Industrial Engineer (Jnr)

Introduction

The company is looking for a young, energetic and practically minded Industrial Engineer to join our engineering team. This role is ideal for someone with 1 to 3 years of experience who enjoys analysing data, implementing technology practically, and improving processes within agricultural and horticultural environments.

The role focuses on agricultural technology, existing farm systems, data analysis, financial performance monitoring, horticultural technology and process improvement . The candidate will form part of a team of engineers who work across different departments while supporting one another with problem-solving, implementation, data analysis and continuous improvement.

Purpose of the Role

The purpose of this position is to support the company’s farm and garden teams through the practical use of technology, data, financial analysis and process improvement.

The engineer will gain an understanding of existing processes and systems, improve the availability and usability of data, assist with the implementation of technology, and ensure that improvements are sustainably integrated into daily operations.

An important part of the role is to use and improve existing farm systems so that the profitability of farming activities can be monitored continuously. The engineer must be able to connect operational data with costs, yields, resource utilisation and financial performance.

Key Responsibilities

1. Agricultural Technology and Data Analysis

• Work with the farm team to understand farm processes, data flows and decision-making requirements.

• Identify opportunities where technology and data can be better utilised for planning, execution and follow-up.

• Assist with the implementation and improvement of systems that support precision agriculture, cost savings and better resource utilisation.

• Analyse data relating to production, labour, yields, input costs, time allocation and resource usage.

• Develop simple reports, dashboards and measurements to make operational performance visible.

• Support managers with data-driven insights to enable better decision-making.

• Document data flows, processes and improvements to ensure that they can be used sustainably.

2. Existing Farm Systems and Profitability Monitoring

• Use system data to analyse activities, labour, water, pesticides, costs and yields.

• Identify trends, deviations, inefficiencies and cost-saving opportunities.

• Assist in making profitability visible per farming activity, block, crop or workflow.

• Develop and improve reports, dashboards and measurements to support decision-making.

• Improve the accuracy, completeness and usability of data within existing systems.

Financial analysis will be an important part of the role. The candidate must be comfortable connecting operational data to costs, yields and profitability.

3. Horticultural Technology and Process Improvement

• Work with the garden team to understand the daily operations, challenges and requirements of the garden.

• Identify opportunities where technology, improved processes or digital tools can support the garden team.

• Assist with the implementation of technology for garden maintenance, task management, planning, follow-up and reporting.

• Improve processes relating to work planning, accountability, prioritisation, routine maintenance and communication.

4. General Process Improvement and Implementation

• Map current and future work processes within the farm and garden environments.

• Identify bottlenecks, waste, recurring problems and opportunities for standardisation.

• Develop practical solutions together with the relevant teams.

• Work with managers, team leaders, IT, technology providers and operational personnel.

• Support change management through communication, training, documentation and follow-up.

• Share learnings and improvement opportunities with the broader engineering team.

Key Characteristics of the Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a practical, curious and self-driven Industrial Engineer who is comfortable working across people, processes, data, technology and financial performance.

Minimum Requirements

• BEng degree in Industrial Engineering.

• 1 to 3 years of relevant work experience.

• Good Excel and data analysis skills.

• Basic understanding of costing, financial analysis or profitability measurement.

• Good Afrikaans and English communication skills.

• Willingness to be practically involved in farm and garden environments.

• An interest in agriculture, horticulture, technology, data, financial performance and practical problem-solving.

• Ability to work independently, while also working effectively as part of a team.

Working Environment

The role will not be limited to office-based work. The engineer will regularly spend time with operational teams on the farm and in the garden to gain first-hand insight into processes, challenges, data and practical requirements.

The candidate must be comfortable working with people at different levels of the organisation, from managers to team leaders and operational personnel. The candidate will also work alongside the broader engineering team, where ideas, methods and solutions are shared.