Industrial Engineer (Fruit / Agritech)

A forward-thinking fruit industry group, in Somerset West, is looking for an Industrial Engineer to drive innovation and efficiency across the business. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys combining engineering thinking, data and technology to solve real operational challenges - from farm and packhouse to logistics and head office processes.

• Lead and support R&D initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency and product/process performance.
• Manage a team of two junior industrial engineers in the team.
• Run special projects across multiple departments (operations, packhouse, logistics, exports, admin, IT).
• Improve data flow and data integrity: map processes, identify bottlenecks, streamline information handovers.
• Support AI integration and automation opportunities (e.g., dashboards, forecasting, workflow automation, reporting).
• Research and evaluate new technologies (AgriTech, IoT, sensors, traceability systems, ERP/WMS improvements).
• Work with internal teams and external partners to implement improvements and measure outcomes.
• Build practical business cases: cost/benefit, ROI, risk, change management and implementation plans.
• Create and maintain clear documentation, SOPs, and project reporting.

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (Industrial Engineering preferred).
• Fully bilingual: Afrikaans & English (spoken and written).
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to translate problems into structured solutions.
• Confident communicator - able to work cross-functionally and get buy-in from stakeholders.
• Comfortable working with data (Excel/Power BI or similar) and process improvement frameworks.
• Advantage: experience with systems in agriculture (traceability, packhouse systems, ERP/WMS, AgriTech platforms) or similar industries.

• A high-impact role in a business that values innovation and continuous improvement.
• Exposure to cutting-edge technology, AI and process optimisation in an essential industry.
• Work on meaningful projects end-to-end - from idea to implementation and measurable results.