Machine Lead

Machine Lead, Epping Mill, Cape Town

**Job posting closing date: 31st October 2025, end of day**

As a person, you’re a learner - a natural leader - someone who is always taking initiative to make things better and bring others along with you. You live your life in alignment with the highest values of integrity and quality, always ensuring your responsibilities become a long-term success story. In this role, you’ll help us deliver better care for billions of people around the world. It starts with YOU.

In this role, you will:
Lead the machine crew on shift to continuously meet and exceed throughput, quality and safety targets.
- KPI’s: Zero Reportable Incidents; Quality Targets; Waste Targets; Rate of Operation Targets; Housekeeping/ 5S Standards; Safety
- Ensure compliance to all departmental and plant safety rules and regulations. All non-conformances should be dealt with immediately all unresolved issues must be raised with Asset Leader. Follow the correct WSWP and Process Instruction for all tasks performed. Carry out continual development of process optimization to ensure safety.
- Promote a safe working environment through driving compliance with Safety policies and procedures.
- Quality
- Ensure all quality issues are reported and logged on the appropriate documentation.
- Continuous monitoring of EWMA and coordinating of relevant corrective actions. Maintain a “Run to Target” philosophy at all times.
- Adherence to the Quality Management System by the Shift Crew and targets are met
- Manager Board 0/ 1 & First Off Inspection process
- Manage NCR’s process and coordinate with LCM’s
- Productivity
- Leads the crew that runs the machine to achieve the target throughput, yield, and uptime without compromising safety and quality.
- Troubleshoots and documents all reasons for waste and delay during the shift, communicate any outstanding items with recommended action plans.
- Participates in all changeovers, ensuring they are performed always using good run settings and best practices.
- Continuously monitoring of mill performance on the assets and palletisers and updating performance boards.
- Manage shift resource to achieve production targets for ROO and Waste.
- Controlling of labour to budget levels.
- Manage material consumption on shift to budget levels or better.
- Manage consumption of operating supplies on shift to budget levels or better.
- Manage and co-ordinate problem solving on shift
- Manage TIP/TOP - compliance to plan and manage change overs to committed volumes
- Adherence to call out procedure
- Manage completion of Leader Standard Work for self and team
- Lead the Tier 1 Meetings and attend Tier 2 meetings
- Housekeeping
- Maintain 5S housekeeping principles in the department, including all equipment (asset/ palletisers) and surrounds. Ensure all unused items are removed from the operating area and stored correctly.
- Ensure the work area is clean and tidy at shift change, handover with the oncoming Machine lead giving detailed information of machine status.
- Ensures that his crew has housekeeping checklists all they time and that the checks are completed.
- Human Resources
- Manage the operating team on shift to achieve objectives.
- Identify areas of development required for team members to improve individual and team performance.
- Ensure that all departmental guidelines are adhered to by the team.
- Manage and conduct performance management activities for his crew members.
- Facilitate effective one on ones and drive focus development plans.
- Coach and train operators in their respective positions.
- Manage absenteeism through effective, consistently and fairly utilises HR system to correct misconduct
- Manage behaviour of shift crew from shift to shift
- Month end process management on Overtime, Acting allowance etc. with the support of the Shift Manager.
- Effectively plan and coordinate leave crew
- Technical Development
- Assisting with the planning and set up of the machine for all product and process trials.
- Provide technical information to the maintenance teams detailing work requests for planned and reactive maintenance.
- Development of the team’s process knowledge on an ongoing basis through one on one coaching and employee assessments.
- Drive multiskilling and develop team members to be able to cross function on asset.
- Adhere and implement best practices on the machine.

**About Us**

Huggies®. Kleenex®. Cottonelle®. Scott®. Kotex®. Poise®. Depend®. Kimberly-Clark Professional®. You already know our legendary brands—and so does the rest of the world. In fact, millions of people use Kimberly-Clark products every day. We know these amazing Kimberly-Clark products wouldn’t exist without talented professionals, like you.

At Kimberly-Clark, you’ll be part of the best team committed to driving innovation, growth and impact. We’re founded on more than 150 years of market leadership, and we’re always looking for new and better ways to perform - so there’s your open doo