National Engineering Manager (Animal Feed) at RCL Foods

Job Description    
EPOL, our Animal Feed division is currently seeking a National Engineering Manager to take on the development of the Feed Engineering 5-10-year strategy and CAPEX by partnering with and obtaining input from all stakeholders. This role will be responsible for the identification and scoping of engineering projects (Savings/Replacement/Innovation) that align with the division’s strategic objectives, and managing project planning through prioritizing, scheduling, and allocation of tasks to different disciplines of engineering.

The role reports directly to the Animal Feed Director and requires a dedicated, experienced, and passionate leader!

Minimum Requirements    

• A Degree or Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.
• GCC (Government Certificate of Competency) certified Engineer.
• Feed mill experience
• 8+ years’ trade experience of which a minimum of 5 years at a management level
• ECSA Accreditation (advantage)

Duties & Responsibilities    
Project planning

• Work in conjunction with the Feed/Engineering Executives to execute and implement the company’s strategy, based on a 1-to-5-year view of requirements. 
• Manage Engineering projects by best practice principles within the framework of audit requirements.
• Proactively identify opportunities for improvement in current business practices across the business.
• Assist in the implementation of new technologies across the business, including writing training documentation and assisting in training to ensure successful roll-out.
• Effectively coordinate multi-disciplinary project teams’ time and allocate resources to ensure deliverables are completed.
• Assess and approve/disapprove the need for additional staff or consultants and recommend the appropriate appointments, if necessary, during the project’s lifecycle.
• Coach, mentor, motivate, and supervise new project team leads, team members, and contractors, and influence them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned work.
• Provide direction to project teams including overseeing the assignment of individual responsibilities, tasks, and technical functions.
• Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within and between various project teams.
• Strategize CAPEX focus to reduce plant downtime and improve efficiencies of machines and lines.
• Ensure that health and safety requirements as per the Rainbow standard are adhered to with regards to specifying new equipment. 
• Process Change Control Documentation with regards to all equipment and plant changes with proven records for audit purposes.
• Ensure that all project work in the plant is carried out and completed to the highest level of trade-man ship quality and to safe food requirements.
• Manage outside contractors to ensure the integrity of the engineering team and carry out corrective action if required
• Provide both verbal and written communications regarding project status, risks, and issues, and make recommendations on project decisions to management.
• Conduct project meetings to ensure all disciplines are aligned and that CAPEX targets dates met in view of the year planner.
• Creating and keeping an archive on each project for future references.
• Draft and finalise service level agreements with contractors

Project Coordination

• Lead and coordinate project update meetings, and document project status and issues.
• Supervise, advise, guide, and lead the team to oversee the impacts and interdependencies between projects and work to ensure initiatives meet the strategic and operational objectives of the Engineering team.
• Ensure that project administration such as team communications, procedural controls (e.g., documentation control, issues control), filing, organizing meetings, tracking whereabouts of participants, obtaining facilities, services, and materials are undertaken.

Risk Management

• Support Risk Manager in terms of design use and Projects, General Manager must ensure all facilities comply with health, safety, security, and other legal requirements.

Team Coordination and Self-Management

• Identify and scope personnel requirements and drive the selection process.
• Supervise project-assigned staff against assigned activities, responsibilities, and deliverables.

Provide Leadership

• Advise and guide the team towards meeting the plant engineering strategy and targets – through regular communication and utilisation of full organisational talent management toolset.
• Deliver on agreed succession plans and development of the generation of leaders and specialists, overseeing engineering development programs and on-the-job training.
• Drives Employment Equity within the plant engineering team to ensure that diversity is achieved at all levels and that statutory targets and requirements are met.
• Champions training and development within the team utilising available training opportunities, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training.
• Contribute to the development of new training solutions in collaboration with regional training specialists.
• Develops and manages high-performance multi-disciplinary teams to solve problems within engineering proactively.
• Conducts operational meetings and ensures that records are kept and shared across the team and that action plans agreed to within team meetings are delivered upon.
• Maintain the integrity of the engineering team and carry out corrective action when required.

Management of Safety Health Environment and Quality (SHEQ)

• Guides the engineering team to ensure that all legislative standards are achieved, and timeous action is taken where required to ensure that there are no areas of noncompliance.
• Follows up on requirements for compliance ensuring that it is continuously maintained and adhered to.
• Measure and manage sustainability practices within the area of responsibility.
• Suggest amendments to policies and practices within the operational area of responsibility with the processing engineering manager to ensure that these are kept up to date and are aligned with company objectives and standards.

Safety and Security

• Guide General Managers to ensure engineering staff follows safety rules and regulations as per organization’s safety plan.

Financial Management

• Effective CAPEX Budget Management
• Provide input into CAPEX documentation considering return on investment, resourcing and sustainability requirements.
• Innovation and improvement advise ensuring the lowest cost production and the optimal utilization of assets.
• Report to Feeds Director on a weekly basis on actual KPIs versus budget and areas of non-conformance or concern proactively and timeously
• Report on and manage all input costs and manage any over or underspend appropriately to ensure that issues are escalated before a significant financial loss occurs.
• Authorizes expenses within the level of authority and monitor spending activity within teams to ensure compliance to financial and ethical standards.
• Identify and recommend cost-cutting initiatives within the team where these do not impact long-term business sustainability.
• Manage suppliers and contracts in collaboration with the procurement team to ensure agreed service levels are met, escalate areas of concern where necessary.
• Guide Operational Manager in collaboration with Project Manager through engineering foremen to ensure that correct standards of work are delivered and agreed delivery timelines maintained.
• Maintain current statements of work for all contractors and track contractor invoices on a constant basis at the plant level

Closing Date: 11th, March 2022