Deputy Plant Manager - Maintenance & Engineering

Sweetlife; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading explosives manufacturing company in Gauteng seeks a Deputy Plant Manager to oversee maintenance and engineering operations. This role requires leadership in maintaining equipment performance and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. Ideal candidates will have significant engineering experience and relevant certifications to manage high-risk environments effectively.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7-10 years' engineering experience in a manufacturing or high-risk process environment.
• Government Certificate of Competency – Factories (GCC Factories) required for legal compliance.
• Strong knowledge of compliance-driven industries and safety systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the plant maintenance team ensuring compliance with production schedules.
• Implement and lead maintenance strategies focused on reliability and performance optimization.
• Ensure compliance with Occupational Health and Safety Act and other statutory requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Compliance Knowledge

Reliability Engineering

Maintenance Planning

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Government Certificate of Competency – Factories (GCC Factories)

Tools

CMMS systems

Root Cause Analysis Tools

Job description

Deputy Plant Manager - Maintenance & EngineeringDeputy Plant Manager - Maintenance & EngineeringDeputy Plant Manager - Maintenance & Engineering is a senior engineering role responsible for leading both the maintenance and reliability functions within the explosives manufacturing plant.

The role ensures optimal equipment performance, plant uptime, and compliance with legal requirements through technical leadership, data-driven performance improvement, and structured maintenance practices.

A key aspect of this position is the legal and operational responsibility for ensuring the plant complies with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and General Machinery Regulations (GMR) — ideally fulfilled by a qualified individual with a Government Certificate of Competency (GCC Factories).The primary objective of this role is to ensure the safe, efficient, and legally compliant operation of all engineering assets within the explosives manufacturing plant.

This includes leading the maintenance team, maximizing plant uptime, implementing reliability strategies, and driving continuous performance improvement.

The role also entails fulfilling legal responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, particularly as a GMR 2.1 appointee—ideally requiring a GCC Factories certification.

By optimizing asset performance, reducing downtime, and enhancing engineering safety and compliance, the manager supports overall plant productivity and risk mitigation.Education / Qualifications : Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (BEng, BSc, or BTech).Minimum of 7–10 years' engineering experience in a manufacturing orhigh-risk process environment (explosives, chemicals, or heavy industry preferred).Government Certificate of Competency – Factories (GCC Factories) issued bythe Department of Employment and Labour is strongly preferred or required forGMR 2.1 appointment eligibility.Demonstrated leadership in managing plant maintenance, performance engineering,or reliability functions.Strong knowledge of CMMS systems, root cause analysis tools, and assetExperience working with high-risk equipment and safety systems incompliance-driven industries.Key Responsibilities : Maintenance & Engineering LeadershipLead and manage the plant maintenance team, including artisans, technicians, and planners, ensuring high-quality execution of both preventive and corrective maintenance.Ensure all maintenance activities are aligned with plant production schedules and meet safety and compliance standards.Oversee and continuously improve the Planned Maintenance System using CMMS software, while managing spares inventory and asset reliability data.Reliability & Performance OptimizationImplement and lead Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and root cause analysis processes for critical assets.Monitor and improve MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), MTTR (Mean Time To Repair), and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) metrics.Manage condition monitoring activities (vibration, thermography, oil analysis, etc.)

to prevent unscheduled downtime and extend asset life.Legal & Statutory ComplianceEnsure the plant's engineering operations comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, General Machinery Regulations, and relevant explosives legislation.Serve as a GMR 2.1 appointee (Engineer in Charge), subject to holding a valid GCC Factories certification.Oversee statutory inspections, equipment certifications, and lead engineering audits.Technical & Strategic SupportProvide engineering input on capital projects, upgrades, and safety improvements, ensuring maintainability and long-term performance.Collaborate with the Plant Manager, Production, and SHEQ teams to align reliability and maintenance efforts with strategic business goals.Liaise with OEMs and technical service providers to support asset lifecycle planning and technical standards.Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) : Compliance with GMR 2.1 and other statutory responsibilitiesUptime improvements and reduction in unplanned downtimePerformance of OEE, MTBF, MTTR, and cost per breakdown metricsReliability improvement project outcomesSeniority levelSeniority levelDirectorEmployment typeEmployment typeFull-timeJob functionIndustriesMiningReferrals increase your chances of interviewing at SweetLife by 2xGet notified about new Plant Manager jobs in Roodepoort, Gauteng, South Africa.Alberton, Gauteng, South Africa 5 days agoAlberton, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 1 week agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 1 week agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoCity of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 1 week agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 1 week agoMidrand, Gauteng, South Africa 1 month agoMidrand, Gauteng, South Africa 2 weeks agoManager : Data and Analytics (Analytics Engineering)Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa 2 weeks agoSecurity Architecture and Engineering ManagerJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 1 month agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoEngineering Manager - Messaging SecurityManager : Data and Analytics (Analytics Engineering)Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa 2 weeks agoEngineering Manager - Messaging SecurityJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 2 months agoBoksburg, Gauteng, South Africa 23 hours agoJohannesburg Metropolitan Area 2 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 4 days agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 1 week agoJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 3 days agoWe're unlocking community knowledge in a new way.

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