Mechanical Engineer – Production at a Reputable Company

Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or a related field

Experience: At least 7 years

Category: Engineering / Technical

Deadline: Not Specified

Job Description

A reputable company is seeking an experienced and highly skilled Mechanical Engineer – Production to provide technical leadership in transforming and improving its factory production operations. The successful candidate will play a strategic and hands-on role in upgrading production systems, improving manufacturing processes, introducing modern technologies, and increasing the overall efficiency and profitability of the factory.

The Mechanical Engineer will be responsible for assessing the current factory setup, identifying production limitations and developing practical engineering solutions to improve capacity, productivity, quality, safety and operational efficiency. The position requires a candidate who can go beyond routine maintenance and actively lead factory improvement, mechanisation, automation and production optimisation initiatives.

The successful candidate will conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing machinery, production processes, workflows, infrastructure, utilities and equipment. Based on the assessment, they will identify bottlenecks, obsolete machinery, manual processes, capacity limitations, production risks and areas where automation or mechanisation can improve performance. The engineer will then develop and implement a structured factory modernisation and upgrade plan.

A key responsibility will be improving production engineering processes. The successful candidate will establish efficient production workflows, production standards, machine utilisation targets and acceptable turnaround times. They will analyse production data to identify inefficiencies and implement corrective measures aimed at reducing downtime, material wastage, rework, rejects and unnecessary production costs.

The role will also involve machinery management and reliability. The Mechanical Engineer will establish preventive and predictive maintenance programmes covering factory machinery and equipment. They will develop maintenance schedules, equipment records and maintenance standards while monitoring recurring equipment failures. The engineer will be expected to identify root causes of breakdowns and recommend whether equipment should be repaired, replaced, refurbished or upgraded based on technical and commercial considerations.

The company also expects the successful candidate to identify opportunities for automation and mechanisation. This may include evaluating technologies such as CNC routers, laser cutting equipment, automated cutting and finishing systems, 3D printing, digital printing technologies and other modern production equipment. Experience with CAD/CAM and engineering design software will be valuable in supporting the implementation of modern production systems.

The Mechanical Engineer will also contribute to factory layout improvements. They will review existing production flows and recommend layouts that minimise unnecessary movement of materials, reduce production delays and improve the utilisation of available factory space. The engineer will work with relevant departments to ensure that production capability aligns with customer and commercial requirements.

Project management will be another important aspect of the position. The successful candidate will develop project plans, budgets, timelines and implementation milestones for factory improvement projects. They will coordinate machinery suppliers, contractors, consultants and installation teams while monitoring project expenditure and ensuring that projects are completed according to approved specifications, budgets and timelines.

The engineer will also be responsible for supporting quality improvement initiatives. They will establish appropriate quality-control checkpoints, develop standard operating procedures and work with production teams to reduce defects, rework, rejects and customer complaints. The goal will be to establish consistent production standards and ensure that finished products meet the required technical specifications.

Safety and compliance will remain a major priority. The Mechanical Engineer will identify mechanical and operational risks, support factory safety inspections and ensure that machinery has appropriate guarding, emergency systems and safety controls. They will promote safe working practices and an engineering culture based on accountability, discipline and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will also participate in team development by training production and technical staff on proper machine operation, maintenance practices and production procedures. They will help develop technical capacity within the factory, mentor supervisors and technical personnel, and encourage employees to adopt problem-solving and continuous-improvement practices.

Within the first few months, the successful candidate is expected to complete a detailed factory engineering and production audit, identify major production bottlenecks, develop a factory upgrade master plan, review the existing production layout and identify priority machinery and equipment requiring acquisition, replacement or upgrading. The engineer will also be expected to establish maintenance and machine-performance monitoring systems and identify immediate opportunities for cost reduction and productivity improvement.

Over the longer term, the successful candidate will be expected to deliver measurable improvements in production capacity, machine utilisation, equipment reliability, production turnaround times, material efficiency, product quality and overall production costs.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants should have a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or a related discipline. Professional registration with the relevant engineering regulatory body will be an added advantage.

The ideal candidate should have at least 7 years of relevant experience in manufacturing, industrial production, factory engineering or a related environment. Demonstrable experience in factory setup, refurbishment, mechanisation, automation or production optimisation will be highly valuable.

Experience with manufacturing machinery, fabrication equipment, CNC equipment, digital printing or related production technologies will be an advantage. Candidates should also demonstrate experience in project management, contractor management, equipment selection and production process improvement.

Key Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate strong mechanical and technical problem-solving abilities, manufacturing and production optimisation skills, project management capability, equipment selection knowledge and an understanding of automation and mechanisation.

Proficiency in CAD/CAM and relevant engineering software is desirable. Knowledge of lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, preventive maintenance, production data analysis, cost optimisation, health and safety and risk management will also be beneficial.

The ideal candidate should be a hands-on engineer with strong leadership, commercial awareness and innovation skills. They should be capable of identifying production challenges, developing practical technical solutions, implementing improvements and measuring their impact on factory performance.

Key Performance Areas

Performance in this role will be assessed through improvements in production capacity, machine utilisation, equipment reliability, production turnaround time, quality, material efficiency, maintenance compliance, safety and overall production costs. Successful implementation of automation and mechanisation projects and completion of factory improvement projects within approved budgets and timelines will also be important indicators of success.

The successful candidate will ultimately contribute to developing a high-capacity, technologically advanced, efficient and commercially competitive production facility capable of serving the wider East and Central African market.

Method of ApplicationInterested and qualified? Go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4VlPBhEYHOxz0_tsVA7LD-a_6o0FWE0OTR7UKjGVN7RLz0g/viewform to apply

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