ARTISAN FOREMAN GRADE A-B: ELECTRICAL / MECHANICAL / BUILDING

This vacancy offers an experienced artisan the opportunity to step into a supervisory foreman role within the Department of Community Safety’s Maintenance component, based at the Tembisa District Facility Maintenance Hub. The position is graded as an Artisan Foreman Grade A-B under the occupational specific dispensation, with the final salary offer depending on the recognition of experience gained after obtaining a trade test certificate. As a foreman, the incumbent will be responsible for overseeing technical work across electrical, mechanical, and building disciplines, ensuring that facilities are maintained, repaired, and serviced to recognised standards and within the production capacity of the unit.

Candidates must hold an appropriate trade test certificate and have at least five years’ post-qualification experience as an artisan. A valid driver’s licence is mandatory. The role demands a broad range of competencies, including knowledge of Public Service legislation, policies and regulations, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, departmental strategies and procedures, legal compliance, and computer-aided technical applications. Strong project management, people management, financial management and conflict management abilities are also required. On the personal skills side, the ideal candidate will demonstrate technical analysis, production process knowledge, technical report writing, problem solving, decision making, analytical thinking, communication, planning and organising, leadership, negotiation, and influencing skills. The department also looks for attributes such as teamwork, customer focus and responsiveness, team leadership, self-management, decisiveness, credibility, and the ability to motivate staff.

The main duties of the role are wide-ranging and include supervising and producing designs according to client specifications, producing objects with material and equipment in line with job specifications, and rendering quality assurance on produced objects. The foreman must inspect equipment and facilities for technical faults, repair them according to standards, test repaired or serviced equipment against specifications, and service equipment on schedule. Other responsibilities include maintaining a register of repaired faults, obtaining quotations and purchasing required equipment and materials, compiling and submitting reports, and providing inputs to the operational plan. The position also requires ensuring adherence to safety standards and regulations, supervising and mentoring staff, planning resource usage, scheduling works, and pursuing continuous individual development to keep up with new technologies and procedures. Research and literature studies on technical and engineering technology are expected to improve expertise.

Notably, the department encourages youth, people with disability, coloured, Indian and white applicants to apply, and candidates with disabilities must submit a confirmation from a registered medical practitioner. The application process, as advertised, requires the completion of the new Z83 form and a comprehensive CV, with certified documents only required from shortlisted candidates. Foreign qualifications must be accompanied by a SAQA evaluation certificate. All shortlisted candidates will be required to undergo two pre-entry assessments, one practical and one integrity-based, and suitable candidates will be subject to personnel suitability checks including vetting, criminal record, citizenship, credit record, qualification verification, and employment verification. The department reserves the right not to appoint and may use other recruitment processes. Applicants who do not receive feedback within three months of the closing date should consider their application unsuccessful.