Job Description

• The Regional Technical Manager will be responsible for providing technical leadership and engineering oversight across Lactalis’ manufacturing operations in Southern Africa.
• The incumbent will lead cross functional team on various technical industrial activities ranging from leading technical projects, managing maintenance departments, improvement of plants OEE, while driving continuous improvement, safety, and cost optimisation.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering (essential)
• Government Certificate of Competency (GCC)
• 8+ years in engineering/technical leadership roles within FMCG or dairy environments
• 3-5 years in multi-site or regional roles
• Experience with PLC and SCADA systems is advantageous
• Experience with NH3 refrigeration and Coal Boilers will aid in day-to-day responsibilities
• Technical Expertise: Strong mechanical/electrical engineering knowledge:dairy/FMCG experience essential
• Leadership: Multi-site leadership, cross-cultural team development
• Project Management: CAPEX planning, execution, and reporting
• Systems & Tools: CMMS (Pragma/SAP), MS Project, AutoCAD, MS Office
• Compliance: Familiar with GCC, ISO standards, SHEQ, and country- specific engineering legislation
• Communication: Clear verbal and written communication across multiple stakeholders and countries
• Problem-Solving: Root cause analysis, crisis response. continuous improvement focus

Duties & Responsibilities

ENGINEERING

• Manage planned and preventative maintenance in line with SLAs, ensuring quality execution, timely procurement, and effective coordination with stakeholders and service providers.
• Drive preventative and predictive strategies, optimize Shopware data usage, benchmark asset performance, and implement reliability improvement plans.
• Oversee upgrades and improvements to enhance uptime and efficiency, approve designs based on needs, monitor subcontractor compliance, and ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.
• Maintain compliance with HACCP, ISO, and NOSA standards, uphold quality benchmarks, and ensure subcontractor adherence to SLAs.

MANAGE SERVICES

• Monitor and optimize steam efficiency, water usage, electricity demand, and wastewater treatment to support sustainable operations.

BUDGETING & PLANNING

• Compile and manage the operational budget, controlling overtime, manpower, and maintenance costs within approved parameters.
• Implement cost-effective procurement and expenditure controls.
• Lead regional CAPEX projects, manage utility systems (refrigeration, boilers, compressed air, water, effluent), and optimize energy usage.
• Oversee DA projects and savings initiatives, ensuring compliance with timelines, budgets, and reporting.

HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT

• Ensure compliance with all safety, health, and environmental policies, legislation, and standards (ISO, NOSA, HACCP).
• Implement effective risk mitigation for equipment, utilities, and infrastructure.
• Drive safety improvements, achieve agreed safety indices, and ensure due diligence in all technical activities.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

• Build a culture of safety, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor team productivity, set performance objectives, and conduct reviews across sites.
• Develop PDPs, identify training needs, and provide coaching, mentoring, and support.
• Enforce discipline, ensure compliance with company standards, and close technical knowledge gaps through structured development and adherence to the 6 rules.