Maintenance & Reliability Lead

A growing Australian manufacturing operation is seeking an experienced Maintenance & Reliability Manager to take ownership of maintenance, reliability and equipment performance across its production facility in Western Australia.

This is a highly practical, hands-on leadership opportunity for an experienced industrial maintenance professional who can combine strong trade skills with automation, fault-finding, preventative maintenance and reliability improvement.

You will be responsible for keeping production equipment operating safely and reliably while developing stronger maintenance systems, procedures and planning processes for the future. The role involves regular factory-floor involvement, diagnosing faults, completing repairs within your qualifications, coordinating specialist contractors and implementing effective maintenance practices.

The successful candidate will also play a key role in implementing and improving computerised maintenance management systems, asset registers, preventative maintenance schedules, work orders, spare-parts controls and maintenance documentation.

• Own day-to-day maintenance and reliability activities across the manufacturing facility
• Plan and coordinate preventative, corrective, planned and breakdown maintenance
• Diagnose and resolve mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, instrumentation and control-system faults within authorised qualifications and scope
• Troubleshoot PLCs, HMIs, variable-speed drives, sensors, motors, instruments and industrial automation systems
• Maintain and improve production equipment used for batching, conveying, extrusion, drying, cooling, coating, mixing, packing and factory utilities
• Develop practical preventative and predictive maintenance schedules aligned with production requirements
• Implement and maintain asset registers, maintenance histories, work orders, inspection schedules and critical spare-parts records
• Lead the implementation, coordination and integration of maintenance management systems including MEX and relevant equipment-manufacturer systems
• Coordinate contractors, equipment manufacturers, suppliers, integrators and specialist technical support
• Support equipment installation, commissioning, modification and handover activities
• Investigate recurring equipment failures and conduct root-cause analysis
• Implement corrective actions and reliability improvements to reduce repeat breakdowns and improve equipment availability
• Improve critical spare-parts planning, availability and inventory control
• Develop practical maintenance procedures, checklists, inspection records and equipment documentation
• Support operators in identifying developing equipment faults and carrying out appropriate basic equipment care
• Promote safe maintenance practices including isolation, lockout/tagout and permit-to-work procedures
• Maintain compliance with workplace safety, food-quality and controlled manufacturing requirements
• Prioritise maintenance activities according to production requirements, safety and equipment criticality
• Coordinate specialist work where a particular licence, qualification or technical expertise is required

• Recognised trade qualification in industrial electrical work, mechanical fitting, fitting and turning, electromechanical engineering, mechatronics or a closely related discipline
• Strong hands-on industrial maintenance experience within a manufacturing or production environment
• Practical experience in industrial automation and controls
• Experience troubleshooting PLCs, HMIs, variable-speed drives, sensors, instrumentation and industrial control systems
• Strong mechanical fault-finding and equipment repair capability
• Good understanding of preventative maintenance, breakdown response and plant reliability
• Experience using, implementing or improving a Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS)
• Experience with MEX, Buhler maintenance systems or a comparable maintenance management platform will be highly regarded
• Ability to coordinate contractors, suppliers, equipment manufacturers and specialist service providers
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills
• Ability to remain calm, organised and methodical when dealing with production breakdowns and competing priorities
• Good communication and maintenance documentation skills
• Experience in food, pet food, animal feed, grain, milling or FMCG manufacturing will be highly regarded
• Experience with extrusion, batching, conveying, drying, cooling, coating or automated packing equipment will be advantageous
• Experience with equipment installation, commissioning, reliability improvement or condition monitoring will be advantageous
• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP or other controlled manufacturing environments will be advantageous
• Ability to work safely within relevant licences, qualifications and authorised scope
• Australian work rights, or eligibility to obtain an appropriate sponsored visa
• Overseas applicants with strong relevant industrial maintenance experience are encouraged to apply

Sponsorship may be available for suitably qualified overseas candidates.