Reports To: Engineering and Maintenance Manager

Purpose of the Role

The Maintenance Planner is responsible for minimising plant downtime, maximising equipment reliability and extending the operating life of plant machinery and assets through effective planning and scheduling of preventive maintenance, planned corrective maintenance and major shutdown activities.

This role is the key liaison between Maintenance, Production and supporting departments to agree the timing, scope, resources and execution requirements for planned maintenance work, with the objective of ensuring minimal disruption to production.

The successful candidate will also be responsible for administering, improving and maintaining the Computerised Maintenance Management System / DMS, ensuring accurate asset management data, effective maintenance reporting, work order control, spares coordination and maintenance KPI tracking.

This is a critical planning role within the Engineering and Maintenance function and requires a structured, disciplined and highly capable individual who can influence across departments, work under pressure and support high standards of engineering execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintenance Planning, Scheduling & Coordination
  • Plan, schedule and coordinate routine maintenance, major maintenance activities and plant shutdowns.
  • Develop and maintain effective two-week rolling maintenance plans.
  • Ensure maintenance activities are properly scheduled, coordinated and resourced to support maximum production efficiency, plant availability and asset reliability.
  • Coordinate planned work to minimise disruption to production and ensure maintenance activities are completed within agreed timeframes.
  • Chair weekly shutdown planning meetings with maintenance and production leadership teams to discuss scope, dates and requirements for all shutdown-related work orders.
  • Chair weekly planning meetings with maintenance foremen and production team leaders to discuss scope, dates and requirements for all maintenance work orders.
  • Create, review and update maintenance plans and job plans to optimise utilisation of engineering resources in conjunction with the Engineering Management team.
  • Carry out job loading for maintenance personnel to ensure planned maintenance work is allocated effectively.
  • Coordinate standby lists for Production and Engineering support.
• Shutdown Planning & Execution Support
  • Plan and coordinate routine and major plant shutdowns, taking into account shutdown work, major maintenance, capital work, statutory requirements and operational requirements.
  • Ensure all shutdown work is properly scoped, planned, resourced and aligned with production requirements.
  • Confirm availability of resources, materials, spares, contractors and services required for planned shutdown activities.
  • Follow up on shutdown-related work orders and provide updates to relevant maintenance and production stakeholders.
  • Support the Engineering and Maintenance teams in driving disciplined shutdown preparation and execution.
• CMMS / DMS, MRO & Maintenance Data Management
  • Take responsibility and accountability for the effective operation of the CMMS and MRO systems.
  • Administer, manage, configure and control asset management data within the CMMS.
  • Manage the CMMS system, with knowledge of DMS being preferable.
  • Capture work orders as they are received.
  • Create work orders from completed preventive maintenance schedules.
  • Ensure work orders are accurate, properly captured, updated and closed out in line with maintenance requirements.
  • Submit CMMS system management reports to the Engineering Manager.
  • Assist the Plant Engineers and Engineering Management team to administer, improve and maintain the CMMS / DMS.
  • Maintain accurate maintenance planning, job history and asset management information to support reliability improvement and maintenance decision-making.
• Spares, Requisitions & Supplier Coordination
  • Ensure the correct spares, materials and services are available at the right time before planned work is executed.
  • Follow up on the status of spare parts required for maintenance work orders.
  • Arrange quotations for services due on equipment.
  • Create and update purchase requisitions.
  • Follow up on quotations, orders and supplier responses to ensure maintenance work is not delayed.
  • Liaise with stores, buying, suppliers and contractors to support planned maintenance execution.
  • Escalate delays, risks or shortages that may impact planned maintenance activities.
• Reporting, KPI Tracking & Performance Monitoring
  • Generate and distribute weekly Maintenance Management Reports and KPI reports.
  • Report daily and monthly on schedule attainment per department.
  • Develop and maintain effective Key Performance Indicators for maintenance performance.
  • Track and report on key maintenance indicators including plant efficiency, plant availability, costs, quality, safety, shutdown performance and planning effectiveness.
  • Update the KPI tracking board on a weekly basis.
  • Update the preventive maintenance schedule calendar and tracking board on a monthly basis.
  • Provide accurate and timely maintenance planning information to the Engineering and Maintenance Manager and relevant operational stakeholders.
• RCFA, Preventive Maintenance & Continuous Improvement
  • Manage the RCFA system database.
  • Support root cause failure analysis processes by ensuring accurate maintenance information, work order data and failure records are maintained.
  • Support the improvement of maintenance planning processes, preventive maintenance schedules and job plans.
  • Identify planning-related gaps, recurring issues and improvement opportunities.
  • Contribute to maintenance improvement initiatives aimed at improving reliability, reducing downtime and increasing plant availability.
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives using relevant methodologies such as WCM, Lean or Six Sigma.
• Cross-Functional Liaison
  • Act as the principal contact and liaison point between Maintenance, Production and supporting departments for planned maintenance work.
  • Work closely with Engineering Management, Operations Management, Mill Engineers, Maintenance Foremen, Production Team Leaders, artisans, technicians, stores, safety, risk, finance, administration, human resources, buying and training teams.
  • Liaise with approved technical suppliers, contractors and appointed consultants where required.
  • Communicate clearly and effectively to ensure all stakeholders understand planned work requirements, timing, priorities and constraints.
  • Influence across departments to secure alignment and support for planned maintenance activities.

