harvest periods. When systems operate effectively, farmers are able to deliver grain efficiently, operations run smoothly and food security is supported across the country.
This role offers the opportunity to work on complex electrical and automation systems while making a meaningful contribution to South African agriculture.
At VKB Group, your work has a direct impact on the agricultural sector and food supply chain.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Work within one of South Africa's leading grain storage and handling operations.
- Be exposed to large-scale electrical, automation and grain handling systems.
- Play a key role during harvest seasons where operational reliability is critical.
- Participate in modernization, optimisation and continuous improvement projects.
- Develop and mentor apprentices and junior technicians.
- Build a long-term career within a stable, growing agricultural business.
- Work alongside professionals who are passionate about agriculture, innovation and technical excellence.
Success in this role means:
- Grain intake, handling and dispatch operations experience minimal unplanned downtime.
- Electrical and automation faults are diagnosed and resolved efficiently.
- Preventative and predictive maintenance programmes are executed effectively.
- Electrical infrastructure remains compliant, safe and reliable.
- Harvest season operations continue with minimal disruption.
- junior employees are developed through coaching, knowledge sharing and mentoring.
- Opportunities for optimisation and continuous improvement are identified and implemented.
- Strong relationships are built with operational and technical stakeholders.
We are looking for a hands-on, solutions-focused electrician with proven experience in grain storage, grain handling, agricultural processing or silo environments.
The ideal candidate:
- Understands the operational demands of a grain silo environment.
- Has practical experience maintaining grain handling equipment.
- Can perform structured fault-finding under pressure.
- Takes ownership of equipment reliability and plant uptime.
- Is comfortable working at heights and within agricultural operating environments.
- Demonstrates strong leadership potential.
- Values safety, accountability and teamwork.
- Wants to play an active role in supporting farmers and the agricultural industry.
- Grade 12 (Matric) with Mathematics and Science.
- Electrical Trade Test (Red Seal).
- Wireman's Licence for Low Voltage installations up to 1kV.
- Valid Code B Driver's Licence.
- Clear criminal record.
- Minimum 10 years' experience as a qualified Electrician in an industrial, agricultural processing or grain handling environment.
- Minimum 5 years' experience in grain storage, grain handling, grain processing, feed milling or silo operations.
- Experience maintaining and fault-finding on grain handling equipment.
- Experience with industrial automation and electrical control systems.
- Experience operating in environments where equipment uptime is critical.
- Experience supervising apprentices, contractors or junior technicians.
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Strong problem-solving ability.
- Advanced fault-finding and diagnostic skills.
- Accountability and ownership.
- Adaptability and resilience.
- Attention to detail.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Leadership and coaching ability.
- Teamwork and collaboration.
- Ability to perform under pressure.
- Commitment to continuous improvement.
- Advanced electrical maintenance and troubleshooting.
- Industrial automation and control systems.
- PLC fault-finding and diagnostics.
- Variable Speed Drive (VSD) troubleshooting.
- Medium and Low Voltage switching.
- Preventative and predictive maintenance.
- Technical documentation and reporting.
- Project planning and coordination.
- Computer literacy including Microsoft Office.
- Mentoring and team leadership.
- Conduct preventative, predictive and corrective maintenance.
- Diagnose and resolve faults on electrical and automation systems.
- Maintain electrical infrastructure, substations and control systems.
- Execute safe switching and isolation procedures.
Maintain and troubleshoot:
- Bucket elevators.
- Belt conveyors.
- Chain conveyors.
- Drag conveyors.
- Augers.
- Grain intake systems.
- Grain dryers.
- Aeration systems.
- Grain storage facilities.
- PLC-controlled equipment.
- Automation and monitoring systems.
- Assist with electrical upgrade projects.
- Improve plant reliability and performance.
- Support commissioning of new equipment.
- Contribute to energy efficiency and operational improvement initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with applicable legislation and company standards.
- Maintain maintenance records and documentation.
- Adhere to occupational health and safety requirements.
- Support a culture of safe work practices.
- Mentor and develop apprentices and junior team members.
- Support technical training initiatives.
- Promote accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.
Applicants should be aware that this role requires:
- Working at heights and on elevated grain handling infrastructure.
- Exposure to dust, noise and agricultural operating environments.
- Overtime and standby responsibilities during harvest periods.
- Responding to after-hours breakdowns when operationally required.
- Working in a high-accountability environment where equipment reliability is critical to business operations.
VKB Group reserves the right to close or withdraw any vacancy at its discretion. All personal information submitted through the Career Portal will be used solely for recruitment purposes and, where applicable, for matters related to employment.
As an equal opportunity employer, VKB Group is committed to Employment Equity, transformation, and the inclusion of People with Disabilities. Our recruitment decisions are aligned with the VKB Group Employment Equity Plan and Transformation Strategy.
As part of the application process, candidates will be required to complete a screening questionnaire and may undergo qualification, employment history, reference and criminal verification checks.
We strongly encourage all applicants to answer every question honestly and accurately.
At VKB Group, our culture is built on being Humble, Hungry, Smart, Bold, and Playing as One Team. We believe in building trusted relationships from the very first interaction and expect the same level of integrity from those who wish to join our business.
Any misrepresentation of qualifications, experience, competencies, criminal history, employment history or any other information may result in disqualification from the recruitment process or the withdrawal of an employment offer.
We respect your time and ask that you respect ours by ensuring that all information provided is truthful, accurate and reflective of your actual experience. Our goal is to focus on candidates who are genuinely aligned with both the requirements of the role and the values of the VKB Group.
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