Senior Maintenance Planner – Sandfire Motheo

This position is responsible for providing leadership, guidance and direction for the planning and coordination of maintenance scheduling and programs of work. The Senior Maintenance planner is responsible for planning and scheduling maintenance, corrective works and project works and work with Mechanical Superintendent to ensure resources and spare parts are available to carry out works. The Senior Maintenance planner oversees the contractors for maintenance support. It also includes the planning and execution of maintenance for all surface operation mobile equipment including cranes, telehandlers, forklifts, front end loaders, skid steers, carry crane trucks, light duty vehicles. The role also requires the development and upskilling of planning staff through coaching and mentoring.

Key Performance Areas:

• Ensuring the maintenance program aligns with manufacturers’ recommendations, schedules, preventive maintenance, equipment repairs, and inspections.
• Developing and maintaining maintenance planning and scheduling processes, including shutdown planning, ensuring adherence to the work management process, complying with schedules, establishing task criticality, and coordinating with production teams.
• Maintaining accurate equipment maintenance history and job records, compiling and submitting monthly planning reports, analysing key performance indicators (KPIs), and ensuring compliance with statutory and reporting requirements.
• Collaborating on improvements in planning, scheduling, data management, and job reporting systems, and participating in initiatives to enhance planning effectiveness and efficiency.
• Coordinating labour and resources for planned maintenance work, liaising with purchasing departments to ensure timely delivery of parts, and managing contractor engagements for specialized tasks.
• Rationalizing spare parts stock holdings (e.g., Min/Max, ANSI) and ensuring the Bill of Materials (BOM) and master data list remain updated.
• Conducting cost reporting, budget planning, forecasting, and lifecycle costing of equipment, and periodically reviewing and amending cost and time estimations for maintenance tasks.
• Interpreting technical drawings, managing technical documents, and providing quality attachments for work packs (e.g., Job Hazard Analyses (JHA), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)).
• Maintaining accurate historical maintenance records, updating computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), and managing and filing vendor manuals and project documents for future reference.
• Conducting weekly backlog review meetings with operational stakeholders, developing work programs, and managing contractors during site tasks, including reviewing costs and invoices.
• Incorporating safety into maintenance procedures and work orders, collaborating with the Health and Safety Department to educate employees about workplace hazards, and providing relevant training.
• Auditing and reviewing maintenance strategies to prioritize safety, regulatory compliance, and criticality.
• Tracking and monitoring maintenance compliance with health, safety, environmental (HSE), quality, and financial procedures, conducting audits to align maintenance programs with industry best practices, and reporting compliance status with variance analysis.
• Investigating accidents, incidents, and near-misses involving fleet operations, and implementing corrective actions for immediate and long-term remediation to prevent recurrence.

Technical Competencies:

• Well experienced in reliability centred maintenance programs.
• Experience in Maintenance Budget preparation.
• Proficiency in Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS): Advanced working knowledge of CMMS platforms such as PRONTO and SAP is essential. The candidate must be skilled in utilizing these systems for maintenance scheduling, resource allocation, asset tracking, and reporting.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and managing maintenance strategies, scheduling shutdowns, and ensuring equipment reliability and performance in a mining or industrial environment.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Visibly demonstrate the commitment to Safety and Operational Excellence through values of safety, integrity, and excellence
• Collaborate effectively across organizational boundaries as a team player
• Has a strong results orientation and personal accountability
• Exhibits strong problem solving and decision-making skills
• Displays innovation with a curiosity and openness to new ideas
• Communicates effectively both verbally and in writing
• Maintains effectiveness in a changing environment
• Must be able to lead working sessions and report to upper management
• Maintains effectiveness in a changing environment

Qualification & Experience:

• Mechanical Engineering degree or Equivalent: or Diploma
• Higher qualifications or additional certifications in relevant fields will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in the maintenance planning field of which at least 3 years as supervisor or Senior planner.