Experience & Qualifications

• Recognised trade qualification.
• National Diploma or B.Tech in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience within a maintenance planning environment.
• Experience in a manufacturing, FMCG, production or industrial maintenance environment.
• Strong CMMS experience essential.
• DMS system experience will be advantageous.
• MRO system exposure will be advantageous.
• Strong MS Office skills and high levels of computer literacy.
• Experience in preventive maintenance planning, work order control, shutdown planning, maintenance reporting and maintenance KPI tracking.
• Continuous improvement experience such as WCM, Lean or Six Sigma will be advantageous.

Knowledge, Skills & Technical Competencies

• Strong understanding of maintenance planning, scheduling and coordination principles.
• Strong understanding of preventive maintenance, planned corrective maintenance and shutdown planning.
• Strong knowledge of CMMS, ERP, MRO and maintenance administration systems.
• Ability to manage asset management data accurately and consistently.
• Strong ability to develop, update and control maintenance plans, job plans, work orders and schedules.
• Strong ability to coordinate spares, quotations, purchase requisitions and supplier follow-ups.
• Strong reporting ability with experience in maintenance KPIs, schedule attainment and performance tracking.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent planning, organising and time-management ability.
• Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels of the organisation.
• Ability to work effectively with Engineering, Maintenance, Production, Stores, Safety, Finance, Buying and external suppliers or contractors.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced manufacturing environment where production uptime and maintenance discipline are critical.

Personal Attributes

• Self-starter who is energetic, highly motivated and proactive.
• Strong analytical capability and a genuine drive to identify and solve problems.
• High level of computer literacy and confidence working with maintenance, ERP, MRO, CMMS and MS Office systems.
• Excellent communication skills with strong leadership qualities.
• Able to identify, visualise, articulate and support the deployment of plant maintenance improvement solutions.
• High integrity and able to make decisions under pressure.
• Structured, organised and disciplined in planning and follow-through.
• Professional in appearance and conduct.
• Able to delegate effectively where required and support accountability within maintenance teams.
• Comfortable working across departments and influencing stakeholders to achieve maintenance objectives.
• Willing and able to work outside normal working hours when operational requirements demand it.
• Willing and able to perform management standby duties when required.

Working Relationships

• Internal Stakeholders
  • Engineering and Maintenance Manager
  • Operations Managers
  • Mill Engineers
  • Mill Management Team
  • Maintenance Foremen
  • Mechanical, Electrical and Instrumentation Technicians and Artisans
  • Stores Personnel
  • Safety and Risk Personnel
  • Administration and Finance Departments
  • Human Resources
  • Buying Department
  • Training Department
  • Production Leadership Teams
• External Stakeholders
  • Approved technical suppliers
  • External contractors
  • Appointed consultants
  • Service providers linked to maintenance, equipment and engineering support

Other Requirements

• Must be based in, or willing to work in, the Spartan / Kempton Park area.
• Must be comfortable operating in a high-volume FMCG manufacturing environment.
• Must be willing to work outside normal working hours when required.
• Must be willing to perform standby duties when required.
• Must be able to support planned maintenance activities where production demands, shutdown schedules and operational priorities may require flexibility.

Benefits

• A competitive, market-related Total Cost to Company package aligned with the seniority and scope of the role will be offered.
• Opportunity to contribute to a high-volume FMCG manufacturing environment where maintenance planning, reliability and production efficiency are business-critical.
• Exposure to engineering, maintenance, CMMS, shutdown planning and continuous improvement systems in a dynamic manufacturing operation.