Engineering Superintendent (Head Earthmoving Equipment – legal appointment 2.9.2 and 7(4)

Job purpose: Supervise all Engineering staff and related activities within allocated Earthmoving Equipment department or section. Ensure that maintenance and repairs of Earthmoving Equipment is timeously executed in accordance to set standards and within approved budget. To ensure that all Engineering and other related SOPs are adhered to and maximize equipment availability to ultimately ensure that site production targets are met.

Key performance areas

1. Equipment availability:

• Ensure that all Earthmoving Equipment within allocated section maintains at least 85% availability.
• Monitor availability, MTTR and MTBF statistics to ensure acceptable equipment performance against set targets. Develop, present and implement remedial action plans where required, to address underperformance.

2. Services & repairs:

• Ensure that all Engineering activities are pre-planned, scheduled, properly & timeously executed

     and conducted as per OEM guidelines and intervals for each machine type and model.

• Study and keep abreast of OEM manuals and specifications to ensure that all work is performed correctly.
• Assist Artisans to perform diagnostics and troubleshooting to identify problems and resolve engineering malfunctions on equipment.
• Ensure that Artisans attend to all breakdowns or equipment malfunctions/failures reported with urgency and continuously update the Maintenance and Production Managers on repair progress and expected work completion timelines.
• Conduct frequent over-inspections of work done by artisans and assistants to ensure that work is executed to high standards.
• Ensure that no equipment leaves the workshop or repair area in a poor state and that lubricants are re-filled to appropriate levels before re-starting of equipment. (Implement a high level of control and caution to avoid “dry starts” at all times)

3. Legal duties and obligations:

• Perform legal duties as Appointee in terms of Mine Health and Safety Act,
• Ensure that all subordinates are authorized to work in writing by the applicable Engineer.
• Ensure that all activities are conducted in a safe and responsible manner and promote a safe work culture.

• Ensure compliance with all client/company SOP’s, Policies, procedures, provisions and stipulations of the MHSA.

4. Administration & housekeeping:

• Ensure that all designated areas of work are neat and well kept.
• Implement and administer tool and equipment issue control registers and exercise proper control of all assets, including tools, equipment and LDV’s, allocated to the section/Superintendent.
• Ensure that all artisans and employees within the section adhere to stores and procurement procedures when spares or other stock are required.
• Ensure that all work performed by subordinates is duly captured and accounted for on job cards, signed off and submitted to the maintenance administration department.

5. Budgeting, reporting and continuous improvement

• Ensure that allocated section budget is adhered to and behave in a cost- conscious manner at all times.
• Investigate premature component failures in conjunction with the Section Engineering and Snr. Maintenance Manager to perform root cause analysis.
• Compile and present a monthly report for the Section.
• Develop, propose and implement cost saving initiatives.

 Engineering HR Function:

     (To be performed in conjunction with the HR Dept)

• Act as mentor for allocated section. Identify and propose training interventions and programs to Snr. Maintenance Manager to ensure that Artisans and Assistants are developed in terms of set IDP’s.
• Develop and implement a succession plan for Dept.
• Manage discipline & initiate disciplinary action.
• Manage time & attendance, sick leave and leave rosters for Dept. Ensure that overtime is planned, properly managed and pre-approved as per overtime procedure.
• Monitor time spent by subordinates on the mine and ensure compliance with legal attendance parameters.

Minimum Job requirements:

• Qualified Mechanical Engineer (N. Dip or Degree) with at least 3-5 years related post-graduation experience, or alternatively,
• Qualified Artisan (Preferably Section 13 “Red Seal” or alternatively Section 26 D) with at least 8-10 years’ post qualification experience as Artisan of which 3-5 years must be in a supervisory level role.
• Valid driver’s license and clean criminal record.

Knowledge, Attitude, Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent knowledge of heavy earthmoving equipment fleet maintenance, repairs and diagnostics within an open cast mining environment.
• High level of energy and ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Job ownership and accountability.
• Ability to schedule and prioritize work, multi-tasking ability.
• Excellent people (supervisory) and administration skills (including computer skills; MS Office, Pragma/Asset management system).
• Good knowledge of MHSA & applicable Labour legislation (BCEA, LRA).
• Financial/numerical acumen & presentation skills.
• Sober habits and professional.
• Willing to work extended hours.