Maintenance Planner jobs in South Africa

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

• 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

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.

• 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).

• 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).

• 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).

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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).

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.