Solutions Engineering Executive

EnableSA Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

EnableSA Recruitment in Johannesburg is seeking a Solutions Engineering Executive with a strong background in supply chain engineering and senior management experience to lead end-to-end solution development across inventory, warehousing and production logistics.

Responsibilities include translating requirements into practical supply chain strategies, leading feasibility studies, and ensuring technical and commercial viability of operating models.

Qualifications

• Grade 12
• A four-year degree in Industrial Engineering or related field
• Postgraduate qualification in Management/Business/Supply Chain is advantageous
• 10+ years in supply chain engineering or related areas
• 5+ years senior management experience leading engineering teams
• Experience in customer discovery, solution development and implementation support
• Practical experience in warehouse and material flow design and productivity analysis
• Experience translating operational needs into system requirements
• Experience presenting solutions to customers and senior stakeholders
• Experience in automotive or production logistics preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and optimisation of supply chain solutions across inventory, warehousing, production logistics, transportation, distribution and fulfilment
• Translate customer requirements into supply chain strategies and engineering designs
• Provide direction on network configuration, inventory positioning and replenishment strategies
• Oversee design of processes, layouts, capacity, labour, equipment and supporting systems
• Ensure alignment of physical processes, information flows and technology requirements
• Evaluate operating models for cost, service, flexibility, scalability and risk
• Identify constraints and opportunities affecting feasibility and performance
• Ensure engineering recommendations are well-supported by analysis
• Lead engineering input in discovery, feasibility studies, proposals and RFQs
• Define scope and deliverables early in solution development
• Challenge incomplete requirements and unrealistic commitments
• Direct analysis level per decision with timelines in mind
• Manage engineering priorities, milestones, resources and risks
• Review designs, productivity assumptions and equipment selection
• Ensure solutions are feasible, commercially viable and sustainable
• Provide technical assurance before submission and implementation
• Support implementation planning, testing and stabilization
• Transfer designs and commitments to implementation teams and operations
• Review changes in material design and cost implications
• Incorporate lessons from implementation into future work
• Support BD and Commercial teams in opportunity assessment
• Provide technical leadership in discovery sessions and workshops
• Develop and evaluate options balancing value, feasibility and sustainability
• Own engineering cost model assumptions and resources
• Lead or coordinate costings with Finance
• Ensure cost models reflect operating design including labour and equipment
• Explain financial implications of scope changes
• Support pricing decisions with clear technical analysis
• Lead development of engineering methods and reusable capabilities
• Guide functional capability and technology priorities
• Translate requirements into functional specs for digital platforms and automation
• Align capability roadmaps with development plans
• Assess existing operations to identify productivity improvements
• Diagnose process and layout issues using data and observation
• Develop future-state operating models with Operations
• Validate business cases and implementation requirements
• Support significant operational changes and resolve engineering issues
• Establish engineering standards and design-review requirements
• Define deliverables and acceptance criteria
• Provide strategic direction to Solutions Engineering
• Translate priorities into objectives and plans
• Allocate resources based on priorities and capacity

Skills

Senior management experience

Customer discovery

RFQ solution development

Operating model design

Solution costing

Implementation support

Industrial engineering

Education

Four-year degree in Industrial Engineering or related field

Postgraduate qualification in Management/Business/Supply Chain

Job description

Position: Solutions Engineering Executive

Location: Johannesburg

Requirements:

• Grade 12
• A recognised four-year degree in Industrial Engineering, another relevant engineering discipline, Logistics, or a related field
• A postgraduate qualification in Management, Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field will be advantageous
• At least 10 years' relevant experience in supply chain engineering, contract logistics, manufacturing logistics, or similarly complex operational environments
• At least five years' senior management experience leading engineering or multidisciplinary solution teams
• Demonstrated experience in customer discovery, RFQ solution development, operating model design, solution costing, and implementation support
• Practical experience in warehouse and material flow design, resource modelling, productivity analysis, and operational improvement
• Experience translating operational requirements into functional systems and technology requirements
• Experience working with customers and senior stakeholders to evaluate and present solution recommendations
• Experience in the automotive and production logistics industries is strongly preferred

Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and optimisation of supply chain solutions across inventory, warehousing, production logistics, transportation, distribution and fulfilment
• Translate customer and business requirements into practical supply chain strategies, operating concepts and engineering designs
• Provide direction on network configuration, inventory positioning, replenishment strategies, material flow and distribution models
• Oversee the design of operational processes, layouts, capacity, labour requirements, equipment requirements and supporting systems
• Ensure that physical processes, information flows and technology requirements form a coherent operating solution
• Evaluate alternative operating models and their implications for cost, service, flexibility, scalability and risk
• Identify constraints, dependencies and opportunities that materially affect solution feasibility or operational performance
• Ensure that engineering recommendations are supported by appropriate analysis and clearly documented assumptions
• Lead the engineering contribution to customer discovery, feasibility studies, proposals, RFQs, renewals and operational redesign
• Establish the scope, operating concept, design principles, key assumptions and engineering deliverables early in solution development
• Challenge incomplete requirements, unsupported assumptions and unrealistic commitments before detailed design or submission
• Direct the level of analysis required for each decision, balancing accuracy, materiality, available information and delivery timelines
• Manage engineering priorities, milestones, resources, risks and dependencies
• Review and validate solution designs, productivity assumptions, resource calculations, equipment selection and implementation requirements
• Ensure that solutions are technically feasible, commercially supportable and capable of being operated sustainably
• Provide technical assurance before submission, approval and implementation
• Support implementation planning, testing, operational readiness, launch and stabilisation through the delivery of agreed engineering outputs
• Ensure that approved designs, assumptions, constraints and customer commitments are transferred clearly to implementation teams and Operations
• Review material design changes during implementation and assess their operational and cost implications
• Incorporate lessons from implementation and operating performance into future solution development
• Support Business Development and Commercial teams in assessing opportunities and understanding customer requirements
• Provide technical leadership in customer discovery sessions, solution workshops, presentations and proposal discussions
• Develop and evaluate solution options that balance customer value, competitiveness, operational feasibility and financial sustainability
• Own the engineering assumptions and resource requirements underpinning solution cost models
• Lead or coordinate solution costing with Finance and the relevant costing specialists
• Ensure that cost models reflect the proposed operating design, including labour, equipment, facilities, systems, implementation costs and relevant risks
• Explain the operational and financial implications of changes in scope, volumes, service requirements and contractual assumptions
• Support pricing decisions and negotiations through clear technical analysis, cost justification and alternative solution options
• Lead the development of engineering methods, tools and reusable capabilities aligned with business strategy and customer needs
• Provide direction on functional capability and technology priorities, including the Functionality and Incubator Master Schedules
• Translate operational requirements into clear functional requirements for digital platforms, workflow tools, automation and decision-support systems
• Work with Technology and Operations to align capability roadmaps, development priorities and implementation plans
• Lead engineering assessments of existing operations to identify opportunities to improve productivity, service, cost, capacity and resource utilisation
• Diagnose underlying process, layout, systems and operating-model issues using appropriate data and direct observation
• Develop practical future-state operating models and improvement plans with Operations
• Validate improvement business cases, implementation requirements and expected benefits before commitment
• Support the implementation of significant operational changes and resolve engineering issues affecting delivery
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, design-review requirements and technical assurance practices
• Define engineering deliverables and technical acceptance criteria at relevant stages of opportunity development, approval, implementation and handover
• Provide strategic direction and leadership to the Solutions Engineering function
• Translate business priorities into clear functional objectives, work plans and performance expectations
• Allocate engineering resources according to opportunity priorities, operational needs, complexity and available capacity