Heavy Industry Engineering Foreman

Copper Quail; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Copper Quail seeks an Engineering Foreman to lead daily engineering and maintenance across mining and drilling projects, ensuring equipment availability and safe delivery of work.

You will supervise skilled teams, plan preventive maintenance, and drive root-cause analysis to improve reliability while adhering to OEM and safety standards on site in South Africa.

Qualifications

• Recognised trade qualification such as Millwright, Fitter, Electrician, Diesel Mechanic or equivalent technical qualification.
• Minimum 5 years' relevant engineering / maintenance / heavy-equipment experience in mining, drilling or industrial environments.
• Proven experience supervising technical maintenance teams.
• Strong practical fault-finding capability across mechanical and hydraulic systems; electrical exposure is highly advantageous.
• Ability to read technical drawings, schematics and OEM manuals.
• Medically fit for site work and willing to work shifts, rotations or temporary relocation where required.

Responsibilities

• Supervise artisans, technicians and maintenance personnel across mining and drilling equipment.
• Plan and coordinate preventive, planned and corrective maintenance work.
• Lead breakdown response, fault finding and troubleshooting across mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
• Monitor equipment condition, downtime, recurring failures and maintenance backlogs.
• Coordinate inspections, servicing, component replacement and repair activities.
• Support root-cause investigations and implement practical reliability improvements.
• Ensure OEM requirements, maintenance procedures and statutory safety requirements are followed.
• Manage job cards, maintenance records, spares requirements and outstanding defects.
• Liaise with OEMs, suppliers and technical-support teams on diagnostics, parts and specialist interventions.
• Support commissioning, mobilisation and demobilisation of project equipment.

Skills

Safety awareness

Fault finding

Team supervision

Planning & organising

Communication

Education

Trade qualification (Millwright/Fitter/Electrician/Diesel Mechanic)

Job description

Johannesburg, South Africa | Posted on 09/16/2026

Copper Quail’s objective is to become a trusted partner within our clients’ organizations in Africa, understanding not only the people at their heart, but also their culture and ethos. We are Recruitment Advisors, specializing in Executive Search, Contingency Recruitment, Headhunting, Outsourced Labour and training. Using our significant market knowledge across, experience and judgement to help our clients employ the best qualified individuals for each position in Africa.

We’re known for our successful track record, responsiveness and discretion. We have a high performance culture and employ only experienced recruiters. These knowledgeable professionals provide a high level of service, deliver effective solutions and foster successful relationships through regular conversations with clients and candidates.

Job Description

The Engineering Foreman will lead day-to-day engineering and maintenance activities across mining and drilling projects, with responsibility for equipment availability, maintenance execution, breakdown response, technical supervision and safe delivery of work.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervise artisans, technicians and maintenance personnel across mining and drilling equipment.


• Plan and coordinate preventive, planned and corrective maintenance work.


• Lead breakdown response, fault finding and troubleshooting across mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems.


• Monitor equipment condition, downtime, recurring failures and maintenance backlogs.


• Coordinate inspections, servicing, component replacement and repair activities.


• Support root-cause investigations and implement practical reliability improvements.


• Ensure OEM requirements, maintenance procedures and statutory safety requirements are followed.


• Manage job cards, maintenance records, spares requirements and outstanding defects.


• Liaise with OEMs, suppliers and technical-support teams on diagnostics, parts and specialist interventions.


• Support commissioning, mobilisation and demobilisation of project equipment.

EXPERIENCE & REQUIREMENTS

• Recognised trade qualification such as Millwright, Fitter, Electrician, Diesel Mechanic or equivalent technical qualification.


• Minimum 5 years' relevant engineering / maintenance / heavy-equipment experience in mining, drilling or industrial environments.


• Proven experience supervising technical maintenance teams.


• Strong practical fault-finding capability across mechanical and hydraulic systems; electrical exposure is highly advantageous.


• Ability to read technical drawings, schematics and OEM manuals.


• Medically fit for site work and willing to work shifts, rotations or temporary relocation where required.

ADVANTAGEOUS

• Direct SANY mining / drilling equipment knowledge or maintenance exposure.


• Root Cause Analysis and reliability-improvement experience.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Strong safety awareness and commitment to operating standards.


• Practical problem-solving and sound judgement in operational environments.


• Clear communication and effective collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.


• Strong planning, organisation, accountability and attention to detail.