Sawmill Manager

Mayfly Agri; KwaZulu-Natal; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,350,000; Full time

Job summary

Mayfly Agri is seeking a seasoned production leader to manage day-to-day sawmill operations in a rural KwaZulu-Natal environment. You will steer the complete timber processing workflow, drive productivity and ensure safety and quality standards are met.

The role requires 5–8 years in sawmill contexts, 3+ years in supervision, and strong planning, maintenance and cost-control skills. Experience with timber recovery and remote operations is highly valued.

Qualifications

• Must have a National Senior Certificate (Matric); a qualification in Forestry, Wood Technology, Sawmilling, Mechanical Engineering, Production Management or a related field would be advantageous
• Minimum 5–8 years' experience in sawmill operations, timber processing and related is critical
• Must have at least 3 years' management or supervisory experience in a production environment
• Experience with production planning, maintenance, quality and cost control is essential
• Mechanical aptitude would be highly advantageous
• Strong knowledge of sawmill production processes and timber conversion is essential
• Must have experience managing production teams and industrial equipment
• Strong understanding of occupational health and safety requirements
• Experience in a rural or remote operational environment would be advantageous

Responsibilities

• Taking full operational responsibility for the day-to-day management of the sawmill.
• Developing and implementing operational plans aligned with production and commercial objectives.
• Managing the complete production process from receipt of logs through to sawing, sorting, grading, stacking, drying and dispatch, where applicable.
• Ensuring optimal utilisation of available timber, machinery, labour and other resources.
• Monitoring operational performance and implementing corrective action where required.
• Identifying opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste and increase profitability.
• Establishing and maintaining efficient operating procedures and production standards.
• Developing production schedules in line with timber availability, customer requirements and sales forecasts.
• Ensuring production targets are achieved in terms of volume, recovery, quality and turnaround times.
• Monitoring daily, weekly and monthly production against planned targets.
• Analysing production losses, downtime, recovery rates and machine utilisation.
• Ensuring the efficient flow of timber through all stages of production.
• Optimising cutting patterns and sawing methods to maximise timber recovery and minimise waste.
• Coordinating production requirements with procurement, forestry, sales, logistics and other relevant departments.
• Ensuring finished products are available for dispatch according to agreed schedules.
• Managing the efficient utilisation of incoming logs and timber resources.
• Monitoring timber recovery and conversion rates.
• Minimising sawdust, offcuts, slab waste and other production losses.
• Ensuring appropriate sorting and utilisation of different log sizes, species and grades.
• Working closely with timber procurement and forestry teams to ensure suitable raw material availability.
• Monitoring log quality and identifying issues affecting production and recovery.
• Investigating and addressing abnormal timber losses or declining recovery rates.
• Taking responsibility for the availability and reliability of all sawmill equipment.
• Ensuring preventative maintenance programmes are implemented and maintained.
• Monitoring equipment performance and downtime.
• Coordinating planned maintenance and repairs to minimise disruption to production.

Skills

Production planning

Maintenance management

Quality control

Cost control

Occupational health and safety

Team leadership

Timber recovery knowledge

Sawmill operations

Industrial equipment management

Education

Matric (National Senior Certificate)

Forestry / Wood Technology / Sawmilling or Mechanical Engineering or Production Management (advantageous)

Job description

Minimum requirements for the role:

• Must have a National Senior Certificate (Matric); A qualification in Forestry, Wood Technology, Sawmilling, Mechanical Engineering, Production Management or a related field would be advantageous
• Minimum 5–8 years' experience in sawmill operations, timber processing and related is critical
• Must have at least 3 years' management or supervisory experience in a production environment
• Experience with production planning, maintenance, quality and cost control is essential
• Mechanical aptitude would be highly advantageous
• Strong knowledge of sawmill production processes and timber conversion is essential
• Must have experience managing production teams and industrial equipment
• Strong understanding of occupational health and safety requirements
• Experience in a rural or remote operational environment would be advantageous

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Taking full operational responsibility for the day-to-day management of the sawmill.
• Developing and implementing operational plans aligned with production and commercial objectives.
• Managing the complete production process from receipt of logs through to sawing, sorting, grading, stacking, drying and dispatch, where applicable.
• Ensuring optimal utilisation of available timber, machinery, labour and other resources.
• Monitoring operational performance and implementing corrective action where required.
• Identifying opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste and increase profitability.
• Establishing and maintaining efficient operating procedures and production standards.
• Developing production schedules in line with timber availability, customer requirements and sales forecasts.
• Ensuring production targets are achieved in terms of volume, recovery, quality and turnaround times.
• Monitoring daily, weekly and monthly production against planned targets.
• Analysing production losses, downtime, recovery rates and machine utilisation.
• Ensuring the efficient flow of timber through all stages of production.
• Optimising cutting patterns and sawing methods to maximise timber recovery and minimise waste.
• Coordinating production requirements with procurement, forestry, sales, logistics and other relevant departments.
• Ensuring finished products are available for dispatch according to agreed schedules.
• Managing the efficient utilisation of incoming logs and timber resources.
• Monitoring timber recovery and conversion rates.
• Minimising sawdust, offcuts, slab waste and other production losses.
• Ensuring appropriate sorting and utilisation of different log sizes, species and grades.
• Working closely with timber procurement and forestry teams to ensure suitable raw material availability.
• Monitoring log quality and identifying issues affecting production and recovery.
• Investigating and addressing abnormal timber losses or declining recovery rates.
• Taking responsibility for the availability and reliability of all sawmill equipment.
• Ensuring preventative maintenance programmes are implemented and maintained.
• Monitoring equipment performance and downtime.
• Coordinating planned maintenance and repairs to minimise disruption to production.

Please note that subsequent to the screening and shortlisting process, all further communication will be entered into only with the shortlisted candidates. If you do not receive any feedback from us within 2 weeks of applying, please consider your application unsuccessful.