SQE&SDE Lead– CAPEX (M/F) (Job Code:6165)

Title: Job Titile:  SQE&SDE  Lead– CAPEX (M/F)
The company, a publicly traded European entity with a 30-year presence in China, operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing base in Foshan. We specialize in high-performance electrical components serving critical industrial and automotive applications, including electric motors, power electronics, and renewable energy systems and more. With a global reputation for innovation and quality, we are now expanding our China operations to capture growing market demand.

As Senior Technical Developmentn Manager/ Engineer – CAPEX, you play a key role in developing and managing the Chinese supplier ecosystem for industrial equipment and strategic investment projects. Based in Foshan within the the Alloys Division, you will be responsible for supporting CAPEX sourcing across company global plants. This role requires a strong technical understanding of industrial equipment combined with deep knowledge of the Chinese supplier landscape. Your primary goal will be to identify robust, competitive and reliable suppliers and ensure that project specifications are both commercially competitive and technically sound. Working closely with the CTO Capex Portfolio Manager, Global Category Manager CAPEX, project managers, and engineering teams, you contribute to the optimization of investment projects through competitive sourcing, supplier innovation, and value engineering.

Job Responsibilities:

• As Senior Technical Development Manager/ Engineer – CAPEX, you are responsible for the technical supporting the sourcing and supplier management activities for CAPEX projects within the Chinese supplier ecosystem.
•  Your main responsibilities include: Supplier identification and qualification – – Prequalify, assess, and identify Chinese suppliers for strategic projects, ensuring they can deliver industrial equipment and components that meet International and Company standards.
•  Develop and maintain a structured supplier network/mapping covering key CAPEX equipment categories such as mechanical equipment, electrical systems, automation solutions, and process installations. – Conduct supplier capability assessments, including technical expertise, manufacturing capacity, quality systems, project management capabilities and alignment to engineering, compliance/regulatory requirements.
•  CAPEX sourcing support (with perfect alignment with the Senior Procurement Engineer) – – Ensure supplier technical proposals are aligned with project specifications, procurement strategies and the necessary level of detail/information.
•  Support negotiations with suppliers and assist in contract preparation in collaboration with leadbuyers and category managers.
•  Technical specification challenge and value engineering – – – Review and challenge technical specifications received from project teams translating them to the necessary technical requirements of the Chinese suppliers.
•  Propose standardized, modular, or locally optimized alternatives to improve project cost efficiency.
•  Ensure that drawings and technical documentation are suitable for competitive bidding. Supplier coordination and project support – – – Act as a key interface between Chinese suppliers and company project teams located in Europe and Brazil.
•  Support technical clarification phases during tendering and procurement processes.
•  Facilitate communication between engineering teams and suppliers during project execution. Compliance and risk management – – – – Lead the technical alignment and capability-building of Chinese manufacturing partners to meet strict international engineering standards.
•  Act as the internal Subject Matter Expert (SME) for European compliance, ensuring all externally developed equipment adheres to the Machinery Safety Directive and CE marking requirements. Support design reviews and supplier audits in China to guarantee that all machinery achieves continuous compliance to European standards.
•  Support the implementation of mitigation actions where necessary. Market intelligence and continuous improvement – – – Monitor developments within the Chinese industrial equipment market. Provide insights on supplier capabilities, innovation opportunities, and cost benchmarks.
•  Share knowledge and best practices in development by the steel companies and suppliers in China.

 Job Requirement

•   You combine a strong technical mindset with strategic sourcing capabilities and are comfortable working in an international industrial environment.
•  You are able to interact effectively with engineering teams, suppliers, and procurement stakeholders to identify competitive technical solutions.
•  You demonstrate strong analytical skills and are capable of challenging specifications while maintaining constructive relationships with project teams.
•  You are proactive, solution-oriented, and able to work autonomously while contributing to global procurement initiatives.
•  Your education: – Engineering degree (mechanical, electrical, industrial engineering) or equivalent technical background.
•  Your experience: – – – – – – Minimum 10–15 years of experience with Experience with specialty steel products and processes (e.g., austenitic/ferritic stainless, grain-oriented/non-grain-oriented electrical steels, nickel alloys) and industrial stages (blast furnaces, melting/refining, casting, rolling, heat treatment, finishing).
•  Experience in large scale projects development and implementation in the steel industry.
•  Experience with digital/automation applied to steelmaking (process analytics, computer vision, advanced control, predictive maintenance).
•  Experience in technical due diligence and supplier/technology assessment.
•  Experience working with Chinese industrial suppliers and non-Chinese OEMs is considered a strong advantage.
•  Exposure to international industrial projects is appreciated. Languages- – – Mobility- Native Mandarin Fluent English is required.