Specialist: Technology Steering

BMW Group; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 700 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading automotive manufacturer in Pretoria seeks a skilled Production Engineer to manage budgets, optimize assembly processes, and ensure production program fulfilment. Candidates should have a degree in engineering or business economics, along with 4-5 years of relevant experience in engineering and project management. This role offers an opportunity to influence production efficiency and quality within a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 4-5 years experience in Engineering, Business Planning, and Project management.
• 4-5 years experience in Management/Production Information systems.
• Knowledge of motor vehicles, mechanical/electrical/electronic technologies.

Responsibilities

• Ensure fulfilment of the production program and budget monitoring.
• Initiate and manage strategic projects to optimize assembly processes.
• Maintain compliance with safety standards and international quality norms.

Skills

Budget management

Headcount planning

Time administration

Project management

Coaching

Negotiation skills

Education

Degree in Engineering / Business Economics or equivalent

Job description

Functional Definition:

• Resources Steering.
• Productivity Steering.
• Ergonomic assessment and Analysis Steering.
• Projects Technology Steering and Control.
• Low Costs Intelligent Automation Steering Assembly Logistics Synergies.
• Optimization of material flow that directly affects the assembly environment.
• T4 contractor management and optimization of service providers.
• Planning co-ordination and reporting of VPS activities.
• Assembly process optimization with PSP team, including lineside presentation optimization.
• System Maintenance and IT interface with regards to NAS, BVIS, DIVA, WARENET* and printers.
• Steering and Co-ordination of Time administration of Hourly Direct Labor and related management of shit changes when required.

Tasks:

• Secures the short, medium and long-term fulfilment of the production program, coordinates the necessary working-time models and flex modules with all relevant partners while assessing the appropriate business processes for appropriate working-time measures.
• Steers and monitors budget, headcount and annual investment requirements.
• Ensures the short, middle and long-term fulfilment of the production program; coordinates the necessary work-time models with all relevant partners, and evaluates the necessary working time instruments during for the relevant business processes.
• Coordinate the necessary working time models and flex modules with all relevant interface partners,
• Develops various operational concepts as a contribution of the plant in the planning process and checks vice-versa the feasibility of the planned projects in the plant. Shares the implementation experience from the plant back into the planning process.
• Ensures the function industrial engineering.
• Implements improvement measures and change projects for the serial production in the areas of efficiency.
• Steers ergonomics assessments and technical availability of the technology.
• Ensures the method competencies in the area of VPS.

Main Duties:

• Initiates, decides, controls and enforces all Headcount/Costs requirements and budgets for Direct Labour and Manufacturing Overheads.
• Set up monitor and manage Departmental Budgets both operationally and Project related.
• Set up personal developmental plans for Department team members.
• Ensure compliance of the team to the various business processes and IMS system requirements.
• Establishes Long Term Budgets (LUP, LIP).
• Establish Strategic targets regarding Loading, Costs and Productivity.
• Oversight of Line Balancing and Manpower planning.
• Establish Standard Time Analysis for all TVG’s.
• Establish Ergonomic Analysis for all TVG’s.
• Establish objectives, projects and plans to improve cost and labor productivity.
• Enforces all cost and labour productivity targets.
• Maintain Time Admin function for all Direct Hourly Labour.
• Maintain General Admin/Stationery function.
• Is on a day-by-day basis interactive in the Assembly Plant and neighboring departments to support primary targets (i.e. On time Delivery, Volume and budget, Quality).
• Control supply performance of internal and external suppliers of Assembly shop.
• Break down of the T-targets (linked to On Time Delivery, KOVP, volume targets, Budget and headcount) to the T-4, T-4x and T-4xx targets within the yearly target commitment process.
• Initiates, plans, direct and controls special projects to improve, control and monitor production related to: On time Delivery, through put Time, Rework activities, and Production volume losses.
• Directs and follows up on introduction of projects and systems, and ensures methods to maintain quality standards of reporting and management information systems.
• As part of his COC’s co-working has influence over the design of global company standards and best practice solutions in areas of productivity, Analysis Tools, and Ergonomics and low cost intelligent automation.
• Introduction of New systems in accordance with international norms with regards to Productivity control and visualization.
• Makes internal as well as external agreements about efficiency with process partners and projects across, Logistics, Painted Body, Finance, Purchasing and Quality.
• Initiates and manages strategic projects in order to optimize the work organization and methodic and the assembly process for the assembly technology.
• New Product Launches/Project Involving Line Balancing and Productivity and Headcount requirements.
• Resource Evaluation and Allocation under changing business requirements through local and international influences.
• Maintain and Improve standard of production facilities and environment.
• Ensure development of the role of Coach within the Assembly environment.
• Develop and Introduce low cost intelligent automation (LCIA) within the Assembly Environment and key support function in line with international trends within the group.
• Key support wrt FK Prop, and complete Direct headcount planning with the groups central planning functions (TP and TI) for introductions of new model launches.
• Implements and maintains SHEQ (ISO TS 16949, ISO 14000, 45001 and ISO 18000) requirements.

Description of Auxiliary Activities:

Supplementary tasks/projects as allocated from time to time by Section Manager:

• To support Company and Departmental objectives.
• To support internal and external team relationships.
• Checks that safety standards are met.
• Organizational development.
• Coach, coordinate and supervise.
• Support to HRC and Operational teams in plant ill health process.
• Plans, investigates and optimizes the introduction of new production methods.
• Benchmarks Flexibility targets, e.g. with Local and International Automotive Plants.
• Benchmarks LCIA solutions with International Automotive plants.
• Motivate Interfacing departments to support T4 improvement initiatives.
• Bring about transparency within T4 on Budget statuses.
• Transparency to Operational environment on of Costs associated to in plant Damages.
• Steering of other cores with respect to associated damages which impact assembly processes and motivate solution thereof to maintain higher levels of quality.
• Oversight of the DS&R process in plant.

Impact on innovations and changes:

• Actively participate, steer and mentor the Innovation and Digitalization CoC locally and Internationally within the BMW Group.

Education:

• Degree in Engineering / Business Economics or equivalent.

Work experience, Leadership experience:

• 4-5 yearsexperience in Engineering, Business Planning and Project management.
• 4-5 yearsexperience in Management/Production Information systems.

Additional skills: special skills / technical ability etc:

• 4-5 years knowledge of motor vehicles, mechanical/electrical/electronic state of the art technologies.
• 4-5 yearsknowledge in state of the art quality techniques and –tools.
• 4-5 years knowledge of engineering means and methods, artisan skills, communication, presentation and negotiation skills.

Closing date: 17 November 2025.