Production Engineer

Unilever; Boksburg; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Unilever is seeking a Production Engineer at the Boksburg Factory in South Africa to drive operational excellence through World Class Manufacturing. You will lead loss elimination, process optimization and capability building while fostering innovation and a safe, high-performance environment.

Reporting to the Unit Manager, you will focus on line stability, productivity gains and consumer-focused quality, leveraging technical leadership and continuous improvement across packaging lines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in Mechanical, Chemical or Industrial Engineering with relevant FMCG experience.
• 3–5 years in Packaging and manufacturing environments.
• Solid WCM or Lean Manufacturing experience in FMCG/ Motor/ Manufacturing.
• High Speed Packaging experience is essential.
• Proven ability to eliminate loss and waste on major projects.
• Strong engineering leadership credentials and coaching ability.
• PM/Change management/QA knowledge.
• Statistical and process control tools proficiency.
• Autonomous Maintenance, Planned Maintenance, Quality and FI tool experience.
• Clear operating standards and robust problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Manufacturing and Packaging Technology: apply a solid understanding of manufacturing technologies to drive process improvements.
• Consumer and Customer Focus: remove losses and ensure costs of inefficiencies are not passed to customers.
• Bias for Action: provide real-time information to enable quick decisions on resource use.
• Build Talent and Teams: develop semi-autonomous teams and share best practices across lines.
• Accountability: own team performance and spread successful interventions.
• Growth Mindset: build world-class factories to stay competitive.
• WCM: apply AM, PM, FI, QC tools and establish standards for line stability.
• Process and Organisational Design: ensure optimal resourcing of lines and processes.
• Analytical Capability: collect and analyze data to identify root causes and solutions.
• Eliminate Waste and Loss using WCM pillars; create technical standards and training for line staff.
• Identify and extend good practices to other lines.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

World Class Manufacturing

Leadership

Project Management

Continuous Improvement

Data Analysis

Autonomous Maintenance

Education

Degree in Mechanical/ Chemical/ Industrial Engineering

Job description

Job Purpose

This role exists to drive operational excellence by ensuring consistent output, quality, and efficiency through the application of World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodologies. The Production Engineer leads loss elimination, process optimization, and capability building while supporting innovation and maintaining a safe, high-performance work environment. This role is critical in sustaining line stability, enhancing productivity, and delivering consumer-focused quality through technical leadership and continuous improvement. You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet.

Join us as Production Engineer

Function: Supply Chain

Reports to: Unit Manager

Scope: South Africa

Location: Boksburg Factory

Terms & Conditions: Full Time

Job Purpose

This role exists to drive operational excellence by ensuring consistent output, quality, and efficiency through the application of World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodologies. The Production Engineer leads loss elimination, process optimization, and capability building while supporting innovation and maintaining a safe, high-performance work environment. This role is critical in sustaining line stability, enhancing productivity, and delivering consumer-focused quality through technical leadership and continuous improvement. You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet.

Because here, we don’t just hire for jobs. We invite you to be part of something bigger.

What Will Your Main Responsibilities Be

• Manufacturing and Packaging Technology: Apply a basic but consistent understanding of the category's manufacturing technologies to drive relevant process improvements.
• Consumer and Customer Focus: Building world-class factories eliminates losses and ensures that the cost of inefficiencies is not passed on to customers and consumers.
• Bias for Action: By providing consistent and near real-time information, decisions can be made quickly to maximize the effective use of resources.
• Building Talent and Teams: Our vision is to move towards semi-autonomous teams, and we require Production Engineers who are passionate about achieving results through teamwork, can teach new tools and methodologies, and ensure alignment across teams while leveraging one another's strengths.
• Accountability and Responsibility: Take responsibility for building your team's performance and share best practices and successful interventions to support improvements across other lines.
• Growth Mindset: By building world-class factories, we become more competitive in the marketplace and set standards that others aspire to achieve.
• WCM: Apply the full range of WCM methods and tools to identify root causes, define countermeasures, and validate their effectiveness. Demonstrate mastery of AM, PM, Quality, and Focused Improvement tools and processes. Establish standards that enable line operators to sustain new basic conditions.
• Process and Organisational Design: Leverage technical expertise and a systems-thinking approach to ensure factory lines and processes are optimally resourced (e.g., manpower ratios are efficient and sustainable).
• Analytical Capability: Collect and analyse complex data to investigate problems, understand underlying causes, and identify sustainable solutions.
• Eliminate Waste and Loss according to the WCM prioritisation process using AM, PM, FI, and QC pillar tools and methodologies.
• Create Technical Standards to ensure process stability on the line.
• Train line crews on technical standards and the restoration of basic conditions to ensure stability and sustainability.
• Identify and extend good practices across other lines.
• Ensure the accurate application and maintenance of MMP code data.

What You Need To Succeed

Experiences & Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical/ Chemical/ Industrial Engineering
• 3 - 5 years in Packaging and manufacturing experience.
• Solid WCM or Lean Manufacturing experience within FMCG/ Motor/ Manufacturing
• Must have High Speed Packaging experience
• Must demonstrate a strong technical knowledge across all the site’s processes and lines
• Must possess strong engineering leadership credentials with a proven ability to eliminate loss and waste on significant projects
• Must demonstrate a flair for improvement engineering and coaching
• Project Management experience
• Understanding of Quality Management systems, GMP and Change management process
• Solid statistics and process control tools experience
• Autonomous Maintenance, Planned Maintenance, Quality and FI tools and processes experience
• Visualize clearly what the ideal production system
• Clearly understand operating principles and establish correct operating standards

Skills

• Supply Chain Agility
• Proficient in Continuous improvement
• Manufacturing Technology
• Change management
• Ability to collaborate in teams

Leadership

You are energized by delivering fantastic results. You are an example to others – both your results and your resilience. You are constantly on the lookout for better ways to do things, engaging and collaborating with others along the way. As an individual you are the one responsible for your own wellbeing and delivering high standards of work. You must also focus on the Consumer and what they need. You are humble and have your head up, looking around to interpret evidence and data smartly, spot issues and opportunities to make things better.

Unilever behaviours

• CARE DEEPLY: We care deeply about how consumers experience our brands every day, everywhere; about our people’s growth and development and our impact on the planet. We care about our performance, to a point where it hurts when we don’t win. It is not just about being nice or avoiding honest conversations about performance and opportunity.
• FOCUS ON WHAT COUNTS: We ruthlessly prioritise what really, really matters, allowing us to do better on fewer things. We set clear and stretching goals and recognise maximum performance impact. It is not about reducing ambition or effort or running after the ‘new and shiny’.
• STAY THREE STEPS AHEAD We think boldly and creatively to make breakthroughs in performance. We are always curious and confident anticipating and staying ahead of consumer needs and external trends to beat the competition. It is not taking our eye off the ‘here and now’.
• DELIVER WITH EXCELLENCE: We deliver everything we do with excellence and pace. We take personal ownership and hold each other to account – always finding a way to do what we’ve said we will do. It is not about analysing the inevitable roadblocks, admiring the problem or tolerating mediocrity.

Unilever is an equal opportunities employer and committed to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. We are intentional in employing the best talent that reflects the demographics of our country and which will help build representation of currently under-represented groups. We therefore invite applications from all candidates representing diversity of age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief. When appointing potential candidates, the South African Employment Equity and Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Legislation will be considered.

We are required by law to verify your ability to work lawfully in South Africa. If you are applying as a foreign national, please note that you may be requested to provide supporting documents supporting this.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.