We are hiring!

At Sappi, we are a leading global provider with a reputation for delivering high-quality sustainable Woodfibre products and solutions for the global markets. We lead through our values centered around safety, integrity, courage, and making smart decisions which we execute with speed. We are seeking unique people who believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive and safe environment.

We’re on the lookout for an experienced Maintenance Engineer to supply competent and cost-effective maintenance and engineering support, service, advice, solutions and techniques to maximise plant production in a safe and legally compliant manner.

As a Maintenance Engineer, you will be responsible for:

• Ensure the maintenance team’s compliance with all SHEQ policies, procedures, best practices and work instructions
• Provide guidance to the team, perform inspections, and maintain records
• Ensure that work permit requirements are understood by all team members and stringently adhered to
• Actively guide and monitor the team on the correct isolation and lockout procedures when performing maintenance work
• Participate in Plant Safety Committee meetings
• Participate in the development of Safe Work Procedures for the section and perform Critical Task Analyses
• Perform the targeted number of Planned Job Observations
• Support ISO9000 (Quality Management System), ISO14001 (Environmental Management Standards), ISO50001 (Energy Management System) and OHSAS18000 (Health and Safety Management System) for engineering in the section. Educate the team on the requirements and monitor adherence to standards, policies, procedures and work instructions
• Actively drive the use of plant reliability monitoring techniques to ensure proactive maintenance and reduce unplanned downtime
• Manage equipment uptime through fast response and repairs of plant breakdowns
• Monitor frequency and modes of equipment failures, breakdowns, accidents and overtime. Drive root cause analysis. Suggest changes to processes and equipment to prevent recurrence
• Manage projects for equipment renewals and capital projects on time and within budget
• Participate in daily production multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings to agree on work focus areas and to resolve plant problems as part of the team. Actively build relationships with production teams and encourage team members to do the same
• Recommend what work should be outsourced to third-party maintenance contractors and what can be done in-house
• Conduct studies on new equipment, perform equipment inspections at vendor sites and interact with other industry players to determine whether the equipment would be suited for use in Sappi
• Log all activities using the SAP system and use system reports for upwards reporting and monitoring
• Chair monthly workshop forums. Escalate major concerns to the maintenance manager
• Ensure plant compliance with legal and regulatory requirements by informing teams of the requirements and conducting regular reviews
• Guide all plant modifications in line with policies and procedures
• Participate in the maintenance budgeting process on an annual basis. Provide input on the requirements for the section under control
• Monitor actual expenses against budget every month. Explain over- or under-spending to the Maintenance Manager
• Approve purchase requisitions and invoices as per the delegated mandate. Refer items above mandate to the Maintenance Manager for approval
• Participate in the 5-year capital planning process
• Continuously identify cost-effective design or plant changes that could improve equipment and operational costs in the long term. This could include changes to maintenance schedules, parts and equipment. Prepare the business cases and present for approval before implementing
• Prepare daily, weekly and monthly maintenance reports using system and qualitative data
• Provide weekly feedback to the Maintenance Manager on overall plant performance, unresolved engineering problems and cost control
• Oversee the recruitment, recognition, performance management, remuneration, development and discipline of the section’s maintenance team
• Take direct responsibility for the development of direct reports
• Provide on-the-job coaching to the technicians and artisans in the team. Develop their ability to do predictive maintenance and problem-solving

What are we looking for?

• Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (heavy or light current), while B Tech or BSc/BEng in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering will be considered advantageous
• Government Certificate of Competency (Factories) will be considered advantageous
• 7 years’ maintenance experience in heavy industry
• Some supervision experience will be considered advantageous

What’s in it for you?

• Opportunity to work within a global organisation that continues to thrive in a rapidly changing world even after 80 years of existence
• Learning and development programmes to fast-track your career within Sappi
• Opportunities to travel (dependent on the role)
• Market-leading leave benefits
• Employee wellbeing benefits