About the Job
Reliability Engineer & Maintenance Planner (New Zealand Employment)
Location: Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Salary: NZD 80,000-95,000/annum.
Job Identification
Department: Engineering / Operations
Reports To: Maintenance & Engineering Project Manager
Direct Reports: None
Work Location: Onsite – Te Puke, Bay of Plenty (with occasional flexibility by agreement).
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 optimization, and failure elimination. The role also enforces CMMS (Limble) discipline and machine handover compliance to strengthen maintenance history, safety, and execution quality.
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, prioritized 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 minimize 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, prioritize 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.
- Optimize preventive maintenance strategies (frequency, task content, standards) using failure history, OEM guidance, and practical risk-based thinking.
- Improve asset performance through reliability initiatives such as criticality ranking, defect elimination, condition checks/inspection routes (where applicable), and maintenance standards.
- Partner with Operations, QA, and Maintenance to improve “maintainability” and execution quality (access, cleaning, changeover constraints, hygiene controls).
- Provide reliability input to shutdown planning (job prioritization, 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, labor 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 due to “waiting on parts”.
- Track critical spares stockout risks and elevate 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 elevate 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 stockout 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 optimization, 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 optimization, 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 optimization (site level).
- Spares readiness governance and kitting coordination.
- Machine handover compliance audit and evidence capture.