Job Opportunities API

Reporting to the Plant Manager the Head of Maintenance is responsible for leading the maintenance, engineering and asset reliability function within a high-performance sawmilling or timber frame manufacturing environment. The role ensures that all plant, equipment, utilities, automation, facilities and maintenance systems operate safely, reliably and efficiently in support of production, quality, cost, energy and business performance objectives. The Head of Maintenance is a key member of the Site Management Leadership Team and will work closely with Operations, Health & Safety, Engineering, Production, Planning, Procurement and external partners to deliver industry-leading standards in plant reliability, preventative maintenance, continuous improvement and engineering compliance. The role requires a strong maintenance leader who can develop people, improve systems, reduce downtime, strengthen asset performance and build a proactive, data-led maintenance culture. Knowledge & Experience – Senior maintenance, engineering or asset reliability leadership experience within sawmilling, timber processing, timber frame manufacturing, heavy industry, FMCG, construction products, manufacturing or a comparable high-volume production environment. – Engineering qualification in mechanical, electrical, automation, manufacturing engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent trade background supported by significant leadership experience. – Strong knowledge of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, automation, utility and process equipment within an industrial manufacturing environment. – Proven experience managing maintenance teams, including fitters, electricians, technicians, engineers, planners, stores personnel and external contractors. – Demonstrable experience implementing and improving preventative maintenance, predictive maintenance, condition-based monitoring, planned maintenance and reliability-centred maintenance strategies. – Strong working knowledge of CMMS systems, ideally PEMAC or similar, including work order management, planning, scheduling, spare parts, purchasing, reporting and KPI tracking. – Experience leading maintenance planning, shutdown planning, engineering projects, installations, commissioning and plant improvement activity in a live production environment. – Strong understanding of health, safety, environmental and engineering compliance requirements, including contractor control, permits to work, risk assessment, lock-out tag-out, machine safety and statutory inspections. – Track record of improving plant uptime, reducing unplanned downtime, increasing equipment reliability and improving maintenance response effectiveness. – Experience managing maintenance budgets, engineering costs, energy usage, contractor spend, spare parts inventory and capital project expenditure. – Knowledge of Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, root cause analysis, 5S, RCA, FMEA, TPM or similar operational excellence tools. – Strong people leadership skills, with experience developing capability, coaching technical teams, managing performance and building a culture of accountability. – Ability to analyse maintenance data, identify recurring failure modes and convert insight into practical improvement plans. – Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across production, engineering, senior management and external supplier groups. – High standards of organisation, planning, follow-through and attention to detail in a fast-moving operational environment. Key Responsibilities – Lead the site maintenance and engineering function to deliver safe, reliable and efficient plant performance across all production, processing, automation, utilities and facilities assets. – Develop and implement the site maintenance strategy, ensuring the right balance of reactive, planned, preventative, predictive and condition-based mai