Engineering Manager

Engineering Manager

Nautilus Pharma is seeking an experienced Engineering Manager to lead the engineering function at our manufacturing facility in Kuils River, Cape Town.

This is a key leadership role responsible for ensuring the reliability, safety and performance of our equipment, utilities and infrastructure within a highly regulated manufacturing environment. The successful candidate will combine strong technical expertise with sound commercial judgement, effective people leadership and disciplined project execution.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the engineering team and ensure the effective delivery of maintenance, facilities and engineering services.
• Develop and manage planned and corrective maintenance programmes to improve equipment reliability and minimise unplanned downtime.
• Drive root cause analysis and reliability engineering initiatives.
• Maintain equipment uptime and support the achievement of production and operational targets.
• Oversee critical utilities, including power, water, HVAC and compressed air.
• Lead engineering, automation and continuous improvement projects from initial design and scope development through to implementation and financial closure.
• Prepare business cases and return-on-investment analyses for capital investments.
• Manage engineering operational and capital expenditure budgets, project timelines and resource requirements.
• Maintain the site asset register and conduct equipment and utility criticality and lifecycle assessments.
• Manage engineering change controls relating to equipment, utilities, facilities, automation systems and site layouts.
• Ensure that validations, qualifications and calibrations are completed within the required timeframes.
• Maintain compliance with Good Engineering Practice, current Good Manufacturing Practice, HACCP and applicable quality, safety and environmental requirements.
• Ensure engineering procedures and technical drawings remain accurate and up to date.
• Manage contractors, vendors and service-level agreements.
• Build a capable, accountable and safety-conscious engineering team through clear performance expectations, coaching and development.
• Mentor apprentices and support the development of technical capability within the department.

Minimum requirements

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Mechatronics Engineering.
• At least five years’ senior engineering management experience within a pharmaceutical or FMCG manufacturing environment.
• At least three years’ project management experience.
• Sound knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Engineering Practice.
• Working knowledge of relevant health, safety, and employment legislation.
• Strong maintenance, reliability, and facilities management experience.
• Proven experience in managing engineering budgets and capital projects.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical and project management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

Advantageous

• Project management qualification.
• Maintenance management qualification.
• Experience with automation, CAD drawings, equipment lifecycle planning and regulated manufacturing utilities.

The person we are looking for

You are a practical and commercially aware engineering leader who remains calm under pressure and takes ownership of results. You can move comfortably between the factory floor, technical problem-solving, project planning and senior-level business discussions.

You lead with clarity and accountability, build constructive relationships across departments and maintain high standards of quality, safety and regulatory compliance.

If you are ready to lead an engineering function that directly supports manufacturing performance, reliability and future growth, we would like to hear from you.

Work Location: In person