Job Summary
Key Responsibilities
Engineering Leadership
- Lead and develop a multidisciplinary engineering function consisting of Engineers, Artisans, Technicians, Maintenance Teams, and Engineering Support Staff.
- Establish and execute engineering strategies aligned with business objectives.
- Foster a culture of safety, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Mentor and develop engineering talent and succession pipelines.
Plant Reliability & Maintenance
- Drive world-class maintenance practices across multiple facilities.
- Ensure maximum equipment uptime and plant availability.
- Lead root cause analysis and problem-solving initiatives on critical plant failures.
- Develop and implement predictive, preventative, and reliability-centered maintenance program.
- Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and manufacturing efficiencies.
Capital Projects & Engineering Improvements
- Lead major capital expenditure projects from concept through implementation.
- Manage machinery installations, commissioning, upgrades, and plant expansions.
- Oversee engineering design reviews, project execution, budgeting, and contractor management.
- Ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, and within budget.
Operational Excellence
- Identify opportunities to improve production throughput, product quality, and manufacturing efficiencies.
- Implement innovative engineering solutions to complex manufacturing challenges.
- Drive automation, digitization, and process optimization initiatives.
- Collaborate closely with Production, Quality, Supply Chain, and Executive Leadership teams.
Technical Problem Solving
- Provide expert technical leadership during critical breakdowns and operational challenges.
- Lead advanced fault-finding investigations on complex manufacturing equipment.
- Develop sustainable engineering solutions that deliver measurable business results.
- Present successful engineering case studies demonstrating innovation, cost savings, productivity improvements, or quality enhancements.
Compliance & Governance
- Ensure compliance with all engineering, safety, environmental, and statutory requirements.
- Drive engineering best practices and governance standards across all facilities.
- Manage engineering budgets, resources, and performance metrics.
Minimum Qualifications Needed:
- BEng or BSc Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering (Essential).
- Honours and Masters in Engineering is highly advantageous
- GCC Factories are an advantage
- Pr.Eng is an advantage
- MDP or PMP or MBA is highly advantageous
Experience
- Minimum 15 years' engineering experience within:
o Food Manufacturing
o Beverage Manufacturing
o Packaging Manufacturing
o FMCG Manufacturing
o Or similar high-volume continuous manufacturing environments.
Technical Experience
- Extensive experience with high-speed, high-volume manufacturing machinery.
- Strong exposure to complex mechanical, electrical, automation, and process systems.
- Proven experience leading machinery installations, plant upgrades, and capital projects.
- Advanced fault-finding and root cause analysis capabilities.
- Experience managing multiple manufacturing sites would be advantageous.
Leadership Experience
- Demonstrated experience managing:
o Professional Engineers
o Maintenance Managers
o Artisans
o Technicians
o Engineering Support Teams
- Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
- Managing outsourced suppliers and controlling their costs and their project deliveries