Permanent - Industrial Engineer - Johannesburg - South Africa

We are a South African industrial solutions company delivering advanced manufacturing technologies, including automation, cutting, bending, welding, robotics, and smart factory optimisation systems. The company supports manufacturers in improving productivity, reducing operational costs, and enhancing production efficiency across multiple industries.

The Industrial Engineer (Executive Leadership Track) is a high-potential role designed to integrate engineering expertise with business and executive leadership development. This position is intended for an individual who will transition from operational and engineering leadership into full executive leadership, with a structured progression toward the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role.

The successful candidate will gradually assume responsibility for operations, finance, and overall business performance, ultimately leading multiple branches and business units.

• Lead industrial engineering initiatives across the organisation
• Optimise workflows, manufacturing processes, and system performance
• Analyse operational data to improve productivity and efficiency
• Identify and eliminate operational bottlenecks
• Standardise operational procedures across branches

• Develop a strong understanding of financial and commercial drivers
• Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning
• Support commercial strategy and pricing initiatives
• Identify cost saving and efficiency opportunities
• Contribute to revenue growth and profitability improvement
• Support business expansion and new market opportunities

• Contribute to the development of short-, medium-, and long term strategic plans
• Translate strategy into actionable operational plans
• Support long term business growth initiatives
• Drive innovation and new solution development
• Assist the CEO in strategic decision making
• Lead and develop cross functional teams
• Build leadership capability within departments
• Support hiring decisions for key roles
• Evaluate team performance and capability alignment
• Develop succession plans and leadership pipelines
• Foster a culture of accountability and performance

• Support operations across Cape Town, Durban, and future branches
• Ensure operational alignment and consistency across locations
• Improve efficiency and scalability across the business
• Drive standardisation and best practices

• Progressively assume full operational and financial oversight
• Gain exposure to board level engagements
• Take ownership of strategic direction over time
• Transition into the CEO role as part of a structured succession plan

• Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering (required)
• Business qualification (BCom, BBA, or equivalent) (required)
• MBA (advantageous)
• Lean Six Sigma certification (advantageous)
• Project Management qualification (advantageous)

• 5-10 years' experience in Industrial Engineering
• Proven leadership or management experience
• Exposure to operational and business environments
• Experience leading teams or projects
• Strong interest in business leadership

• Manufacturing or industrial sector experience
• Exposure to automation or engineering systems
• Financial or commercial experience
• Experience managing multi disciplinary teams
• Involvement in business strategy development

• Systems thinking and ability to manage complex operations
• Strong leadership potential with executive capability
• Strategic and long term thinking ability
• Commercial awareness and financial understanding
• Structured decision making skills
• Strong execution and delivery focus
• High level of accountability

• Ambitious with clear leadership aspirations
• High integrity and professionalism
• Analytical and business minded
• Resilient and disciplined
• Growth oriented mindset
• Highly organised and detail oriented
• Strong communication skills
• Results driven