RCL Foods is one of South Africa’s largest consumer goods and milling companies, producing a wide range of branded and private-label food products. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal. The company uses its subsidiary, Vector Logistics, to distribute both its own products and those of other food manufacturers across Southern Africa.

Job Description

• To lead engineering operations across four production sites, managing teams of Plant Engineers, Maintenance Managers, Planners, and Project Coordinators. The role requires strategic oversight of CAPEX planning (annual and 5-year horizons), operational engineering, and maintenance excellence. The engineering manager  must demonstrate strong leadership, technical depth, and business acumen to drive performance and ensure compliance.

Minimum Requirements

• Degree or Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.
• GCC Factories certification.
• 10+ years’ trade experience, with at least 5 years in a management role.
• Strong technical knowledge (mechanical, electrical, refrigeration) and leadership skills.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and project management abilities.
• A proactive, solutions-driven mindset with a focus on efficiency and quality.

Duties & Responsibilities
Project Planning

• Lead the scoping, prioritization, and execution of business projects in collaboration with commercial teams and support departments.
• Develop and maintain annual and 5-year CAPEX plans, ensuring alignment with business strategy, operational needs, and sustainability goals.
• Implement and uphold project governance frameworks to ensure transparency, compliance, and traceability across all project phases.
• Drive complex projects thru legal contracting acting or support as representer for RCL
• Ensure projects are scope according to health & Safety / Food Safety / Environmental regulations that builds into sustainability
• Drive weekly KPI reporting on project status, budget adherence, and strategic focus areas, presented by the plant engineers/maintenance managers and site teams during Business Unit (BU) meetings.
• Ensure all projects meet internal standards for food safety, health & safety, and regulatory compliance by driving the management of change thru SHEQX
• Champion continuous improvement and innovation through engineering-led initiatives that enhance plant performance and support new business development. Followed by implementing strong value driven KPI’s

Maintenance

• Develop and implement an effective Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) system across all facilities to minimize reactive maintenance and reduce R&M costs.
• Oversee major repairs and ensure all utilities and infrastructure are maintained to high standards of reliability and safety.
• Ensure all buildings and accessories comply with risk, security, safety, health, HACCP, ISO22000, ISO14000, ISO18000, and SANS 10400 standards.
• Ensure all electrical installations meet SANS 10142 and statutory requirements.
• Drive asset efficiency and utilization to reduce unit costs and improve plant performance.
• Promote and embed sustainable maintenance practices across all sites.
• Manage and hold Plant Engineers and Maintenance Managers accountable for:
• Execution of planned maintenance programs.
• Alignment of maintenance practices and procurement with business standards.
• Completion of work requests, preventative schedules, and breakdown responses.
• Compliance with safety regulations and food safety requirements.
• Ensure the Planner develops and maintains a comprehensive work schedule for all maintenance activities.
• Conduct regular inspections, organize engineering staff meetings, and ensure neatness and upkeep of buildings and premises.
• Coordinate and manage repairs, inspections, and maintenance of all plant equipment and grounds.
• Be available for callouts and weekend work when necessary to ensure continuity of operations.
• Determine and manage material, equipment, and supply needs for maintenance tasks

Risk Management

• In terms of design use and maintenance, ensure all facilities comply with health, safety, security, and other legal requirements.
• Drive fire compliances for all sites
• Oversee incidents reports to ensure all mitigation and risk preventions are complying with mitigation factors to be implemented.
• Support plant engineers and maintenance managers as GMR2.1 appointees, including their support of the appointed GMR2.7
• Ensure all operational equipment comply with operational documentation (Safe work operational procedure)

Food Safety Management

• Ensure facilities and equipment in operational areas comply with major food safety requirements to comply with the FSCC 22000 certification.
• Ensure projects are scoped according to the Woolworths hygienic design guidelines
• Ensure engineering teams oversee critical control points (CCPs) and food safety-related equipment are maintained and calibrated
• Work closely with Quality Assurance, Production, and SHEQ teams to ensure integrated food safety management.
• Participate in HACCP reviews and food safety risk assessments.
• Support training and development of site engineering teams on food safety engineering principles.
• Drive and ensure NCRs are closed on a weekly basis on all the sites with develop KPI’s

Operational Engineering Management

• Drive the daily / weekly maintenance planning process for the plant – prioritizing, scheduling, and allocation of tasks to different discipline of the engineering department, with the assistance of the planner.
• Drive and delivery the agreed strategy to reduce plant down time and improve efficiencies of machines and lines.