Principal Engineer Mechanical

Valterra Platinum Limited; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market-aligned rewards

Learning & progression

Diversity culture

Safe operations

Meaningful work

Job summary

Valterra Platinum Limited is seeking a technical leader to provide governance for reliability and mechanical engineering across platinum operations. Based at 144 Oxford Road, Rosebank, you will drive defect elimination, root cause analyses and continuous improvement to ensure safe, reliable asset performance.

With 7–10 years in reliability engineering and a strong background in failure mechanisms, metallurgy, and process optimization, you will lead cross‑functional teams, work with OEMs, and

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of experience in reliability or mechanical engineering, preferably in mining.
• Strong knowledge of failure mechanisms, metallurgy, corrosion, heat treatment, welding, and condition monitoring.
• Experience with major failure investigations and RCA/DE.
• Advanced ERP competencies across Engineering, Costing, MM, Data Warehousing and Projects modules.
• Ability to lead cross‑functional teams and drive continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Set guidelines for reliability excellence and defect elimination across platinum operations.
• Drive best practices in RCA and Defect Elimination across projects and assets.
• Champion social and organizational practices to move the company toward High Reliability Principles.
• Serve as custodian of Reliability CoP and share guidance and best practices across the organization.
• Oversee RCA/DE implementation and ensure root causes influence service strategies and tactics.
• Collaborate with OEMs to feed root causes back into engineering solutions.

Skills

Reliability engineering

Root Cause Analysis

Defect Elimination

Risk Management

Operations improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Postgraduate in Failure Mechanisms or Reliability Systems

Registered Professional Engineer (Desirable)

Government certificate of Competence (Mining and Factories)

Tools

ERP systems

Data analytics tools

Maintenance management software

Job description

Company Description

Valterra Platinum, formerly Anglo American Platinum, is a leading primary producer of platinum group metals (PGMs), with integrated mining, smelting, and refining operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe, marketing the metal we produce globally. Following our demerger from Anglo American plc, Valterra Platinum is now an independent, publicly listed company with a primary and secondary listing on the Johannesburg and London stock exchanges respectively.

Job Description

To provide technical leadership and governance for reliability and mechanical engineering across platinum operations, ensuring safe, reliable and cost-effective asset performance through engineering standards, risk management, defect elimination and continuous improvement

This role is based in 144 Oxford Road, Rosebank

Performance and Delivery

• Set the Guidelines and expectations for excellence in Reliability and Defect Elimination across platinum operations.
• Drive Technical best practices in the processes for Root Cause Analysis and Defect Elimination.
• Drive the social and organisational best practices to move the organisation to a High Reliability Organisation thereby transforming the company towards:
• Having chronic unease / preoccupation with defects and failures no matter how small
• Ensuring high quality experts with the skill and knowledge of failure mechanisms
• The tenacity to investigate to the root cause and not stop at symptoms of a problem
• Have a practical approach to operations and what can be implemented.
• Creating a reliability culture that is resilient and sustainable.
• Is the custodian of the reliability CoP’s and excellence where guidance, learnings and best practices are shared.
• Oversight of RCA/DE implementation, value add across the Platinum organisation.
• Involvement with more complex RCA’s in the organisation
• Involvement with OEM’s on common problems and ensure that root causes flow back to the OEM to ensure engineering solutions are designed out of the equipment or process – monitor this.
• Via the CoP’s, Equipment Asset Owners, and the Master Data Governance Group ensure that root causes make their way back into the service strategies and tactics.
• Building of Reliability Block Diagrams, driving the discussion on opportunities and risks
• Involvement with project teams to ensure maintainability and reliability thinking are injected into new designs.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
• A postgraduate degree in Failure Mechanisms or Reliability Systems (Desirable)
• Registered Professional Engineer (Desirable)
• Government certificate of Competence. (Mining and Factories) (Desirable)

Experience

• 7 – 10 years working experience

Technical Knowledge (experience) Required For Role

• A demonstrated thought leader and considered an expert in reliability systems and defect elimination
• Significant knowledge of failure mechanisms, Metallurgy, Corrosion, heat treatment, welding, Clean Fluids, Condition Monitoring Alignment and Balancing.
• Experience with major failure investigations,
• Good knowledge of design, execution, operational readiness, work management and maintenance supply processes
• Advanced ERP competencies in the Engineering, Costing, Material Management, Data Warehousing and Projects Modules.
• Expert in reliability centred maintenance.
• Advanced analytical skills.
• Advanced Data Management skills.
• Advanced knowledge of mining operations and associated engineering practices.
• Expert in process equipment including technology development, including:
• Concentrators
• Smelters
• Converters
• Boilers
• Autoclaves etc.
• Expert knowledge and application of engineering safety standards, risk management principles and safe work practices.

Additional Information

What We Offer

At Valterra Platinum, you will join a team committed to excellence and impact.

• Meaningful work in a high-performance, values-led environment.
• Market-aligned reward and recognition.
• Opportunities for learning, development and progression.
• A culture that respects diversity and encourages innovation.
• A clear commitment to safe Operations.

Inclusion and Diversity

Valterra Platinum is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace where we value and respect every colleague for who they are and provide equality of opportunity so that everyone can fulfill their potential.

Valterra Platinum has a zero tolerance to dignity harms, these include all acts of gender based violence, bullying, harassment and victimisation. Ensuring the safety of our employees extends beyond physical safety and includes the eradication of harmful behaviours from our workplace. This responsibility extends to everyone at Valterra Platinum both during work hours and outside of work. We are unconditional in creating a respectful, inclusive, and safe working environment to ensure that no colleague will be violated or harassed under our watch.

Closing Date

12 October 2026