Production Manager

Job Advert Summary

• We're looking for an experienced Production Manager to take full ownership of our Heat Treatment Department. This is a hands-on leadership role that combines technical metallurgical expertise with strategic, commercial and people leadership. You'll shape how we deliver quality, performance and growth for our customers.

Minimum Requirements

• Matric (Grade 12).

• A recognised tertiary qualification in Metallurgy (bachelor's degree or National Diploma, NQF Level 6 or higher) is essential. An additional qualification in Engineering, Production Management, Operations Management or a related field will be advantageous.

• 8–10 years' manufacturing experience, including a minimum of 5 years in a production or operations management role, of which management experience in a heat treatment environment is essential.

• Experience in steel, engineering or heavy manufacturing environments.

• Strong understanding of heat treatment processes, metallurgical principles and production management.

• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office and production management systems.

Duties and Responsibilities

Production & Operations Management

• Direct all heat treatment production activities to achieve throughput, productivity and delivery targets.

• Develop and execute production plans aligned to customer demand, capacity and operational requirements.

• Monitor furnace utilisation, turnaround times, workflow, productivity and operational performance.

• Interpret material specifications, technical drawings and customer requirements to determine optimal treatment cycles.

• Coordinate production, quality, maintenance, and support functions to ensure seamless operations.

• Analyse operational metrics and implement corrective actions to address bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

• Provide technical leadership and oversight for all heat treatment operations, ensuring compliance with customer specifications, metallurgical requirements and industry standards.

• Develop, review, approve and continuously optimise heat treatment procedures for steel grades, product dimensions and customer applications.

• Determine and authorise appropriate heat treatment cycles including annealing, normalising, stress relieving, quenching and tempering.

• Monitor and control furnace temperatures, soak times, quench conditions, cooling rates, tempering temperatures and load configurations.

• Interpret material certificates, metallurgical test reports, technical drawings and customer requirements.

• Ensure the controlled atmosphere furnaces are set correctly for the amount of nitrogen, methanol and LPG to prevent oxidation, decarbonisation, soot formation and other surface defects.

Strategic & Business Growth

• Develop and implement departmental strategies aligned to business objectives.

• Identify opportunities to improve capacity, service delivery, profitability and customer satisfaction.

• Contribute to long-term operational planning and sustainable business growth.

Financial Management

• Manage the Heat Treatment Department budget and control costs including overtime within approved limits.

• Monitor labour, energy, maintenance and consumable expenditure.

• Drive cost reduction initiatives while maintaining quality and safety standards.

• Prepare and present operational and financial performance reports.

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, mentor and motivate departmental teams to achieve performance objectives.

• Foster a culture of accountability, respect, teamwork and high performance.

• Conduct performance reviews and implement development plans.

• Identify training requirements and support skills development and succession planning.

Maintenance & Asset Reliability

• Ensure effective preventative maintenance programmes for furnaces and supporting equipment.

• Drive equipment reliability, plant availability and downtime reduction initiatives.

• Support maintenance planning and capital replacement strategies.

• Ensure assets operate safely and efficiently.

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Champion a Safety Always culture across all departmental activities.

• Ensure compliance with OHSA, ISO standards, internal policies and customer requirements.

• Lead investigations into quality, safety and operational incidents and implement corrective actions.

• Maintain traceability, documentation integrity and audit readiness.

• Drive continuous improvement in quality performance and process control.

Deadline:9th November,2026