Principal Structural / Mechanical Infrastructure Engineer at Anglo American

Job Description:
The purpose of the role is to support the Head of AS&R - Platinum, in conjunction with Business Units/Operating Units AS&R leads and the Business/Operating Units mechanical, (structural and civil) engineers and operational teams to improve the overall BU maturity in terms of asset management. This position provides discipline leadership and expertise in mechanical and structural/civil engineering, associated plant and equipment, through the development and deployment of appropriate engineering systems.

The Structrual / Mechanical Engineer ensures appropriate site Infrastructure Master Plans are in place to support the development of the LOM. The Master Plans focus on the development of the site infrastructure, plant and equipment as the mine develops. It is the responsibility of this position to ensure that sites develop and implement appropriate Infrastructure Integrity Plans for key/critical infrastructure. These plans would focus on minimising production and supply risks by focusing on the condition and integrity of key site structures such as concrete and steel structures, pumping and pipeline systems, roads, tanks and vessels, emission stacks, pressure vessels etc.

The focus will be on the technical management of the Structural/Mechanical/Civil discipline issues and will make use of appropriate expertise to assist with the management thereof.

Provide project, operational and maintenance governance across the Smelting and Refining operations in support of the AS&R strategy and business objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strive for technical excellence through the deployment of standards, specifications and leading practices.
• Lead the Mechanical/Structural/Civil Engineering discipline for the effective communication and dissemination of discipline technical and related safety information.
• Initiate and lead investigations into safety incidents, instances of significant equipment failure and share learnings across the operations and group.
• Conduct safety, plant, equipment and infrastructure audits at BU/OU’s and/or Sites to identify system and process risks and compliance with standards and specifications.
• Maintain, update and disseminate the design criteria and Standards for Mechanical and Structural/Civil disciplines.
• Develop risk mitigating controls in support of operation-specific exemption requirements (Platinum and Anglo American standards and procedures).  
• Mentor, assist and guide engineers to enable them to execute their duties with a focus on alignment to discipline specific objectives and standard operating procedures.
• Evaluate appropriate technology and facilitate with the implementation as appropriate.
• Represent Group/Platinum in engagement with internal and external stakeholders, services providers, OEM’s, consultants and other to ensure alignment with the company’s strategic intent.
• Development of a Structural/ Mechanical discipline succession plan in conjunction with the AS&R lead engineers in each of the BU/OU’s and Sites.
• Review the quality of services provided into the BU/OU’s and Sites by internal and external service providers and to undertake initiatives to address poor quality of service.
• Analyse the BU/OU reliability and performance parameters and metrics to determine common physical, systemic and human root causes and solutions that can be rolled out across operations as BU/OU initiatives/projects.
• Support the operations through establishing appropriate QA/QC requirements for outsourced work in plant and equipment structural and mechanical integrity to manage the risk of unreliability
• Evaluate and advise on the skills status, skills development and resourcing across sites with respect to structural and mechanical  engineering. 
• Coach, mentor, support and facilitate the implementation of asset maintenance strategies/tactics for plant equipment, structures and spares so as to optimise reliability across the life-cycle in line with business expectations.

Qualifications:

• An undergraduate qualification (Bachelors/Honours degree or equivalent) in Mechanical/Structural Engineering. A related post-graduate qualification will be viewed favourable.
• A proven track record of extensive practical experience in a role and context of similar complexity, including design role/ roles.
• Professional registry with ECSA or equivalent
• A qualification in Project Management would be advantageous.
• A South African Department of Minerals issued Government Certificate of Competency (Mechanical or Electrical) will be a distinct advantage.

Role-specific knowledge:

• Demonstrated knowledge of operational complexities experienced as an engineer in a mining and processing operation.
• Demonstrated maintenance and operational support experience in mineral processing or heavy industrial environment, preferably in a metal smelting and refining context.
• Experience in Structural/Mechanical discipline project management in small and large projects with a good understanding of discipline interfaces.
• Experience in developing relationships with stakeholders at all levels across multiple entities (Group and/or Platinum) in a global mining organisation, and using own professional, technical expertise to constructively influence decisions and outcomes.
• Track record of previous work at commodity-wide, internal coach, advisor and reviewer.
• Good understanding of national and international standards.
• Solid understanding of key technical concepts relating to equipment and supplier capability.

Ability to:

• Solve technical and operational issues in cooperation with relevant stakeholders.
• Plan, Lead, Organise and Control technical solution delivery using a matrix of internal and external providers and stakeholders.
• Manage, monitors and drives project activities within a specific Project or Operation
• Proactively identifies, mitigates or escalate risks.
• Optimise performance levels of assets through actively monitoring their operation and creating solutions to encourage sustainable use inclusive conducting analysis, data mining and modelling.
• Appreciate and understand the requirements of other engineering disciplines and the associated interfaces.
• Appreciation of the civil discipline from the field applications to integration of information at the Enterprice Resource Planning (ERP, for example SAP) level.

Technical Analysis - (Level 2)

• Applies a systematic, knowledge-based problem-solving approach and structured methodologies (such as root cause analysis and statistical analysis) to investigate risks and opportunities to create effective, value-add technical solutions.
• Solves technical and operational issues in cooperation with relevant stakeholders. Implements the most effective solutions to drive efficiencies.
• Utilises broad knowledge across electrical engineering technical areas to select and apply relevant tools and to provide technical expertise in the resolution of structural/mechanical/civil engineering issues.

Driving Business Performance - (Level 2)

• Applies an in-depth understanding of the mining value chain to identify and execute on opportunities where technical expertise can enhance business performance.
• Engages cross-functional teams to share best practice, ensuring technical excellence and sustainable commercial decisions.
• Translates insights of the global markets into technical solutions to enhance the economics of the mining value chain.

Project Management - (Level 2)

• Drives the delivery of technical solutions in projects and operations by demonstrating project management skills.
• Defines and embeds governance processes for projects.

Closing Date : 6th, April 2022