Maintenance and Project Manager

Role Overview

This leadership position oversees all maintenance activity across a multi-site flour milling operation, ensuring that every mill, silo, and piece of production equipment operates with minimal unplanned downtime. Day to day, you will translate a corporate maintenance strategy into actionable plans for regional branches, coordinate with equipment suppliers, and lead continuous improvement efforts that keep aging machinery reliable and safe. Your work directly protects production continuity and lowers the total cost of ownership across the organisation’s milling assets.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a long-term maintenance strategy that aligns with corporate objectives and integrates seamlessly with production, engineering, and supply chain plans across all regional branches.
• Break the strategy down into actionable targets for individual plants, then track execution through regular reviews and performance reporting.
• Establish and enforce divisional maintenance policies, procedures, and internal controls so every site follows consistent, auditable practices that meet legislative and safety requirements.
• Direct the creation and regular update of standard operating procedures, service-level agreements, and maintenance workflows in collaboration with other departments.
• Forecast and coordinate the full inventory of tools, equipment, and spare parts needed by every regional maintenance team, ensuring critical components are stocked and available when breakdowns occur.
• Work directly with mill and silo original equipment manufacturers to schedule preventive maintenance, manage warranty obligations, and secure technical support for specialised equipment.
• Prioritise maintenance tasks based on equipment criticality and operational impact, balancing reactive repairs with planned downtime to keep production losses minimal.
• Lead change management initiatives that introduce international best practices, updated standards, and process improvements into the maintenance function across all sites.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, preferably mechanical engineering, from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of ten years of progressive experience leading maintenance and project management functions, specifically within a well-established milling or grain processing organisation.
• Strong ability to read, interpret, and produce technical drawings, including schematics and mechanical layouts.
• Hands-on proficiency with AutoCAD or equivalent CAD software for reviewing and modifying equipment drawings.
• Advanced skills in the full Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel for maintenance data analysis and PowerPoint for presenting to senior leadership.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving capability, with the judgement to diagnose recurring equipment failures and implement root-cause solutions.
• Proven interpersonal and people management skills, including the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, influence stakeholders, and drive accountability across dispersed branch locations.

What We Offer / Why Join

This is a senior role with real authority to standardise maintenance practices across an entire regional network, making daily operations safer and more efficient. You will work alongside equipment manufacturers and internal engineering teams, gaining exposure to large-scale milling technology while shaping the reliability strategy for multiple plants. The position offers the professional challenge of balancing strategic planning with hands-on problem solving, in an environment where your decisions directly affect production output and operational cost.