Production Manager at Macsteel

Job Advert Summary    

• We’re looking for an experienced Production Manager to take full ownership of our Heat Treatment Department. This is a hands-on leadership role that combines technical metallurgical expertise with strategic, commercial and people leadership. You’ll shape how we deliver quality, performance and growth for our customers.

Minimum Requirements    

• Matric (Grade 12). 
• A recognised tertiary qualification in Metallurgy (bachelor’s degree or National Diploma, NQF Level 6 or higher) is essential. An additional qualification in Engineering, Production Management, Operations Management or a related field will be advantageous.
• 8–10 years’ manufacturing experience, including a minimum of 5 years in a production or operations management role, of which management experience in a heat treatment environment is essential.
• Experience in steel, engineering or heavy manufacturing environments. 
• Strong understanding of heat treatment processes, metallurgical principles and production management. 
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office and production management systems.

Duties and Responsibilities    
Production & Operations Management 

• Direct all heat treatment production activities to achieve throughput, productivity and delivery targets. 
• Develop and execute production plans aligned to customer demand, capacity and operational requirements. 
• Monitor furnace utilisation, turnaround times, workflow, productivity and operational performance. 
• Interpret material specifications, technical drawings and customer requirements to determine optimal treatment cycles. 
• Coordinate production, quality, maintenance, and support functions to ensure seamless operations. 
• Analyse operational metrics and implement corrective actions to address bottlenecks and inefficiencies. 
• Provide technical leadership and oversight for all heat treatment operations, ensuring compliance with customer specifications, metallurgical requirements and industry standards. 
• Develop, review, approve and continuously optimise heat treatment procedures for steel grades, product dimensions and customer applications. 
• Determine and authorise appropriate heat treatment cycles including annealing, normalising, stress relieving, quenching and tempering.
• Monitor and control furnace temperatures, soak times, quench conditions, cooling rates, tempering temperatures and load configurations. 
• Interpret material certificates, metallurgical test reports, technical drawings and customer requirements. 
• Ensure the controlled atmosphere furnaces are set correctly for the amount of nitrogen, methanol and LPG to prevent oxidation, decarbonisation, soot formation and other surface defects.

Strategic & Business Growth 

• Develop and implement departmental strategies aligned to business objectives. 
• Identify opportunities to improve capacity, service delivery, profitability and customer satisfaction. 
• Contribute to long-term operational planning and sustainable business growth. 

Financial Management 

• Manage the Heat Treatment Department budget and control costs including overtime within approved limits. 
• Monitor labour, energy, maintenance and consumable expenditure. 
• Drive cost reduction initiatives while maintaining quality and safety standards. 
• Prepare and present operational and financial performance reports. 

Leadership & People Development 

• Lead, mentor and motivate departmental teams to achieve performance objectives. 
• Foster a culture of accountability, respect, teamwork and high performance. 
• Conduct performance reviews and implement development plans. 
• Identify training requirements and support skills development and succession planning. 

Maintenance & Asset Reliability 

• Ensure effective preventative maintenance programmes for furnaces and supporting equipment. 
• Drive equipment reliability, plant availability and downtime reduction initiatives. 
• Support maintenance planning and capital replacement strategies. 
• Ensure assets operate safely and efficiently. 

Quality, Safety & Compliance 

• Champion a Safety Always culture across all departmental activities. 
• Ensure compliance with OHSA, ISO standards, internal policies and customer requirements. 
• Lead investigations into quality, safety and operational incidents and implement corrective actions. 
• Maintain traceability, documentation integrity and audit readiness. 
• Drive continuous improvement in quality performance and process control. 

Deadline:9th November,2026