Chief Engineer

The Chief Engineering Manager provides strategic leadership and governance over the engineering and plant infrastructure functions. This role is responsible for long-term asset reliability, capital planning, risk management, engineering standards, and infrastructure sustainability.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Engineering Strategy & Governance

• Develop and implement the long-term engineering and asset management strategy.
• Establish engineering policies, standards, and performance benchmarks.
• Provide technical governance oversight across all plant infrastructure systems.
• Ensure alignment between engineering capability and overall business strategy.

2. Capital Planning & Infrastructure Development

• Lead capital planning initiatives, including plant modernization and infrastructure upgrades.
• Prepare and justify capital expenditure proposals.
• Oversee feasibility studies, vendor selection, and contract negotiations for major projects.
• Ensure projects are delivered within approved timelines and budgets.
• Guide automation and digital transformation initiatives within the plant.

3. Asset Reliability & Risk Management

• Oversee plant-wide asset reliability programs.
• Implement structured asset lifecycle management systems.
• Lead risk assessments related to critical equipment and utilities.
• Develop business continuity strategies for infrastructure failures.
• Monitor key engineering performance indicators (MTBF, downtime trends, energy utilization, etc.)

4. Operational Support & Technical Advisory

• Serve as senior technical advisor to the General Manager and Operations Manager.
• Provide high-level troubleshooting guidance for major technical issues.
• Evaluate operational data to recommend structural or engineering improvements.
• Ensure engineering capabilities support production efficiency without directly managing daily production workflows.

5. Compliance, Safety & Environmental Oversight

• Provide executive oversight of plant compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
• Ensure engineering systems meet statutory, regulatory, and industry standards.
• Collaborate with the HSSE team to ensure compliance audits related to plant infrastructure and utilities.
• Oversee energy management and sustainability initiatives in conjunction with the HSSE team.

6. Financial Stewardship

• Develop and manage the engineering and capital expenditure budgets.
• Analyze lifecycle costs and return-on-investment for major plant upgrades.
• Drive cost optimization initiatives in utilities, energy, and infrastructure maintenance.
• Provide quarterly performance reporting on engineering spend and asset performance.

7. Leadership & Organizational Development

• Provide leadership to Engineering Teams.
• Establish performance KPIs for engineering functions aligned to plant objectives.
• Participate in workforce planning and succession planning at a senior level.
• Support talent development in technical leadership roles.
• Partner with the General Manager and HR on organizational capability development for engineering staff.

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, and Finance to align infrastructure capabilities with production demands.
• Participate in strategic planning and growth initiatives.
• Represent the engineering function at senior management meetings.

Requirements:

1. Education and Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Engineering Management required.
• MBA or postgraduate qualification in Strategic Management, Asset Management, or Business Leadership preferred.

2. Professional Credentials

• Chartered Engineer (or equivalent professional registration) preferred.
• Certification in Asset Management (e.g., ISO 55001), Project Management (PMP), or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading capital-intensive projects.

3. Experience:

• Minimum 10–12 years of progressive experience in industrial manufacturing.
• At least 5 years in a senior leadership capacity with strategic accountability.
• Proven experience managing large-scale capital projects and plant modernization initiatives.
• Experience in agro-processing or heavy industrial manufacturing preferred.