Senior Specialist IM Innovation & Automation

Company Description

Valterra Platinum is the world’s leading primary producer of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), operating across the full value chain, from resource to market. We mine the materials that make modern life possible, in ways that are safer, smarter and more responsible.

Our business is at the heart of the broader Southern African economic and social landscape and we are committed to working towards a safe, sustainable, competitive and profitable business that benefits our country, our communities, our people, and our shareholders.

If you're driven by purpose, performance and the opportunity to make a lasting impact, we invite you to join us. At Valterra, you'll be part of a team creating value that lasts—powered by curiosity, courage, and care. Apply today and be part of something bigger.

This role is based in our Johannesburg Office

Job Description

The Senior Specialist IM Innovation & Automation role is responsible for designing, developing, and implementing automated systems to streamline business processes and identifying, evaluating, and implementing new ideas and technologies within an organization to drive growth and improve operations.

This role aims to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve overall productivity through the identification, development, and implementation of automation and emerging technologies. The specialist will bridge the gap between IT and OT, ensuring seamless integration and collaboration between these domains.

Job responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Creates a consistent innovation pipeline and fosters an innovation culture for the enterprise, identifying opportunities that grow business opportunities, capabilities, and solutions.
• Partners with the Enterprise and Business Applications, Infrastructure and Data teams to develop and exploit new digital solutions and scale digital capabilities to create a competitive edge for the enterprise.
• Leads the development of an enterprise-wide innovation strategy and roadmap and ensures its integration with the enterprise strategic planning process, and the resulting business strategy and plans. Provides a single point of coordination for all innovative initiatives and projects.
• Provide expert knowledge on automation approaches and platforms, to ensure our organisation achieves its goals and roadmap for automation adoption. This involves translating organisational strategy and architecture into efficient, resilient, and secure technical implementations.
• Offer automation engineering thought leadership and mentorship in areas such as infrastructure, service management, operations and business processes, spanning on-premises and cloud service providers, and strategic tools and technologies.
• Design and prototype new product concepts, services, or processes based on identified needs and market gaps.
• Evaluate the viability of new ideas by considering technical feasibility, market potential, and financial implications.
• Lead innovation projects from ideation through to implementation, setting timelines, managing budgets, and tracking progress.
• Work with cross-functional teams across departments like product development, marketing, engineering, and operations to ensure successful integration of new innovations.
• Ensure innovation solutions comply with cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory requirements.
• Analyses costs and identify areas for cost reduction.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and emerging technologies to continuously improve IT and OT practices
• Collaborate with startups, research institutions, and other external partners to access new technologies and expertise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, engineering or a related field of study, or equivalent experience.          
• Master’s degree in business, computer science, engineering or a related field of study, or equivalent experience ( Desirable)

Certifications

• Valid EB/Code 08 driver’s licence    
• Cloud-related certifications ( Desirable)

Experience

5-7 Years of experience in

• Innovating business models and developing new channels, leading disruptions or business transformation.
• Leading cross-functional teams.
• Managing technology vendors, contracts, and system integrators.
• Working with regulatory and compliance requirements for data security and privacy
• Mining industry experience preferred, with a strong understanding of operational and business applications.

Technical Knowledge

• Deep understanding of the innovation landscape, this includes trend forecasts, emerging technologies, culture shifts and new idea generation from the latest techniques to foster ideation to the latest/greatest ideas.
• Extensive knowledge of product development, business strategy, innovation practices and trend watching.
• Securing automation platforms and automation workloads in collaboration with security teams
• Ability to effectively drive people, process and disruptive change in a dynamic and complex operating environment.

Additional Information

Who We Are

We are a Southern African PGM producer, marketing metals globally, with a presence across 8 regions and 17 sites. Our operations include 4 operating mines, 3 smelters, and 2 refineries, giving us full control across the Platinum Group Metals (PGM) value chain—from resource to market.

We explore, we mine, we concentrate, we smelt, we refine and we market. As a result, we have an in-depth knowledge of PGM production and markets. Using this knowledge, we invest in developing sustainable markets for PGMs, partnering directly with research institutions as well as customers in the industrial, jewellery and investment sectors.

With 3 global marketing hubs and a team of over 29,000 employees, we serve a diverse international customer base while remaining deeply rooted in Southern Africa.

What We Offer

At Valterra Platinum, you will join a team committed to excellence and impact.

We offer:

• Meaningful work in a high-performance, values-led environment.
• Market-aligned reward and recognition.
• Opportunities for learning, development and progression.
• A culture that respects diversity and encourages innovation.
• A clear commitment to safe Operations.

Inclusion and Diversity

Valterra Platinum is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace where we value and respect every colleague for who they are and provide equality of opportunity so that everyone can fulfill their potential.
Valterra Platinum has a zero tolerance to dignity harms, these include all acts of gender based violence, bullying, harassment and victimisation. Ensuring the safety of our employees extends beyond physical safety and includes the eradication of harmful behaviours from our workplace. This responsibility extends to everyone at Valterra Platinum both during work hours and outside of work. We are unconditional in creating a respectful, inclusive, and safe working environment to ensure that no colleague will be violated or harassed under our watch.

How to Apply

To apply for this role, please complete our online application form via this job advert.

Closing Date: 03/07/2025

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