Engineering Manager - Product and Process

About the role

We are seeking an experienced and results‑driven Engineering Manager – Product & Process to lead the development, improvement and optimisation of products and manufacturing processes at Safran Electronics & Defence South Africa. The role combines product engineering, process engineering and project leadership to deliver engineering excellence, quality enhancements and operational efficiency.

Key responsibilities

• Lead product development, industrialisation and continuous product improvement while ensuring compliance with customer, quality, regulatory and business requirements.
• Manage the full product lifecycle – from concept through production to end‑of‑life – using configuration identification, control and status tracking.
• Drive cost‑reduction, value‑engineering and product optimisation initiatives in collaboration with customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Develop, implement and continuously improve manufacturing processes, leading Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and other continuous‑improvement projects.
• Identify and act on opportunities to increase productivity, efficiency, quality and safety, establishing process controls and monitoring KPIs.
• Lead, coach and develop a multidisciplinary engineering team, setting objectives aligned with business goals and managing budgets and project priorities.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• 8‑10 years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment, with at least 5 years in a management or leadership role.
• Proven track record in product development, process improvement and project management.
• Strong commercial acumen, excellent written and verbal communication in English and ability to work with cross‑functional teams.

Required skills

• Lean Six Sigma methodology and certification (advantageous).
• Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Six Sigma tools and techniques.
• Process optimisation tools and techniques.
• Configuration management (identification, control and status tracking).