The role requires a strong factory-floor presence, practical troubleshooting ability, and complete ownership of equipment reliability. The officer must coordinate closely with Production and QA, respond to urgent breakdowns, and support agreed shift or on-call arrangements. Maintenance activities must be meticulously planned around production requirements while preserving essential servicing schedules and safety checks.

Responsibilities or duties

Major Tasks and Key Result Areas

Maintenance Planning and Equipment Readiness

• Develop and implement preventive maintenance schedules for processing lines, dryers, cold rooms, ETP, boiler, and associate electrical, mechanical, water, and steam systems.
• Complete daily inspections to identify defects early and prioritize corrective work.
• Coordinate maintenance shutdowns with Production to ensure equipment readiness and minimize operations disruption.
• Keep equipment registers, service histories, and maintenance records accurate and current.

Breakdown Response and Equipment Reliability

• Diagnose equipment faults promptly and complete repairs within the officer’s competence and authorization.
• Escalate breakdowns affecting production, food safety, or personnel safety immediately, giving clear updates on production impact and expected restoration time.
• Arrang for specialist support where specialized technical knowledge is required.
• Investigate root causes of significant or recurring failures and implement effective corrective actions.
• Test equipment and formally hand it back to Production after maintenance, obtaining QA clearance where required.

Processing Lines, Dryers and Cold Room Maintenance

• Maintain processing equipment, conveyors, motors, gearboxes, bearings, drives, and controls to support consistent production output.
• Service dryer heating, airflow, fans, and temperature controls to deliver reliable drying performance.
• Inspect and service cold room refrigeration systems, insulation, doors, seals, drainage, alarms, and temperature controls.
• Address deviations promptly in coordination with Production and QA to protect product quality and storage conditions.

Boiler, ETP and Utilities Management

• Supervise the Boiler Operator and monitor boiler operations, servicing, water treatment, steam distribution, condensate return, and safety devices.
• Maintain ETP pumps, blowers, dosing systems, and associate equipment to support effective treatment; escalate and resolve operating deviations with responsible personnel.
• Maintain water supply, treatment, recycling, and other vital factory utilities.
• Schedule required regulatory or compliance inspections and specialist servicing, close out findings, and retain clear records.

Maintenance Safety, Hygiene and Food Safety Controls

• Apply strict safe isolation, lockout or tagout (LOTO), and relevant permit-to-work procedures during all maintenance tasks.
• Keep machinery guards, interlocks, and emergency stops fully functional; isolate and escalate unsafe equipment immediately.
• Carry out maintenance activities in line with QA-approved hygiene and food safety procedures, including tool or component accountability, using food-grade lubricants, contamination prevention, and post-maintenance cleaning.
• Return equipment to service only after required safety and hygiene check-offs are complete.

Spare Parts, Contractors and Team Coordination

• Identify critical spare parts, maintained minimum stock levels, and raised procurement requests early to prevent avoidable downtime.
• Keep maintenance tools and workshop stores well-organized, safe, and controlled.
• Provide clear priorities and technical guidance to the Boiler Operator and assign maintenance personnel.
• Coordinate, supervise, and assess contractors and equipment suppliers for quality of work.
• Train operators in basic equipment care, routine checks, and early fault reporting mechanisms.
• Support new equipment installation and commissioning projects as required.

Maintenance Performance, Cost Control and Continuous Improvement

• Monitor and report on key performance indices including equipment uptime, breakdown frequency, downtime hours, repair turnaround, preventive maintenance completion, and maintenance costs.
• Investigate energy, fuel, and water losses, including steam leaks and inefficient equipment operation.
• Implement practical improvements to increase reliability, extend equipment life, and reduce overall operating costs.
• Communicate outstanding defects, critical risks, and overdue maintenance to management alongside clear action plans.

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

Job Specification & Qualifications

• Diploma or higher qualification in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Plant Maintenance, or a related engineering discipline.
• Demonstrated experience maintaining production machinery and utilities, with working knowledge of dryers, refrigeration systems, boilers, pumps, motors, and effluent treatment plants (ETP)
• Proven ability to develop preventive maintenance schedules, diagnose technical faults, interpret manuals and engineering drawings, maintain accurate technical records, and manage critical spare parts stocks.
• Strong understanding of safe equipment isolation, lockout/tagout procedures, maintenance-related contamination risks, and hygienic working practices within a food factory environment.
• Ability to supervise the boiler operator and assigned technicians, effectively manage external contractors, and communicate technical equipment risks clearly to Production teams and senior management.
• Proactive, organized, dependable, and calm under operational pressure, with strong follow-through and a practical approach to resolving recurring equipment challenges

Experience needed

• At least three (3) years of relevant industrial maintenance experience, preferably within food processing or a similar structured manufacturing environment.

