Maintenance Planner- Pet Food/FMCG (Overseas Employment)

Addiction Pet Foods; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 500,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Addiction Pet Foods is seeking a Maintenance Planner & Reliability Engineer to enhance equipment reliability while managing maintenance planning in Johannesburg.

This role involves preparing work orders, coordinating with operations, and leading reliability engineering activities for optimal machine performance. The ideal candidate will have a background in engineering and experience in FMCG environments.

Benefits include a structured work environment and opportunity for professional growth.

Qualifications

• 3–7 years experience in maintenance planning/scheduling and/or reliability engineering.
• Strong CMMS experience required.
• Demonstrated experience in RCA and PM optimisation.

Responsibilities

• Ensure high-priority work is prepared and scheduled appropriately.
• Lead root cause analysis for recurring failures.
• Optimize preventive maintenance strategies.

Skills

Planning and scheduling discipline

Reliability engineering toolkit

CMMS workflow control

Clear communication

Education

Diploma/Bachelor’s in Engineering or relevant technical discipline

Tools

CMMS (Limble)

Job description

Maintenance Planner & Reliability Engineer (Overseas Employment)

Work Location: Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Department: Engineering / Operations

Reports To: Maintenance & Engineering Project Manager

Direct Reports: None

Work Schedule: Day shift; flexible support during shutdowns/critical breakdowns as required

Job Purpose: To improve equipment reliability and reduce unplanned downtime by owning maintenance planning and scheduling while leading reliability engineering activities. This role prepares ready‑to‑execute work orders (scope, labor, parts, tools, permits, acceptance criteria), coordinates maintenance windows with Operations, ensures spares readiness, and drives reliability improvements through data‑led problem solving, PM optimisation, and failure elimination. The role also enforces CMMS (Limble) discipline and machine handover compliance to strengthen maintenance history, safety, and execution quality.

Key Result Areas (KRAs) & Responsibilities

KRA 1: Maintenance Planning & Scheduling Excellence (45%)

• Build and issue weekly and daily maintenance schedules aligned with production plans, sanitation windows, and shutdown requirements.
• Maintain a healthy, prioritised backlog (planned vs unplanned) and ensure high‑priority work is prepared and scheduled appropriately.
• Convert requests into high‑quality work orders with clear scope, job steps, estimated duration, skill requirements, tools, parts, permits/LOTO requirements, and acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate access windows with Operations to minimise disruption and protect production continuity.
• Track and improve schedule attainment, document reasons for missed work, and drive recovery actions (re‑plan, re‑scope, remove blockers).

KRA 2: Reliability Engineering & Continuous Improvement (35%)

• Own the site reliability cadence: identify top losses, prioritise reliability actions, and drive sustained reduction in repeat failures.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for recurring failures and significant downtime events; implement corrective actions and verify effectiveness.
• Optimise preventive maintenance strategies (frequency, task content, standards) using failure history, OEM guidance, and risk‑based thinking.
• Improve asset performance through reliability initiatives such as criticality ranking, defect elimination, condition checks/inspection routes, and maintenance standards.
• Partner with Operations, QA, and Maintenance to improve maintainability and execution quality (access, cleaning, change‑over constraints, hygiene controls).
• Provide reliability input to shutdown planning (job prioritisation, sequencing risks, work pack readiness) and CAPEX/upgrade discussions (risk, ROI, reliability impact).

KRA 3: CMMS Work Management Discipline & Data Quality (Limble) (10%)

• Own CMMS workflow governance: request → plan → schedule → execute → close discipline, status control, attachment standards, and coding accuracy.
• Ensure work orders are closed with complete records (work performed, parts used, labour hours, photos/readings, permits where required) to maintain reliable maintenance history.
• Maintain clean CMMS foundations (asset hierarchy hygiene, PM template administration – administrative ownership only).
• Monitor and report core KPIs (PM on‑time completion, schedule attainment, backlog health, emergency work trends, repeat failure trends).

KRA 4: Spares Readiness & MRO Governance (10%)

• Own maintenance spares governance: critical spares list, min/max settings, reorder points, lead times, approved alternates, and job kitting requirements.
• Coordinate with Warehouse/Stores and Procurement for cycle counts, variance investigations, and inventory accuracy improvements.
• Ensure parts are kitted/staged ahead of scheduled jobs to reduce delays caused by waiting on parts.
• Track critical spares stock‑out risks and escalates early to prevent downtime.

Scope note

Physical custody and daily issuing/receiving is managed by Warehouse/Stores unless otherwise assigned. This role is accountable for readiness, control, and system accuracy.

KRA 5: Ad Hoc / Governance Support (as needed)

Machine Handover Verification (Mandatory)

• Verify and audit that proper machine handover is completed before maintenance begins and before equipment is returned to production, following site SOPs and safety requirements (including LOTO).
• Ensure pre‑maintenance handover is documented (line clearance, hygiene controls, isolation/LOTO, permits, access readiness).
• Ensure post‑maintenance return‑to‑service is documented (guards reinstated, housekeeping completed, functional checks/test run completed where required, sign‑offs obtained).
• Maintain evidence in Limble (handover checklists, permits, photos) and escalates non‑compliance trends.

Shutdown / Critical Event Support

• Support shutdown readiness by ensuring work packs, schedules, and parts staging are prepared (not the overall shutdown project lead unless assigned).
• During critical breakdowns, support structured triage: capture failure data, log work correctly, and coordinate fast recovery planning.

Success Measures (KPIs)

• Schedule attainment % (planned work completed as scheduled).
• PM on‑time completion %.
• Backlog health (planned backlog visibility, stability, and readiness: % "ready‑to‑schedule").
• Unplanned downtime trend (repeat failures reduced; improved MTBF/less emergency work).
• RCA closure rate & effectiveness (actions closed on time; recurrence prevented).
• Handover compliance % (pre/post sign‑off completed with evidence).
• Critical spares stock‑out incidents (target: zero).
• Inventory accuracy % (maintenance spares).
• Work order closure completeness % (documentation + cost capture).

Qualifications & Experience

• Diploma/Bachelor’s in Engineering (Mechanical/Electrical/Industrial) or relevant technical discipline, or equivalent experience.
• 3–7 years experience in maintenance planning/scheduling and/or reliability engineering within FMCG/food manufacturing or similar high‑uptime environments.
• Strong CMMS experience (Limble preferred).
• Demonstrated experience in RCA, PM optimisation, and reliability improvement delivery.
• Willing to work in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong planning and scheduling discipline; backlog control and execution readiness.
• Reliability engineering toolkit: RCA facilitation, criticality thinking, PM optimisation, standard setting, verification of effectiveness.
• CMMS workflow control, data hygiene, and reporting discipline.
• Maintenance spares governance (criticality, min/max, kitting, lead‑time awareness).
• Clear communication and stakeholder management across Operations, Maintenance, QA, Warehouse/Stores, and Procurement.
• Calm under production pressure; strong follow‑through and bias for practical solutions.

Scope Boundaries (to Prevent Overload And Role Overlap)

This role is accountable for:

• Planning, scheduling, backlog control, and CMMS closure discipline.
• Reliability improvement roadmap, RCA leadership, and PM strategy optimisation (site level).
• Spares readiness governance and kitting coordination.
• Machine handover compliance audit and evidence capture.