Project Engineer

Company: Nestlé South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Location: Harrismith, South Africa

Position: Project Engineer

Qualification: Degree/Diploma in Mechanical, Electrical & Automation, Process, Industrial Engineering or similar

Experience: Approximately 3 years’ experience in capital investment project development and implementation in the food industry

Closing Date: 05/11/26

Position Summary

With a history spanning over 150 years, Nestlé is one of the world's leading food and beverage companies. We are looking for a Project Engineer to join our Engineering team in Harrismith.

The Project Engineer will manage and perform the design, implementation, and start-up phases of capital investment projects at the manufacturing site. The role ensures that investment project charters, design specifications, User Requirements Specifications, local regulations and Nestlé engineering and safety standards are translated into safe, reliable and high-performing installations.

A Day in the Life of a Project Engineer

Project Charter & Design

• Support the End-to-End Project Manager and Project Engineering Manager in developing the investment project charter and ensuring it is followed throughout the project.

• Execute basic and detailed design in line with Nestlé Corporate Business Principles, Nestlé standards, local regulations and approved User Requirements Specifications.

• Apply unit-operation requirements for safety, quality, affordability, maintainability, operability and reliability, including safe design for construction and ongoing operation.

Project Implementation

• Ensure engineering works such as buildings, equipment erection, piping and utilities are implemented to agreed timing, cost and quality.

• Select and qualify contractors, coordinate their activities and drive compliance with Nestlé standards and site safety requirements.

• Ensure training and technical readiness are built into project execution and that vertical start-up is supported.

Start-up & Handover

• Support the Start-up team through qualification, verification and smooth transition to Operations.

• Contribute to complete engineering project documentation and the engineering section of the final project report.

• Provide feedback into the Maintenance Prevention System and ensure sustainable asset performance after handover.

  Safety, Cost & Performance

• Promote strong SH&E leadership through all project phases and proactively manage engineering and contractor risks.

• Track project delivery against authorised scope, cost, time and quality.

• Support achievement of project gate milestones, reliability measures including MTBF/MTTR, line performance and final project cost/timing commitments.

Key Success Measures

• Project gates opened on time from design authorisation through sustained performance

• Recordable and lost-time injury performance during project execution

• Delivery to authorised project cost, timing and quality

• Successful qualification, verification and vertical start-up

• MTBF, MTTR and line performance after start-up

• Maintenance programme and final engineering documentation in place

• Final project report and feedback to Maintenance Prevention System completed

What will make you successful?

• Degree/Diploma in Mechanical, Electrical & Automation, Process, Industrial Engineering or a similar engineering discipline.

• Approximately 3 years’ experience in capital investment project development and implementation in the food industry.

• Practical experience across project design, implementation and/or start-up in a manufacturing environment.

• Strong safety and health mindset with experience identifying and mitigating project risks to people and equipment.

• Sound understanding of contractor management, project scope, cost, schedule, quality and technical documentation.

• Knowledge of food-plant principles, hygienic engineering, food safety and manufacturing utilities is advantageous.

• Exposure to project-management methods, CAPEX processes, MS Project, contracts/construction requirements and financial tracking is beneficial.

• Strong communication, interpersonal, influencing and continuous-improvement skills with the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams.