OT and Automation Manager

Purpose of Role

The OT & Automation Manager leads the digital transformation and automation initiatives, ensuring legal compliance and overseeing site automation and data collection systems. The role involves crafting and executing digital strategies across all business units, aligning them with the company's strategic goals while maintaining safety and legal standards.

Overall, the OT & Automation Manager plays a crucial role in advancing the company's digital capabilities, fostering a future-oriented operational model that prioritizes efficiency, compliance, and innovation.

Operational Management

• Enhance operational efficiency, safety, and production rates, while reducing errors and costs.
• Utilise data-driven insights, and implement Industry 4.0 principles for operations automation, enhancing productivity and decision-making through advanced tools and real-time data insights. To get connected person to connected asset visible in real time reporting.
• Automation of information in the hands of the supervisors and employees conducting work in any work environment
• Manage operational costs and capital funds for business improvements and innovations. A key goal is to optimise automated processes and reporting systems, contributing to the company's growth and efficiency.
• Collaborate with departments like Engineering, IT, and Finance to facilitate the integration of digital and automation initiatives.
• Lead a team of professionals and liaise with external technology providers, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Strategic Contribution

• Formulate and execute digital transformation strategies across all business departments, including HR, Finance, Supply Chain, Learning and Development, Security, Geology, Mine Planning, and Operational Business Requirements.
• Business Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance safety, efficiency and performance. Implement data-driven insights to promote operational improvement and safety. Manage the portfolio of improvement projects and oversee idea evaluation and ROI.
• Change Management: Lead the change management strategies to facilitate the adoption of new technologies and processes. This includes managing the transition from current to desired future states, minimising disruptions, and maximising the value of new implementations. The role involves promoting a culture that embraces change, provides training and support during transitions, and effectively communicates the benefits and impacts of changes to all stakeholders.

Financial Management

• Budget Management: Responsible for managing and improve operational expenses related to digital and automation initiatives. Oversee budgeting for capital projects aimed at expanding digital capabilities and infrastructure. Allocate and monitor funds for projects that demonstrate potential for increased production, cost savings, reduced downtime, or enhanced safety. Manage investments critical for maintaining ongoing operations and technological competitiveness. Oversee financial engagements with external service providers, including technology partners involved in coding across the technology stack, MES layer, SQL database support, BI and DevOps environments.
• Prepare, finalise and take ownership of the Department’s annual budget by compiling and analysing the relevant information to ensure Return on Investment (ROI) for the business.
• Manage operational costs and capital funds for business improvements and innovations. A key goal is to optimise automated processes and reporting systems, contributing to the company's growth and efficiency.
• Review and recommend changes to the annual Departmental financial budget to ensure financial budget and controls contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department and support the accomplishment of service delivery objectives.
• Monitor and manage Departmental spend, ensuring expenditure remains within budget and propose and implement corrective measures to rectify deviations to budgetary provisions, financial regulations, audit requirements and Departmental procedures.
• Approve budgeted operational expenditure, subject to the Procurement Policy, within levels of authority.
• Comply with all financial, Supply Chain Management (SCM) and other TM regulations and policies, by leading the right actions, to reduce financial risk in the Department.

Innovation and Business Improvement

• Innovation Leadership: Fosters a culture of improvement and innovation, motivating teams to identify and act upon opportunities for technological advancements. Provide technical mentoring and coaching for the employees. Ensure training and development of the subordinates
• Instrumentation Oversight: Lead the direction and integration of process automation, control and instrumentation, ensuring alignment with operational goals and ensure compliance with safety standards.
• 4IR Automation Implementation: Leverage advanced technologies like IoT, AI/ML, and robotics to automate business processes, tasks and improve data analysis while reducing manual errors.
• Operational Technology Integration: Bridge IT and OT, enhancing system performance and security. Enable real-time decision-making through operational data integration, ensuring a unified technology approach.
• Data Architecture: Focus on how data-driven insights apply to business improvement initiatives, leveraging insights for process optimization, quality enhancement, and cost reduction.
• Enterprise Asset Management: Implement and oversee the physical asset framework to minimize risk and transition to predictive asset care;
• Performance Metrics: Measure the effectiveness of automated processes in reducing manual data entry and paper dependency. Track enhancements in equipment performance and production output resulting from digital initiatives. Evaluate the speed and accuracy of real-time reporting and automated operational reports on production results.
• Standards Adherence: Ensure frameworks like ISA 95, ISA 88 and ISA 106 standards are effectively utilized as a foundational blueprint for technical standards, own and manage relevant site procedures;
• Legal Compliance & Safety Enhancement: Ensure all activities comply with Mine Health and Safety Act 29 of 1996 and legislative requirements, focusing on safety and efficiency in data reporting and visualisation;
• Collaboration and Support: Work closely with operations, engineering, IT, and support departments to deliver operational results.

People Management

• Engage in workforce planning initiatives for the Department, forecasting the skills required to meet business demands and driving upskilling initiatives to ensure the team remains competent and fit for purpose within their roles.
• Manage the entire value chain of human resources-related aspects (i.e., recruitment and selection, performance management, skill development etc.) of the Department, with support from HR, by identifying strong and poor performers as well as the requirement for additional head count, ensuring all requirements are met for optimal delivery within the team.
• Mentor, guide, and provide thought-leadership for the Department, sharing impactful knowledge and identifying opportunities for growth and improvement to drive the success of the team.
• Create a high-performance culture for the Department by providing critical and timely feedback (both positive and critical), enabling individuals to improve and work as effectively as possible to meet business goals.

Stakeholder Management

• Build, develop and maintain strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders by creating mutually beneficial opportunities for growth.
• Champion the cause of the organisation by living TM’s values and building excellence to enhance stakeholder perceptions, so as to create strong partnerships between Tharisa and all its stakeholders.