Engineering Manager

Permanent; Durban; On-site; ZAR 1,400,000 - 1,900,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading industrial operation seeks an experienced Engineering Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership across engineering, maintenance and asset reliability within a Lubricants Manufacturing Plant. The role focuses on keeping assets safe, reliable, efficient and fit for purpose while fostering a proactive engineering culture.

The successful candidate will drive strategy, manage budgets, CAPEX and governance, and lead multidisciplinary teams to optimise asset lifecycle and plant

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics or Industrial Engineering.
• 10–15 years' engineering and maintenance experience in manufacturing, FMCG, chemical, refinery, lubricants or industrial processing environments.
• Minimum 5 years' experience leading multidisciplinary engineering and maintenance teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the Engineering, Maintenance & Asset Reliability Strategy.
• Lead multidisciplinary mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and reliability functions.
• Drive preventative, predictive and reliability-centred maintenance programmes.
• Improve plant availability, OEE and MTBF while reducing unplanned downtime.
• Establish effective maintenance planning, backlog management and shutdown strategies.
• Lead root-cause analysis to eliminate recurring equipment failures.
• Manage engineering budgets and drive maintenance cost and asset lifecycle optimisation.
• Oversee CAPEX, engineering projects and capital investment from scope through to delivery.
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, engineering standards and technical governance.
• Manage engineering contractors, suppliers and external service providers.
• Develop engineering capability, competency plans and high-performing technical teams.
• Partner with Operations, SHEQ, Supply Chain and other functions to support production objectives.
• Drive engineering-related continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives.

Skills

Asset management

Engineering strategy

Reliability

Preventative maintenance

Predictive maintenance

Maintenance planning

Shutdowns

CAPEX

Cost optimisation

Technical governance

Contractor management

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics or Industrial Engineering

Job description

A leading industrial operation is seeking an experienced Engineering Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership across engineering, maintenance and asset reliability within a Lubricants Manufacturing Plant.
This is a key leadership position responsible for ensuring the plant's assets remain safe, reliable, efficient and fit for purpose, while driving a proactive engineering culture and continuous improvement across the operation.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the Engineering, Maintenance & Asset Reliability Strategy
• Lead multidisciplinary mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and reliability functions
• Drive preventative, predictive and reliability-centred maintenance programmes
• Improve plant availability, OEE and MTBF while reducing unplanned downtime
• Establish effective maintenance planning, backlog management and shutdown strategies
• Lead root-cause analysis and ensure recurring equipment failures are permanently eliminated
• Manage engineering budgets and drive maintenance cost and asset lifecycle optimisation
• Oversee CAPEX, engineering projects and capital investment from scope through to delivery
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, engineering standards and technical governance
• Manage engineering contractors, suppliers and external service providers
• Develop engineering capability, competency plans and high-performing technical teams
• Partner closely with Operations, SHEQ, Supply Chain and other business functions to support production objectives
• Drive engineering-related continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics or Industrial Engineering
• 10–15 years' engineering and maintenance experience within a manufacturing, FMCG, chemical, refinery, lubricants or industrial processing environment, with a minimum of 5 years' experience leading multidisciplinary engineering and maintenance teams.

The successful candidate should demonstrate strong experience in:
Asset Management | Engineering Strategy | Reliability | Preventative & Predictive Maintenance | Maintenance Planning | Shutdowns | CAPEX | Cost Optimisation | Technical Governance | Contractor Management | Continuous Improvement

Leadership Profile

We are looking for a technically strong and commercially minded engineering leader with the ability to strategise, influence and execute.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong people leadership, change management, analytical and problem-solving capabilities, coupled with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
If you are an engineering leader ready to take ownership of asset reliability, maintenance excellence and operational performance, this is an opportunity to make a significant impact within a major industrial manufacturing environment.