Senior Digital Control Systems Architect

Pro Tem; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job description

JOB PURPOSE

• To serve as the senior technical authority within the Digitisation function, providing engineering leadership, technical governance, and architectural oversight across PLC, SCADA, industrial networks, historian, and reporting systems.
• The incumbent is accountable for technical integrity, compliance with specifications, and adherence to ISO 9001 quality standards across all software and network deliverables.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Technical Leadership & Engineering Governance
• Act as the technical lead across all digitisation and control system projects.
• Define and enforce engineering standards, software development methodologies, and network design principles.
• Review and approve PLC, SCADA, historian, reporting, and industrial network designs prior to implementation.
• Provide structured technical guidance and mentorship to engineering personnel.
• Ensure engineering outputs fully comply with client specifications and contractual technical requirements.

SYSTEMS AND NETWORK ARCHITECTURE AUTHORITY

• Oversee system architecture design for PLC, SCADA, HMI, historian, and reporting platforms.
  Design and approve industrial communication network architectures, including:
• Fibre optic backbone networks
• Ethernet-based control networks
• Industrial protocol implementations
• Define fibre network topology, redundancy strategies (ring, star, hybrid), and segmentation principles.
• Ensure appropriate selection and configuration of fibre media, switches, and network infrastructure components.
• Validate integration strategies between OEM equipment, third‑party systems, and plant‑wide control architectures.

TECHNICAL COMPLIANCE & QUALITY ASSURANCE:

• Ensure all engineering and network deliverables meet defined technical specifications.
• Enforce adherence to ISO 9001 Quality Management System standards.
• Approve QCP documentation for Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT).
• Take technical responsibility for successful execution of software FAT.
• Provide technical oversight during commissioning of PLC, SCADA, and network infrastructure systems

CLIENT & OEM TECHNICAL INTERFACE

• Act as primary technical authority in engagements with clients and OEM suppliers.
• Lead technical design reviews and architecture validation sessions.
• Ensure OEM equipment integration aligns with approved control system and network architectures.
• Resolve complex technical escalations during implementation and commissioning phases.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree or Advanced Diploma in Electrical, Electronic, Computer, or Mechatronic Engineering.
• Professional registration advantageous.

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 8–12 years’ experience in industrial automation and control systems engineering.
• Proven experience in PLC, SCADA, and fibre network design and commissioning.
• Demonstrated experience in industrial communication network architecture (Ethernet and fibre‑based systems).
• Experience leading Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) for software and integrated control systems.
• Strong exposure to multi‑vendor automation environments.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

PLC Platforms (Advanced Level)

• Siemens
• Rockwell (Allen‑Bradley)
• Schneider Electric

SCADA / Supervisory Platforms (Advanced Level)

• AVEVA / Wonderware
• Ignition
• Siemens
• Schneider

Industrial Network & Fibre Design

• Advanced understanding of fibre optic communication principles (single‑mode and multi‑mode).
• Design of redundant fibre network topologies for industrial environments.
• Configuration of managed industrial switches and network segmentation.
• Implementation of industrial Ethernet architectures.
• Network performance optimisation and fault diagnostics.

Additional Technical Expertise:

• Industrial historian architecture and data acquisition principles.
• Reporting systems and relational database fundamentals (SQL‑based environments).
• Commissioning methodologies for PLC, SCADA, and network infrastructure.
• Structured programming and modular software design principles.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Strong systems‑thinking and architectural mindset.
• High technical credibility and influence within engineering teams.
• Detail‑oriented with strong quality and compliance focus.
• Effective communicator at engineering, client, and OEM levels.
• Decisive technical problem‑solving capability under operational pressure.