Plant Manager at Tharisa

Operational Management

• Provide input to strategic plans of the section by compiling comprehensive operational plans, converting the Department into an enabler of the overall business strategy of the organisation.
• Keep abreast of changes in relevant guidelines and other legislation, to make recommendations where policies, processes and/or procedures require amendment.
• Develop, enhance and implement policies, processes and Operational procedures that are within the respective Department aimed at the enhancement of service delivery and overall productivity within the Department.
• Develop and drive the implementation of operational strategies and procedures to maximise productivity and throughput planning for the plant.
•  Manage process controls and make adjustments and recommendations with regards to the set controls and processes to align with the plant’s changing needs.  
• Lead the production planning and throughput by coordinating services, executing maintenance plans in the plants and setting up process parameters to ensure continuous productivity and minimise downtime.
• Implement and monitor operational plans and activities through the alignment of plant processes to the agreed business plans and process parameters to optimise efficiency and maintain quality of products.
• Collaborate with various internal stakeholders within the plant to set in motion plans and targets to ensure uninterrupted plant operations to achieve monthly and quarterly targets.

Financial Management

• Analyse all relevant Department data and report on Departmental trends and operating requirements so as to determine funding requirements for the financial year.
• Monitor short-term Departmental budgets by scrutinising and aligning spend within the Department, to support and drive effective and efficient functioning within budgetary constraints.
• Monitor Departmental expenditure against budget allocations, requesting appropriate reallocation as required, to manage the prevention of unnecessary spend.
• Comply with all financial, Supply Chain Management (SCM) and other Tharisa Minerals (TM) regulations and policies by facilitating the right actions, to reduce financial risk in the Department.
• Develop and manage the plant’s budget to ensure that the Department’s strategies including procurement and maintenance of machinery/equipment and spare parts are adequately budgeted for.
• Develop and manage a functional budget for the plant to ensure that the strategic deliverables, operational plans and minor projects are adequately budgeted for.
• Lead the implementation of effective inventory control, financial control and management of costs in order to minimise expenditure and report on cost efficiency.

People Management

• Create and maintain a conducive work environment by appropriately applying Human Resources policies and procedures to ensure optimum performance is realised for the benefit of the Department and, by extension, the organisation.
• Lead the team according to TM’s leadership principles and values throughout the entire employee life cycle (performance management, reward etc) to ensure, inter alia, a high-performance culture.
• Coach, mentor and train teams and drive efforts to ensure adequate training and skills development is in place to improve employee performance.
• Manage a high-performance culture for the Plant by providing critical and timely feedback (both positive and critical), enabling individuals to improve and work as effectively as possible to meet operational goals.
• Implement clear human capability and accountability frameworks within the plant in line with TM’s people management strategies.
• Lead the implementation of a performance management plan that optimises delivery and builds a culture of accountability, recognition and fairness across the plant.
• Manage, motivate and lead direct reports and undertake monthly performance reviews of all key Departmental staff to ensure a consistent performance tracking and put development plans in place to create a high performing team and a conducive employee climate.
• Lead the identification and development of talent by ensuring adequate staffing, providing regular mentoring, coaching and training in order to ensure a competent and capable workforce in line with TM’s people strategies. 

Stakeholder Relations

• Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure information, advice or opinions on relevant matters is made available and/or communicated with all relevant stakeholders, to manage expectations and timelines.
• Utilise opportunities presented to enhance the relationship between management, unions and employees, and implement processes to maximise a collaborative working relationship.
• Manage relationships and maintain effective communication channels with external stakeholders including suppliers and contractors to track and ensure timely delivery of materials, equipment and services required for plant operations.
• Manage relationships with the community and relevant stakeholders to ensure safety of the plant and teams during planned protests and shutdowns.

Safety, Risk and Compliance

• Monitor and manage tailings dam legal inspections to ensure compliance with industry standards and mitigate any risks related to tailings.
• Drive the implementation and adherence to safety protocols, regulatory compliance and environmental standards to ensure a safe working environment in line with the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA).
• Develop a risk register to keep record of potential risks and implement a work ethos across the plant that is committed to safeguarding employee safety, health and wellbeing and take remedial actions where necessary to minimise incidents.
• Develop and drive the implementation of an integrated Risk management and compliance framework for the plant in order to measure and report on risk and ensure risk escalation and compliance.

Data analysis

• Analyse data generated by plant metallurgists, interpret results and make adjustments and recommendations to inform changes in processes or improvement needs.
• Drive the utilisation of data analysis tools and software to analyse data, analyse trends and generate management reports to aid in providing insights and solutions for improvement.
• Provide periodic reports on operational performance against set plans and progress on long-term initiatives and use insights and feedback from the reports to realign operating plan and objectives appropriately.
• Oversee the utilisation of audit processes, business intelligence and other information to collect and analyse data to identify improvement opportunities and escalate risks.

Requirements

Qualifications:

• Grade 12 (NQF Level 4)
• Bachelor’s Degree (NQF7) in Chemical Engineering / Metallurgy

Job specific experience:

• 10 years’ experience as a metallurgical engineer/ metallurgist of which at least 5 years managing processing plants
• Previous legal appointment (Sec 3(1)a or Reg 2.6.1 of MHSA)
• Experience/Exposure on MS Dynamics F&O, Reporting tools: MS Power BI

Inherent requirements

Must be medically fit.

Closing Date: 08 May 2026