Maintenance Electrician

Silver Fern Farms Limited; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted staff meat sales

Paid sick leave from day one

Subsidised health insurance

Confidential employee assistance (ad

Free onsite parking

Uniform and PPE provided

Job summary

Silver Fern Farms Belfast is seeking a skilled Maintenance Electrician to join our Engineering team. You will provide electrical maintenance and technical support across our food production facilities, ensuring plant and equipment operate safely and with minimal downtime.

Key duties include planned maintenance, breakdown response, repairs, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives. NZ registration and a relevant trade qualification are required, with PLC/SCADA experience and strong

Qualifications

• Current New Zealand Electrical Registration and Practising Licence.
• Relevant electrical trade qualification and industry experience.
• Strong fault-finding and troubleshooting skills in an industrial environment.
• Experience with PLC and SCADA control and monitoring systems.
• Sound understanding of electrical maintenance and plant equipment.
• Knowledge of health and safety legislation and safe work practices.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong computer literacy and attention to detail.
• A practical, proactive approach with a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
• Experience within food manufacturing or a similar production environment is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Complete planned electrical maintenance to ensure equipment performs to specification.
• Carry out repairs and maintenance to minimise equipment failures and downtime.
• Assist with installation and commissioning of new plant and equipment.
• Maintain PLCs, variable speed drives, lighting systems, low-voltage distribution systems, instrumentation and control systems.
• Accurately record maintenance activities and completed tasks within relevant systems.
• Complete work within agreed timeframes and available resources.
• Respond to breakdowns and faults promptly and diagnose to restore production safely.

Skills

Fault finding

PLC/SCADA control

Electrical maintenance

Health & safety

Communication skills

Education

Electrical trade qualification

Job description

We're looking for a skilled and motivated Maintenance Electrician to join our Engineering team at Silver Fern Farms Belfast. This is a hands-on role responsible for providing electrical maintenance and technical support across our food production facilities, ensuring plant and equipment operate safely, efficiently, and with minimal downtime. The role includes planned maintenance, breakdown response, electrical repairs, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives.

Working closely with the Engineering Team Leader, production teams, contractors, and site support functions, you'll play a key role in maintaining critical plant assets while ensuring compliance with health and safety, food safety, and industry standards.

This is an opportunity to make a real impact in a fast-paced manufacturing environment while supporting our purpose: Creating Goodness from the Farms the World Needs.

Shift Pattern: It is a weekly rotation - Primary - 5:30am for 9 hours, Secondary - 5:30 or 6am for 9 hours, Non production- 7am for 9 hours, Afternoon - 1pm for 9 hours, Nightshift - 4pm until finish.

In this role, you will:

Leadership

• Actively contribute as a valued member of the Engineering team.
• Support a positive team culture and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Research, troubleshoot and resolve technical issues as required.
• Build strong working relationships across production, engineering and support teams.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Champion safe work practices and take responsibility for your own safety and the safety of others.
• Follow all health and safety policies, procedures, and isolation requirements.
• Ensure compliance with lockout procedures, confined space requirements, working at heights, hot work permits, and other safety protocols.
• Identify, report and manage hazards to minimise workplace risks.
• Adhere to food safety and hygiene requirements within a regulated food production environment.

Electrical Maintenance

• Complete planned electrical maintenance activities to ensure equipment performs to specification.
• Carry out repairs and maintenance to minimise equipment failures and production downtime.
• Assist with the installation and commissioning of new plant and equipment.
• Maintain PLCs, variable speed drives, lighting systems, low-voltage distribution systems, instrumentation, and control systems.
• Accurately record maintenance activities and completed tasks within relevant systems.
• Complete work within agreed timeframes and available resources.

Breakdown & Fault-Finding

• Respond to equipment breakdowns and faults promptly and effectively.
• Diagnose and rectify electrical issues to restore production safely and efficiently.
• Communicate effectively with production leaders regarding repair priorities and progress.
• Support inventory awareness and spare parts management to enable timely repairs.
• Provide feedback and recommendations to improve equipment reliability and performance.

You’ll bring:

• Current New Zealand Electrical Registration and Practising Licence.
• Relevant electrical trade qualification and industry experience.
• Strong fault-finding and troubleshooting skills in an industrial environment.
• Experience with PLC and SCADA control and monitoring systems.
• Sound understanding of electrical maintenance and plant equipment.
• Knowledge of health and safety legislation and safe work practices.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong computer literacy and attention to detail.
• A practical, proactive approach with a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.

Experience within food manufacturing or a similar production environment would be advantageous, but more importantly, you'll be a dependable team player who takes pride in delivering safe, high-quality work.

Te Ahurea / Why Silver Fern Farms?

At Silver Fern Farms, goodness is at the heart of everything we do. As part of our Belfast team, you'll enjoy:

• Discounted staff meat sales
• Paid sick leave from day one
• Subsidised health insurance
• Confidential employee assistance programme (career planning, financial advice and counselling)
• Free onsite parking
• Uniform and PPE provided

You'll be joining a workplace that values care, respect, animal welfare, environmental responsibility, and the wellbeing of our people and communities.

If you're an experienced electrician looking for an opportunity to work in a large-scale manufacturing environment with industry-leading equipment and a supportive team, we'd love to hear from you.

Silver Fern Farms welcomes people from all backgrounds. We're committed to a diverse, inclusive workplace and providing equal opportunities for all applicants. Come and create goodness with us.