Qualification and Experience

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, or
Honour’s degree in science, business, or a related field.
Master’s, Ph.D. or MBA, an advantage

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in developing and executing strategies/strategic action plans, ideally within an automotive and manufacturing environment.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the automotive or NEV sector with notable experience in NEV and/or e-mobility projects.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in project development, business case development, project planning and project execution.
• Previous roles as CEO or COO within the automotive industry, an added advantage.
• Demonstrable understanding of global automotive and NEV supply chain and technology (inc. battery value chain, charging infrastructure, public transport, heavy transport equipment).
• Demonstrable practical experience working in an automotive environment.
• Good understanding of the Just Energy Transition in South Africa and the global transition towards decarbonisation of industrial pathways.
• Excellent networks in both the public and private sectors.
• Experience in working with government departments to drive regulatory and policy changes as needed to support the development of South Africa’s NEV value chain.
• Experience leading technical working groups and steering committees and being part of technical advisory committees.
• Evidence of Thought Leadership in the Automotive or NEV / e-mobility.

Roles and Responsibilities

Internal / Operational Processes:

• Provide input into the JET Workstreams for NEV and related initiatives.
• Provide specialist input into the development of national strategies, industry forums, policy debates and strategy development relating to NEVs, the Battery Value Chain, transportation, infrastructure etc.
• Provide technical expertise to the securing of new grants and concessional loan financing from global and domestic sources to drive NEV mobility and public transport project implementation
• Provide technical and industry expertise and knowhow to enable local NEV-focused programmes and specialist support entities to scale to deliver significant support to the NEV value chain in South Africa.
• Support the IDC NEV Lead to identify potential NEV industry investment opportunities or project development and support for early-stage project opportunities.
• Support the IDC NEV Lead with project preparation initiatives to strengthen the development of business cases and the evaluation of investment opportunities in NEV-related projects, businesses and initiatives related to the NEV pipeline.
• Recommend potential strategic partners, both local and foreign, in critical components of the value chain. These could include investors and funders; technology developers; OEMs, manufacturers; project sponsors and investors where IDC and JET projects can leverage assistance.
• Use existing networks from private sector companies (in South Africa and the rest of the world), government agencies, industry associations, research institutions, to ensure alignment and collaboration across the value chain and create additionalities for projects, enterprises and workstreams.
• Provide industry insights on emerging trends and technologies in the NEV value chain and use this knowledge to inform strategic decision-making.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to identify and address regulatory and policy barriers that may impact the growth and competitiveness of the NEV value chain and liaise with government stakeholders in finalising government actions relating to policy.
• Participate in industry research in conjunction with R and I, and other external sources and agencies.

Learning, Leadership & People Growth:

• Participate in knowledge sharing in the team and cross functional knowledge sharing.
• Coaching and mentoring of team members.