, South Africa

Job Family Group:

Sales & Marketing

Worker Type:

Regular

Posting Start Date:

April 29, 2026

Business Unit:

Downstream and Renewables

Experience Level:

Experienced Professionals

Job Description:

The Senior Lubricants Technical Advisor is responsible for developing and implementing technical front-line support for all industrial and automotive sectors in line with the local technical strategy and our 4 strategic growth pillars: Better Products, More Industrial, Customer Solutions and New Sectors.

The role involves solving highly complex technical challenges and continuously finding innovative technical solutions that will give us a winning competitive edge in the market and deliver growth for the lubricants business. You will be responsible for leading and managing joint prospecting with Sales, Marketing, Service teams and Indirect distributor network with the intent to convert cross/up-sell opportunities. The incumbent must be able to translate product development strategy into actionable commercial plans.

The role requires an innovative thinker who is self-starter with the capability and the ability to identify and use multiple commercial data sources (customer insights, local market/industry trends, global trends) to uncover opportunities and present strategic recommendations to the business as well as drive implementation to completion. It will also require the ability to motivate, coach, enable development and growth of the DFLTs team hence strong leadership capability.

Key Accountabilities:

Technical Pipeline:

• Provides insights into creating a dynamic product development strategy in line with global and local market development plans
• Deliver the growth agenda/defend business/demonstrate value to the customers by driving premium products and improved customer efficiencies.
• Drive Sustainability discussions with customers including EALs, Reduced emissions and fuel efficiency solutions and proposals in line with SHELLs net zero strategy.
• Provide insights in development and promotion of differentiated value records to give Shell Lubricants market competitive edge.
• Support the Sales teams and carry out joint (local Sales, Services, and indirect teams) and solo visits to new and existing customers providing technical proposals/assistance to generate sales opportunities, with existing and new products and technical solutions
• Lead and implement through the DFLTs the product pipeline for cross and upsell opportunities in the Indirect channel through collaboration with Sales, Marketing and Distributors
• Deliver the services target with at least >70% of annual plan through conversion, lead generation and insights in collaboration with the Services Manager.

Demonstrate Top Class Technical Capability

• Drive and maintain highest SGBP, Code of Conduct, HSSE standards and compliance. Provide HSSE, Occupational Health, safety and product disposal advice to key customers and front-line sales, in line with local legislation requirements. Actively keep up to date with changes in legislation

• Lead customer plant/equipment audits, lubrication surveys, product rationalization audits and conduct field trials, as necessary to support the overall business strategy
• Implement through the DFLTs reduction in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for key customers to ensure strong retention and commercial growth leveraging all parts of the portfolio including services
• Provides front line technical support to existing customers and prospects including problem solving, troubleshooting, training and application advice.

Driving Technology Leadership (externally)  

• Implementing training materials for all new products launches and technical solutions in collaboration with the Global, local marketing and Service teams.

• Provide market intelligence on new equipment, technical trends, new product introductions and competitor product applications in the market

Lead, motivate and coach the Distributor DFLTs team

• Lead and support the Distributor DFLTs team providing training, clarity, focus and support in prioritisation in line with our strategic pillar

This is a key strategic and commercial role for the South African Lubricants business.

• Degree/Diploma required Mechanical Engineering or Chemistry preferred
• Min 5 - 10 years or comparable proven experience (through specific project assignment) of technical skills and key customer relationships and experience in a technical/Engineering environment
• Strong commercial acumen
• Strong stakeholder management skills
• Proven leadership skills 
• Good selling and negotiation skills with an E2E and/ or broader business understanding and balancing of customers needs  
• Proven experience in the Industrial sector, especially the following sectors: OEMs, Agriculture, Mining, Power, PCMO, Manufacturing and Construction

• Translates strategies into plans that can be effectively executed and transforms data and information into meaningful insights

• Success in this role requires significant coordination across Global Product Application Specialist, Supply Chain, Sales, Distributors, Marketing, Services, Pricing and Global Services Teams.

Additional information

Company car included in this role, local terms

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