Electrical Engineer at The Biovac Institute

About the job

The Biovac Institute requires an Electrical Engineer to contribute to its mission of establishing local biological and vaccine manufacturing capability at its Cape Town based site. Being the only one of its kind in South Africa, Biovac strives to respond to the vaccine needs of the developing countries, specifically South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. This is a particularly exciting time for the company as it continues to grow, strengthen and build on its success and further develop its capabilities, products, services and market diversification. The successful incumbent will report to Engineering Manager.

Job Purpose

• Continually strives to deliver solutions through teamwork that ensures continuous improvement through innovative solutions.
• Provides guidance, coaching, and mentoring of departmental staff.
• Ensures compliance in accordance with the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 and the Pharmacy Act 53 of 1974, and the organization’s policies, procedures, and other applicable laws.
• Continuously builds and supports a sound quality assurance culture aligned to cGMP within Biovac.
• Responsible for scoping and execution of engineering projects
• Establish world class best practice and implement changes to achieve these in the above-mentioned areas
• Responsible for scoping and execution of engineering projects
• Provide guidance & support for commissioning & operational qualification / re-qualification of equipment / system.
• Responsible for environmental & safety aspects within these functions
• Responsible for maintenance of inventories at optimum level (availability of spare parts and operating supplies)
• Continually strive to deliver solutions through teamwork that ensures continuous improvement through innovative solutions.
• Achieving / maintaining of the facilities and processes in full compliance with the current regulations and guidelines - both local and international
• Participates in project teams and supports other relevant organizational departments.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

People Management (Inter and intra departmental)

• Achieves high performance and provides the required support to other areas of the business to ensure overall company success
• Provides strategic, operational, and behavioural mentoring and guidance to Technicians
• Ensures continuous internal and external knowledge & skills development of the unit in line with on the job and legislation.

Business Management

• Shared accountability for achieving the site’s operational and tactical plans and mitigation of any risk to the site operation including workflow, ethics, quality, finances, regulatory compliance, and other material company requirements.
• Identify and continuously present key opportunities and synergies that will improve and/ or expand the operation within own and/ or other departments.
• Lead or participate in departmental and/ or site wide projects.
• Monitoring & reporting on key operations, critical numbers and key performance indicators that impacts the business’s short, medium- and long-term objectives.
• Participate with the site management team in proactively mitigating risks and find solutions where possible.
• Lead organizations transition into commercial operations and mind-set as well as instituting this across site with regards to managing efficiencies, reducing wastage, and contributing to overall profitability.

Quality Management

• Achieve high performance, through the Quality Management team, against the Quality Unit’s deliverables and provide the required support to other areas in the business to ensure overall company success
• Ensures maintenance activities are performed in compliance of SA GMP guide including GEP activities. Maintenance schedules in place for all equipment/ systems on site.
• Ensures the relevant expertise and current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) alignment exists within the teams.
• Continuously build and support a sound quality assurance culture aligned to cGMP within Biovac.

Core Technical:

• Knowledge of Industrial PC’s and / Soft PLC controlled systems is compulsory.
• Instrumentation and equipment calibration experience is required.
• Strong fault findings skills and problem solving is required.
• Sound knowledge on Siemens S7 PLC fault finding and Basic programming, Siemens WinCC and ProTool, Wonderware InTouch Scada systems, Historian and System Platform.
• Responsible for the management of the planned and preventative maintenance function on the site
• Establish world class best practice and implement changes to achieve these in the above-mentioned areas
• Life cycle costing; Implementation of PM strategy
• Utilising information technology as a design aid for replacement, and maintenance strategies for mechanical and Utilities engineering services
• Proactively mitigate general business as well as area of responsibility- related risks and find ways to mitigate these.

Technical Competencies required to perform this aspect of the role:

• Relationship building ability
• Coaching/ mentoring ability
• Delegation and role clarity for team
• Conflict Management
• Negotiation Ability
• Metric & KPI development
• Technical Report Writing
• Operational Costing & Budgeting
• Coaching & Mentoring of peers & staff
• Experience in the building services industry made up of local and international exposure and has acquired a good level of knowledge in the field including:
• Mechanical building services design (including HVAC, compressed air, pure fluids, steam, natural gas); Pharmaceutical / medical building services design
• Utilising information technology as a design aid Access, replacement, and maintenance strategies for mechanical and Utilities engineering services
• Life cycle costing; Advising on PM strategy and implementation
• Proactively mitigate general business as well as area of responsibility- related risks and find ways to mitigate these.
• Ensure effective and comprehensive planning of the unit/ sections’ financial forecast and budget requirements
• Instil a cost-conscious culture and responsible investment in initiatives that add value to the business and fits within the financial plan and priorities
• Drive continuous improvement plans and priorities through the implementation of appropriate tools or methodologies in order to proactively manage risk, reduce wastage and to improve quality on site.

Generic Competencies required to perform this aspect of the role:

• Strategic & Holistic Thinking
• Sustainable Stakeholder Management
• Financial Acumen
• Action & Results Oriented
• Assertive & Resilient
• Proactive in mitigating risk
• Clear, timely and effective communication skills both verbally and in writing
• Analytical Ability
• Maintains confidentiality and trust
• Ethical leadership
• Project planning, implementation, execution and close out skills.

Experience & industry accreditation/ knowledge

Required:

• Sound experience in project management.
• Experience in general business management.
• Sound technical ability and hands on approach on qualification activities.

Preferred:

• 5-10 years’ experience in vaccine / biotech industry or equivalent would be advantageous.
• GCC certificate
• Experience in having faced successfully local and international quality audits would be an advantage
• Quality & regulatory compliance knowledge, i.e. SA GMP, PIC/S and WHO would be an advantage.

Qualifications

Required:

• Electrical or Electronic Engineering Degree or equivalent
• Recognition is given to Prior Learning and practical experience.

Other Requirements

• Own reliable transport

Kindly note that by submitting your application for this career opportunity you agree that Biovac may use your application for the purpose of the recruitment and selection of the said position and this information may be shared with the relevant stakeholders in the business