Engineering Office Coordinator at Phakisa Group

Position Overview

• Our client is seeking a commercially minded and technically capable Engineering Office Coordinator to coordinate the administrative and commercial workflow of engineering jobs from initial customer enquiry through to final delivery and invoicing. The successful candidate will act as a key link between management, customers, suppliers, purchasing, and the workshop, ensuring that engineering jobs progress efficiently, accurately, and on time. The ideal candidate will have experience working in an engineering, machining, fabrication, steel, industrial supplies, or similar technical environment, with a strong understanding of purchasing, quotations, and job administration.

Key Workflow

• The Engineering Office Coordinator will oversee and coordinate the workflow: RFQ → Quotation → PO → Job → Purchasing → Delivery → Invoice

Key Responsibilities
Quotations & Customer Enquiries

• Receive and coordinate customer enquiries and Requests for Quotations (RFQs).
• Review requirements and ensure all information required for quoting is available.
• Liaise with management and technical/workshop teams to obtain pricing, lead times, and technical information.
• Prepare and issue accurate quotations to customers.
• Follow up on outstanding quotations and customer feedback.
• Maintain professional communication with customers throughout the process.

Purchase Orders & Job Coordination

• Receive and process customer Purchase Orders (POs).
• Verify that POs correspond with approved quotations and agreed pricing.
• Create and maintain job documentation and ensure information is communicated to the workshop.
• Track jobs from order confirmation through to completion.
• Monitor deadlines, lead times, and outstanding requirements.
• Identify delays or issues and escalate them to management.

Purchasing & Supplier Coordination

• Prepare and process purchasing requirements for engineering jobs.
• Obtain supplier quotations where required.
• Place and follow up on purchase orders with suppliers.
• Liaise with suppliers regarding pricing, availability, and delivery dates.
• Ensure materials, components, and services are available when required by the workshop.
• Monitor supplier deliveries and resolve discrepancies where necessary.

Workshop & Production Coordination

• Act as the administrative link between the office and workshop.
• Ensure workshop teams have the correct job information, specifications, and documentation.
• Track job progress and communicate updates to customers and management.
• Coordinate priorities where multiple engineering jobs are in progress.
• Ensure completed jobs are ready for collection or delivery.

Delivery & Logistics

• Coordinate customer deliveries and collections.
• Confirm completed work and delivery requirements.
• Liaise with customers regarding delivery dates and arrangements.
• Ensure relevant delivery documentation is completed and maintained.

Invoicing & Job Close-Out

• Ensure completed jobs are accurately invoiced.
• Verify that invoices correspond with customer POs and agreed quotations.
• Follow up on outstanding documentation required for invoicing.
• Assist with resolving invoice queries and discrepancies.
• Ensure jobs are properly closed out and records are updated.

Administration & Reporting

• Maintain accurate job, quotation, purchasing, and customer records.
• Monitor outstanding RFQs, orders, purchases, deliveries, and invoices.
• Provide management with updates on job status and outstanding actions.
• Maintain organized electronic and physical documentation.
• Assist with improving administrative and workflow processes.

Minimum Requirements

• Matric / Grade 12.
• Relevant qualification in Business Administration, Operations, Engineering Administration, Supply Chain, or a related field will be advantageous.
• 3–5 years' experience in a similar coordination/administrative role.
• Previous experience within an engineering, machining, fabrication, steel, manufacturing, industrial supplies, or technical environment is strongly advantageous.
• Experience handling RFQs, quotations, Purchase Orders, purchasing, and invoicing.
• Strong computer literacy, particularly Microsoft Excel and Outlook.
• Experience working with an ERP, accounting, or job-management system will be advantageous.
• Strong numerical and administrative ability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Key Competencies

• Commercially minded and cost-conscious.
• Technically confident and able to understand engineering-related requirements.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent organizational and coordination skills.
• Ability to manage multiple jobs and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong follow-up skills.
• Proactive problem solver.
• Customer-focused and professional.
• Able to communicate effectively with management, customers, suppliers, and workshop personnel.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• The ideal candidate is someone who understands how an engineering job moves through a business, rather than someone who only performs general office administration. They should be comfortable dealing with customers, technical staff, suppliers, quotations, purchasing, job tracking, and invoices, and be able to identify when something is holding up the workflow and take action to resolve it.