Fleet and Maintenance Manager | Heavy Vehicle Fleet, Sydney

Arete Executive; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Arete Executive is seeking an engineering-led Fleet and Maintenance Manager for Sydney’s NSW operations. You will lead a 1,000+ heavy vehicle fleet across multiple sites, owning lifecycle from acquisition to disposal.

The role reports to the Managing Director NSW, with 12 managers under you and a focus on zero-emission transition. The position requires steering preventive maintenance, forecasting, and quality at build sites, plus steering the next electrification phase while maintaining budget

Qualifications

• Engineering-led fleet leadership across a large, multi-site heavy vehicle fleet.
• Experience owning fleet lifecycle from acquisition to disposal.

Responsibilities

• Set purchasing and approvals processes for timely supplier payments.
• Lead 12 site managers and deliver the electrification program with cost management across sites.

Job description

Fleet and Maintenance Manager | Heavy Vehicle Fleet, Sydney

• Lead the next stage of a zero emission fleet
• 1,000+ heavy vehicles across multiple sites
• Report to the MD, with 12 managers reporting in

About the Company and Opportunity

Our client is part of an ASX-listed group with $2B+ in revenue that delivers essential services across Australia. The business has a strong base of long-term revenue and is growing steadily. In New South Wales, it runs a large heavy vehicle fleet across multiple Sydney sites. This role leads fleet, maintenance and facilities for the NSW business. You will report to the Managing Director NSW. You will lead 12 managers: a Workshop Manager at each site and a Facilities Manager. You will own the full life of a fleet of 1,000+ heavy vehicles and a smaller car fleet, covering how it is maintained, renewed and retired. The role sits at the centre of a zero emission transition that a major client is watching closely. You will walk into a strong position. The maintenance team is high performing, spend has been consistently on budget, and much of the heavy lifting on electrification is done. The next site is already underway and will need your leadership early. The remit covers preventive maintenance, replacement forecasting for an ageing fleet, build lead times for vehicles made overseas, quality inspections at interstate build sites, and disposal at end of life. When a serious incident happens, you are the fleet point of contact: you lead the mechanical investigation and recommend engineering fixes where incidents repeat. The role is large, and the business is adding resources around it so that it can be run sustainably.

About You

You are an engineering-led fleet leader who has done this before across a large, multi-site heavy vehicle fleet. You have owned a fleet across its whole life, from acquisition and preventive maintenance through to disposal, and you have led maintenance teams through workshop or depot managers. You have forecast replacement needs for an ageing fleet, managed build lead times with manufacturers, including overseas, and quality assured new vehicles before they entered service. You have led or supported mechanical investigations into serious incidents and delivered the engineering fixes that stopped them from happening again. You have held a maintenance budget across multiple sites or cost centres, and you have built and mentored a team. Experience in a comparable contracted fleet environment is an advantage, and zero emission or electric fleet experience is highly regarded.

Key Responsibilities

In your first six months, you will put purchasing and approval processes in place that keep suppliers paid on time. You will build relationships with your 12 managers and set a delegation model that lets the role run without routine after-hours involvement. You will take ownership of the next electrification program as it moves into delivery. You will set a baseline of maintenance KPIs by site, including availability, preventive maintenance compliance and cost, and confirm compliance against contract and roadworthiness obligations.

Over the following six months, you will deliver the zero emission rollout to the standard the client expects, with maintenance spend held on budget across all sites. You will build a forward replacement plan that accounts for build lead times and quality assurance. You will also put in place a charging and maintenance readiness plan for future electrification stages, including high voltage safety competency for workshop teams.

What’s on Offer

This is whole of life ownership of a large heavy vehicle fleet, at a point where the hard groundwork on electrification is done and the next stage is yours to deliver. You will report directly to the Managing Director NSW, with visibility at the top of the business. You will inherit a high-performing team, a maintenance budget that is under control, and additional resources being put in place to support the role. The business has long-term revenue and steady growth, so you get stability and momentum together. You will be based in Sydney’s Inner West, with regular travel between sites and some interstate travel.

Arete champions diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds and particularly encourages women to apply.