Mechanical Design Engineer

Johannesburg, South Africa | Posted on 09/16/2026

Copper Quail’s objective is to become a trusted partner within our clients’ organizations in Africa, understanding not only the people at their heart, but also their culture and ethos. We are Recruitment Advisors, specializing in Executive Search, Contingency Recruitment, Headhunting, Outsourced Labour and training. Using our significant market knowledge across, experience and judgement to help our clients employ the best qualified individuals for each position in Africa.

We’re known for our successful track record, responsiveness and discretion. We have a high performance culture and employ only experienced recruiters. These knowledgeable professionals provide a high level of service, deliver effective solutions and foster successful relationships through regular conversations with clients and candidates.

Mechanical Design | Heavy Equipment | Hydraulics |Product Engineering

A Mechanical Design Engineer is required todesign, analyse and optimise mechanical systems, components and assemblies forheavy mining and drilling equipment. The position combines detailed engineering, CAD, calculations, design verification, manufacturing support andfield commissioning.

• Develop practical, safe andmanufacturable mechanical designs for heavy-duty equipment and assemblies.
• Produce engineering calculations, 3D models, manufacturing drawings, bills of materials and technical documentation.
• Design and integrate hydraulic and mechanically driven systems for demanding operating environments.
• Support design reviews,verification testing, prototype builds and first-of-type commissioning.
• Work closely with manufacturing, supply chain, operations and development engineering teams.
• Investigate field issues and implement design improvements to enhance reliability, maintainability and performance.
• Manage engineering changes,technical documentation and configuration requirements.
• Apply relevant drawing,tolerancing, structural and engineering standards throughout the design process.

• BEng / BSc in Mechanical Engineering.
• Candidate Engineer registration with ECSA, with a clear path toward professional registration.
• 5-8 years of mechanical designengineering experience involving heavy rotating, drilling or comparable heavy equipment.
• Experience in mining, drillingor heavy-equipment OEM environments.
• Strong CAD modelling and manufacturing-drawing capability, including engineering calculations and design verification.
• Experience with hydraulic systems and hydraulically driven equipment.
• Valid driver's licence and medical fitness for workshop and operational / underground site exposure.

• Advanced Autodesk Inventor and/or Solid Works.
• FEA tools such as Ansys,Inventor Nastran or equivalent.
• DFMA and Product Lifecycle Management systems.
• Pr.Eng registration or relevant postgraduate qualification.
• Experience with prototype testing, commissioning and heavy underground mining equipment.

• Highly analytical anddetail-focused with strong technical judgement.
• Hands-on engineer comfortable in design office, workshop and field environments.
• Innovative, solution-oriented and disciplined around engineering standards.