Assistant Maintenance Planner

ROLE OVERVIEW

• To support the Maintenance Planning function across production facilities and site services at Saldanha Bay- driving scheduling efficiency, data integrity, and the implementation of maintenance best practices that underpin plant reliability and operational continuity

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

PLANNING & SCHEDULING SUPPORT

• Assist the Maintenance Planner in developing, coordinating, and managing work orders across production facilities and site services

• Support the weekly and monthly maintenance scheduling process to ensure work is executed efficiently and on time

• Ensure accurate job plans, parts lists, and labour requirements are captured and maintained in the CMMS

• Track planned vs actual maintenance performance and flag deviations for corrective action

• Assist in coordinating shutdown and project planning activities in line with production schedules

DATA INTEGRITY & REPORTING

• Take ownership of the accuracy and completeness of maintenance data within the CMMS- asset registers, work histories, and preventive maintenance (PM) job plans

• Build and maintain Excel-based dashboards and reports to track maintenance KPIs including backlog, schedule compliance, and equipment availability

• Conduct regular audits to identify gaps, duplications, and inaccuracies in the maintenance system

• Generate weekly and monthly reports for the Maintenance Planner and Engineering leadership

MAINTENANCE BEST PRACTISE

• Assist in embedding maintenance planning and scheduling standards across site

• Support the development, review, and continuous improvement of preventive maintenance strategies

• Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, data quality, and system usage

• Provide historical maintenance data to support Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and failure investigations

ENGINEERING TEAM SUPPORT

• Liaise with engineering technicians, artisans, and supervisors to coordinate the execution of planned work

• Track spares and materials requirements to ensure planned work orders are adequately resourced

• Assist with contractor coordination, permit-to-work documentation, and compliance record-keeping

• Provide general administrative and planning support to the engineering teams as required

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

• Grade 12/ Matric (NQF 4)

• Post-matric qualification in Maintenance Management, Engineering, or related technical field; OR a recognized Trade Test (Red Seal Advantageous)

• Minimum 2 years' experience in a maintenance or plant engineering environment

• Microsoft Excel and Power point- intermediate to advanced level

• Working experience with a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)

• Experience in the fisheries or seafood processing industry

• FMCG or food manufacturing background

• Familiarity with SAP PM or equivalent ERP maintenance module

• Exposure to Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) or Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) principles

• Planned Shutdown coordination

• Experience with power BI

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Self-driven and results-oriented- sets the pace without being told

• Strong analytical ability; comfortable turning raw data into decisions

• Meticulous attention to detail; committed to first time-right output

• High proficiency with data – spreadsheets, databases, and reporting tools

• Able to work under pressure in a fast-paced production environment

• Willing to put in the hours when operational demands require it

• Effective communicator across technical and non-technical teams

• High sense of urgency with a proactive, can-do attitude