Senior Technical Advisor Transport Fuels and Lubricants at Sasol

Purpose of Job

• The Senior Technical Advisor for Transport Fuels and Lubricants plays a pivotal role in delivering expert technical leadership across the Sasol Energy value chain, ensuring the quality, performance, and application of transport fuels, lubricants, and related products. The advisor is responsible for maintaining a product portfolio and basket of products, fuels and lubricants, that are fit for purpose and support the business and technical strategies of the Commercials sales team. This includes guiding the development of fit-for-purpose technical solutions, supporting product formulation and troubleshooting, and contributing to technical product roadmaps aligned with business strategy and customer needs. The advisor also provides technical marketing support during tender processes by articulating the product’s value proposition, quality management, sustainability, including renewable alternatives, and value-added services. Additionally, the role involves leading technical investigations, ensuring robust product governance, identifying new business opportunities, collaborating with engineering teams to enhance operational performance, managing stakeholder interfaces, delivering training, and aligning technical outputs with business objectives.

Key Accountabilities

• Technical Leadership: Deliver expert guidance on product quality, equipment, and technical claims across the Sasol Energy value chain, ensuring robust product governance and alignment with business objectives.
• Customer technical support: Provide technical market support, incident investigation, problem solving, and product optimisation for Sasol’s energy products and customers, maximising operational performance and “money per molecule.”
• Cross-functional Integration: Foster synergies across the product portfolio and operations, collaborating closely with engineering, marketing, and sales to optimise outcomes and ensure technical solutions are implemented effectively at forecourts, commercial installations, depots, gantries, logistics, and in marketing materials.
• Industry and Stakeholder Engagement: Represent Sasol at specification, industry, and regulatory bodies, build strategic relationships with key partners, and act as the main interface between end-users, business units, and operations/research teams.
• Product Roadmap and Development: Contribute to the development and execution of technical product roadmaps that support business strategy, drive product differentiation, and enable cost optimisation. Identify and stage new projects to explore market opportunities for new and existing products.
• Governance and Quality Assurance: Design and optimise product and quality governance processes to ensure delivery of fit-for-purpose products in the market, including effective technical marketing support, quality management, and sustainability initiatives.
• Training and Team Leadership: Lead and develop team members through training and ongoing support, manage direct reports, facilitate regular meetings, and ensure delivery on KPAs and KPIs.
• Budget Accountability: Oversee and manage the technical services budget and ensure resources are effectively allocated to achieve business goals.

Formal Education

• 4 year degree; B Eng or Hons in Science or equivalent

Min Experience

• 9+ relevant years (at least 5 years in a technical support role) 

Professional Membership

• Not required, but professional memberships and certifications are advantageous