Plant Maintenance Manager

Staff Unlimited Recruitment; East London; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading automotive components manufacturer is seeking a skilled Plant Maintenance Manager to oversee maintenance operations in East London. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in maintenance management, focusing on optimizing equipment performance and reducing downtime. Responsibilities include managing budgets, leading teams, and driving process improvements. This full-time role offers the opportunity to influence operational efficiency and team collaboration.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in industrial or automotive maintenance management role.
• Working knowledge of preventative and predictive maintenance systems.
• Strong HSE and compliance awareness.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily maintenance operations and reduce plant downtime.
• Manage the maintenance budget and monitor expenditure.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts in maintenance processes.

Skills

Leadership and people management

Problem-solving

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

Degree in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering

Job description

Plant Maintenance Manager

Our client, a well-established manufacturer within the automotive components sector, is seeking a skilled Maintenance Manager to oversee plant maintenance operations. This leadership role focuses on ensuring optimal equipment performance, reducing downtime, and streamlining maintenance processes to support operational efficiency.

This position will suit a candidate that is confident, actively engaged, and skilled in shaping a unified, results-driven team. Leadership approach should promote ownership, encourage collaboration across functions, and deliver tangible improvements in the plant maintenance and operational performance.

Location: East London

Job type: On Site – Full time

Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee daily maintenance operations, preventative and planned maintenance and ensure minimal plant downtime
• Support cross-functional teams by addressing maintenance-related concerns promptly and effectively
• Ensure equipment and machine reliability, to maintain quality output and reduce scrap and loss.
• Manage the maintenance budget, monitor expenditure, and submit quarterly reports on spend vs. budget
• Lead continuous improvement efforts and drive process optimisation
• Coordinate supplier services for equipment, facilities, and utilities, ensuring plant functionality
• Ensure availability of critical machine spares and maintain inventory accuracy
• Implement corrective actions and lead root cause analysis for maintenance-related issues
• Supervise and develop maintenance team members, oversee timesheets, conduct performance reviews, and enforce HSE compliance
• Take ownership of access control, surveillance systems, and the overall upkeep and maintenance of facilities.
• Escalate critical maintenance risks to senior management and collaborate closely with Production for effective maintenance planning

Minimum Requirements

• Degree in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering. Or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in industrial or automotive maintenance management role.
• Working knowledge of preventative and predictive maintenance systems
• Strong HSE and compliance awareness

Skills Required

• Strong leadership and people management abilities
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills

Should you meet the above criteria, we invite you to send your CV and supporting documents to [e-mail]. Should you not hear back from us within 2 weeks of application, kindly consider your application as unsuccessful