Electrician: Grain Storage and Silo Operations - VKB Engineering Services, Reitz at VKB Group

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means:

• Grain intake, handling and dispatch operations experience minimal unplanned downtime.
• Electrical and automation faults are diagnosed and resolved efficiently.
• Preventative and predictive maintenance programmes are executed effectively.
• Electrical infrastructure remains compliant, safe and reliable.
• Harvest season operations continue with minimal disruption.
• junior employees are developed through coaching, knowledge sharing and mentoring.
• Opportunities for optimisation and continuous improvement are identified and implemented.
• Strong relationships are built with operational and technical stakeholders.

Who Are We Looking For?

We are looking for a hands-on, solutions-focused electrician with proven experience in grain storage, grain handling, agricultural processing or silo environments.

The ideal candidate:

• Understands the operational demands of a grain silo environment.
• Has practical experience maintaining grain handling equipment.
• Can perform structured fault-finding under pressure.
• Takes ownership of equipment reliability and plant uptime.
• Is comfortable working at heights and within agricultural operating environments.
• Demonstrates strong leadership potential.
• Values safety, accountability and teamwork.
• Wants to play an active role in supporting farmers and the agricultural industry.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Grade 12 (Matric) with Mathematics and Science.
• Electrical Trade Test (Red Seal).
• Wireman's Licence for Low Voltage installations up to 1kV.
• Valid Code B Driver's Licence.
• Clear criminal record.

Essential Experience

• Minimum 10 years' experience as a qualified Electrician in an industrial, agricultural processing or grain handling environment.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in grain storage, grain handling, grain processing, feed milling or silo operations.
• Experience maintaining and fault-finding on grain handling equipment.
• Experience with industrial automation and electrical control systems.
• Experience operating in environments where equipment uptime is critical.
• Experience supervising apprentices, contractors or junior technicians.

Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong problem-solving ability.
• Advanced fault-finding and diagnostic skills.
• Accountability and ownership.
• Adaptability and resilience.
• Attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Leadership and coaching ability.
• Teamwork and collaboration.
• Ability to perform under pressure.
• Commitment to continuous improvement.

Skills Required

• Advanced electrical maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Industrial automation and control systems.
• PLC fault-finding and diagnostics.
• Variable Speed Drive (VSD) troubleshooting.
• Medium and Low Voltage switching.
• Preventative and predictive maintenance.
• Technical documentation and reporting.
• Project planning and coordination.
• Computer literacy including Microsoft Office.
• Mentoring and team leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Electrical Maintenance

• Conduct preventative, predictive and corrective maintenance.
• Diagnose and resolve faults on electrical and automation systems.
• Maintain electrical infrastructure, substations and control systems.
• Execute safe switching and isolation procedures.

Grain Handling Systems

Maintain and troubleshoot:

• Bucket elevators.
• Belt conveyors.
• Chain conveyors.
• Drag conveyors.
• Augers.
• Grain intake systems.
• Grain dryers.
• Aeration systems.
• Grain storage facilities.
• PLC-controlled equipment.
• Automation and monitoring systems.

Projects and Continuous Improvement

• Assist with electrical upgrade projects.
• Improve plant reliability and performance.
• Support commissioning of new equipment.
• Contribute to energy efficiency and operational improvement initiatives.

Compliance and Safety

• Ensure compliance with applicable legislation and company standards.
• Maintain maintenance records and documentation.
• Adhere to occupational health and safety requirements.
• Support a culture of safe work practices.

Leadership

• Mentor and develop apprentices and junior team members.
• Support technical training initiatives.
• Promote accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.

Working Environment

Applicants should be aware that this role requires:

• Working at heights and on elevated grain handling infrastructure.
• Exposure to dust, noise and agricultural operating environments.
• Overtime and standby responsibilities during harvest periods.
• Responding to after-hours breakdowns when operationally required.
• Working in a high-accountability environment where equipment reliability is critical to business operations.

Closing Date 10 October 2026