• Develop and implement preventive maintenance schedules for processing lines, dryers, cold rooms, ETP, boiler, and associate electrical, mechanical, water, and steam systems.
• Complete daily inspections to identify defects early and prioritize corrective work.
• Coordinate maintenance shutdowns with Production to ensure equipment readiness and minimize operations disruption.
• Keep equipment registers, service histories, and maintenance records accurate and current.
• Diagnose equipment faults promptly and complete repairs within the officer’s competence and authorization.
• Escalate breakdowns affecting production, food safety, or personnel safety immediately, giving clear updates on production impact and expected restoration time.
• Arrange for specialist support where specialized technical knowledge is required.
• Investigate root causes of significant or recurring failures and implement effective corrective actions.
• Test equipment and formally hand it back to Production after maintenance, obtaining QA clearance where required.
• Maintain processing equipment, conveyors, motors, gearboxes, bearings, drives, and controls to support consistent production output.
• Service dryer heating, airflow, fans, and temperature controls to deliver reliable drying performance.
• Inspect and service cold room refrigeration systems, insulation, doors, seals, drainage, alarms, and temperature controls.
• Address deviations promptly in coordination with Production and QA to protect product quality and storage conditions.
• Supervise the Boiler Operator and monitor boiler operations, servicing, water treatment, steam distribution, condensate return, and safety devices.
• Maintain ETP pumps, blowers, dosing systems, and associate equipment to support effective treatment; escalate and resolve operating deviations with responsible personnel.
• Maintain water supply, treatment, recycling, and other vital factory utilities.
• Schedule required regulatory or compliance inspections and specialist servicing, close out findings, and retain clear records.
• Apply strict safe isolation, lockout or tagout (LOTO), and relevant permit-to-work procedures during all maintenance tasks.
• Keep machinery guards, interlocks, and emergency stops fully functional; isolate and escalate unsafe equipment immediately.
• Carry out maintenance activities in line with QA-approved hygiene and food safety procedures, including tool or component accountability, using food-grade lubricants, contamination prevention, and post-maintenance cleaning.
• Return equipment to service only after required safety and hygiene check-offs are complete.
• Identify critical spare parts, maintained minimum stock levels, and raised procurement requests early to prevent avoidable downtime.
• Keep maintenance tools and workshop stores well-organized, safe, and controlled.
• Provide clear priorities and technical guidance to the Boiler Operator and assign maintenance personnel.
• Coordinate, supervise, and assess contractors and equipment suppliers for quality of work.
• Train operators in basic equipment care, routine checks, and early fault reporting mechanisms.
• Support new equipment installation and commissioning projects as required.
• Monitor and report on key performance indices including equipment uptime, breakdown frequency, downtime hours, repair turnaround, preventive maintenance completion, and maintenance costs.
• Investigate energy, fuel, and water losses, including steam leaks and inefficient equipment operation.
• Implement practical improvements to increase reliability, extend equipment life, and reduce overall operating costs.
• Communicate outstanding defects, critical risks, and overdue maintenance to management alongside clear action plans.

• Practical troubleshooting ability
• Coordination with Production and QA
• Urgent breakdown response
• Shift or on-call arrangements
• Meticulous planning around production requirements
• Preventive maintenance scheduling
• Daily inspections
• Corrective work prioritization
• Maintenance shutdown coordination
• Equipment register and record keeping
• Prompt fault diagnosis and repair
• Escalation of critical breakdowns
• Root cause investigation
• Equipment testing and handover
• Processing equipment maintenance
• Dryer system maintenance
• Cold room refrigeration system maintenance
• Boiler operations supervision
• ETP equipment maintenance
• Water utility maintenance
• Regulatory inspection scheduling
• Safe isolation, lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures
• Permit-to-work procedures
• Machinery guard and interlock functionality
• Hygiene and food safety procedures
• Tool and component accountability
• Food-grade lubricant usage
• Contamination prevention
• Post-maintenance cleaning
• Spare parts identification and management
• Workshop store organization
• Contractor supervision and assessment
• Operator training
• New equipment installation support
• Performance monitoring and reporting
• Energy, fuel, and water loss investigation
• Continuous improvement implementation
• Clear communication of risks and action plans

• Diploma or higher qualification in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Plant Maintenance, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least three (3) years of relevant industrial maintenance experience, preferably within food processing or a similar structured manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience maintaining production machinery and utilities, with working knowledge of dryers, refrigeration systems, boilers, pumps, motors, and effluent treatment plants (ETP).
• Proven ability to develop preventive maintenance schedules, diagnose technical faults, interpret manuals and engineering drawings, maintain accurate technical records, and manage critical spare parts stocks.
• Strong understanding of safe equipment isolation, lockout/tagout procedures, maintenance-related contamination risks, and hygienic working practices within a food factory environment.
• Ability to supervise the boiler operator and assigned technicians, effectively manage external contractors, and communicate technical equipment risks clearly to Production teams and senior management.
• Proactive, organized, dependable, and calm under operational pressure, with strong follow-through and a practical approach to resolving recurring equipment challenges.