Mechanical Foreman

Tharisa Plc; Noordwes; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Tharisa Plc in South Africa's Noordwes region seeks an experienced operations leader to oversee mechanical maintenance and inspection across the mining plant. You will lead daily activities, manage personnel and resources, and ensure safe, efficient performance aligned with maintenance plans and metallurgical targets.

Collaborating with the plant engineer, you will schedule regular maintenance, monitor production parameters, prepare reports, and drive continuous improvements to reduce downtime

Job description

Purpose of Role

To oversee and manage all mechanical maintenance and inspection operations for the mining plant by leading and controlling all activities and daily operations including managing the personnel, equipment and resources for efficient and safe operations and achievement of set metallurgical targets and maintenance plans in line with departmental goals and objectives.

Purpose of Role

To oversee and manage all mechanical maintenance and inspection operations for the mining plant by leading and controlling all activities and daily operations including managing the personnel, equipment and resources for efficient and safe operations and achievement of set metallurgical targets and maintenance plans in line with departmental goals and objectives.

Role Context

Operational Management

• Set and oversee the implementation of mechanical operational plans and the achievement of production targets by collaborating with the plant Engineer in line with company goals.
• Monitor daily operations in line with production requirements, evaluate progress and make operational adjustments as needed to ensure production quotas and quality standards are met or exceeded.
• Coordinate services in the plant and control processes within defined scope and ensure adherence to the production and maintenance plans to achieve process stability and efficiency.
• Monitor and control daily process plans, including proper mechanical activities, monitoring production parameters and inspecting finished products and report operation delays and process inefficiencies to minimise bottlenecks and plant lock up.
• Oversee the maintenance and repair of all mining machinery and equipment within the mining plant.
• Liaise with the plant engineer and maintenance team to schedule and perform regular maintenance activities to keep equipment running efficiently and minimise downtime during shifts.
• Implement and maintain a planned inspection schedule for critical mechanical equipment to proactively detect and identify potential equipment failure to ensure preventative action is taken.
• Prepare reports on production, safety and mechanical activities by keeping accurate records of equipment inspections, repairs and maintenance activities to ensure compliance and facilitate future maintenance planning.
• Collaborate with plant Engineer to develop and implement process improvement initiatives to enhance productivity, reduce costs and enhance overall plant performance.
• Assign tasks, set work objectives and schedules for shifts to ensure adequate resourcing and that employees are performing their duties effectively and in compliance with safety procedures.
• Generate skills matrix for each artisan and put controls in place to bridge the gap were there are shortfalls and recommend improvement interventions. Resource Management
• Provide input into required changes in resources (financial or non-financial) to enable the achievement of team and/or own objectives.
• Determine resource needs of the team and/or own area of work to achieve business outcomes.
• Request and allocate required assets and/or resources for the fulfilment of work objectives to guarantee quality outputs.
• Monitor the use of assets and resources within the team and own area of responsibility, to ensure assets and resources are consistently and appropriately utilised and managed.
• Provide staff with day-to-day direction and tasks aligned with Departmental procedures, to enable the usage of less resources more efficiently.
• Manage team and support services including standby resources during breakdowns by communicating failures/breakdowns in process to limit downtime while adhering to safety standards.
• Coordinate and manage the activities of the plant staff including equipment operators, maintenance technicians and general laborers in area of accountability to ensure resource management and adequate staffing for delivery.

Stakeholder Relations

• Communicate with all relevant Departments on issues of the area of speciality. Liaise across the relevant Departments by engaging with the appropriate stakeholders to ensure all stakeholders remain abreast of Departmental objectives, any potential derailers are appropriately managed and duplication of work is avoided.
• Communicate with internal and/or external stakeholders, where required, to achieve work objectives and to maintain relationships.

Compliance, Risk and Safety

• Develop an appropriate plant specific Risk Management Policy and appropriate Procedures and Standards (Codes of Practice)
• Develop and implement a proactive approach to all safety protocols by creating awareness of hazards and behaviour in order to enforce compliance to minimise risk of accidents and injuries within the plant.
• Conduct regular safety inspections, provide relevant and necessary training to ensure all employees adhere to safety guidelines all the time.
• Lead the interdepartmental collaboration and coordination efforts to execute drills and escape procedures in case of emergencies and operational requirements i.e. blasting to mitigate risks and fatalities.
• Enforce compliance with all applicable regulations, codes and standards related to foundry operations including environmental regulations to ensure the plant remains fully compliant to industry standards.

People Management

• Create and maintain a conducive work environment by appropriately applying Human Resources policies and procedures to ensure optimum performance is realised for the benefit of the plant, by extension, the organisation.
• Coach, mentor and train teams and recommend adequate training and skills development initiatives to improve employee performance.
• Manage a high-performance culture for the plant by providing critical and timely feedback (both positive and critical), enabling individuals to improve and work as effectively as possible to meet operational goals.
• Implement clear people management and supervisory tactics and institute Planned Task Observations (PTO) to display level of competency of the team in line with TM’s people management strategies.
• Lead the identification and development of talent by ensuring adequate staffing, providing regular mentoring, coaching and training in order to ensure a competent and capable workforce in line with TM’s people strategies.