Industrialisation Manager

About The Role

The Product Industrialisation Manager is responsible for leading the industrialisation of new and existing products from concept through to full-rate production. The role ensures that engineering designs are translated into robust, repeatable, cost-effective and manufacturable production processes while meeting quality, cost, delivery and reliability objectives.The incumbent acts as the integration point between Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality and Programme Management, ensuring products are designed for manufacture, assembly, support and sustainment throughout the entire product lifecycle.The role drives Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), process validation, manufacturing readiness and continuous improvement initiatives within a high-technology manufacturing environment.

Kindly note that this is an onsite role

Qualification And Experience

• BEng / BSc Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Electronic or Mechatronic Engineering)
• Project Management qualification advantageousLean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt advantageous

Key Technical Skills

• Proven experience in Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA/DFMAS), including applied tools, techniques
• Minimum 10 years' engineering experience within a high-technology manufacturing environment
• Minimum 5 years in industrialisation or manufacturing engineering leadership
• Experience introducing products from development into production
• Experience in aerospace, defence, electronics, automotive or other complex manufacturing industries
• Experience establishing production facilities and manufacturing lines
• Proven experience leading cross-functional technical teams

Key responsibilities

• Industrialisation Strategy
• Develop and execute industrialisation strategies for new and existing products.
• Lead the transition of engineering designs into efficient, scalable manufacturing solutions.Establish manufacturing readiness criteria and industrialisation milestones.
• Ensure industrialisation activities align with programme schedules and business objectives.
• Product Introduction
• Lead New Product Introduction activities from design freeze through production release.
• Coordinate prototype, engineering, pilot and qualification builds.Manage production readiness reviews.
• Ensure manufacturing capability supports customer delivery requirements.
• Manufacturing Process Development
• Develop robust manufacturing processes for new products.
• Define manufacturing methods, tooling, fixtures and production equipment.Optimise manufacturing flow for quality, cost and throughput.
• Validate production processes prior to release.
• Risk Management and Reliability
• Lead Design FMEA (DFMEA) and Process FMEA (PFMEA) workshops.
• Facilitate Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) during product development and industrialisation.Identify manufacturing, reliability and process risks.
• Develop mitigation plans to eliminate or reduce critical failure modes.
• Ensure risk reduction actions are implemented and verified prior to production release.
• Drive lessons learned into future product development.

Cross-functional Leadership

• Lead multidisciplinary industrialisation teams.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Production, Logistics and Programme Management.
• Provide manufacturing input during design reviews.Influence product design decisions to improve manufacturability and lifecycle performance.

Manufacturing Readiness

• Define Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRLs).
• Ensure production facilities, tooling, documentation and personnel are ready before product launch.
• Conduct manufacturing readiness reviews.Manage production acceptance criteria.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement across manufacturing operations.
• Improve productivity, quality and cost performance.Introduce automation and digital manufacturing initiatives.
• Reduce production cycle times and manufacturing defects.

Our recruitment values

HENSOLDT South Africa focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organizational strategy. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive corporate culture that benefits our employees and delivers better outcomes for our clients. In line with our commitment to equal employment opportunities and our focus on diversity in the operational environment, we welcome applications from all ethnic groups. In line with HENSOLDT's commitment to equal employment opportunities and our focus on diversity in the operational environment, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups.

Application Deadline: 22 July 2026.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV by applying directly on the HENSOLDT Careers page.

If you have not been contacted within 14 days of the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful.