Lead Engineer – Maintenance Planning مهندس أول – تخطيط الصيانة

JOB PURPOSE
The Planning and Contracts Lead Engineer is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing maintenance planning, scheduling, work management, shutdown planning, contractor administration, and maintenance control processes to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient plant operations.The role provides leadership in maintenance planning and resource coordination, oversees contract administration and contractor performance, and ensures the effective utilization of labor, materials, and services. A key focus of the position is establishing maintenance planning systems, CMMS processes, contract management frameworks, and work management standards to support commissioning, start-up, and sustainable plant operations.

MAIN TASKS, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
MAINTENANCE PLANNING & SCHEDULING
• Develop and implement maintenance planning and scheduling processes.
• Ensure all preventive, predictive, corrective, and shutdown maintenance activities are properly planned and scheduled.
• Review work requests and convert approved work into executable job plans.
• Develop detailed work packs including labor requirements, materials, tools, permits, and procedures.
• Coordinate weekly and monthly maintenance schedules with Operations and Maintenance teams.
• Monitor schedule compliance and planning effectiveness.
• Ensure maintenance backlogs are effectively managed and prioritized.
• Support development of maintenance strategies for critical equipment.
• Own and govern the site's maintenance work management process, ensuring compliance with planning, scheduling, execution, and close-out standard
• Coordinate with warehouse and procurement teams to ensure timely availability of critical spares and shutdown materials
• Develop and maintain maintenance performance dashboards, reporting automation, and planning analytics tools to improve decision-making
• Coordinate and lead weekly, monthly and quarterly planning meetings in coordination with stakeholders
WORK MANAGEMENT & CMMS ADMINISTRATION
• Manage maintenance work management processes within ERP/CMMS systems.
• Ensure work order quality, data accuracy, and system compliance.
• Develop and maintain equipment hierarchies, asset registers, and maintenance plans.
• Monitor key work management KPIs.
• Maintain planning and scheduling standards across all maintenance disciplines.
• Ensure historical maintenance records are maintained for reliability analysis.
• Drive continuous improvement of CMMS utilization and effectiveness.
CONTRACTS ADMINISTRATION
• Administer maintenance service contracts and agreements.
• Monitor contractor performance against contractual obligations and KPIs.
• Coordinate tender evaluations and contractor selection processes.
• Review scope-of-work documents, service agreements, and technical specifications.
• Support commercial negotiations and contract renewals.
• Ensure contract compliance with company policies and procurement procedures.
• Manage contractor claims, variations, and contract close-out activities.
• Maintain contract documentation and administration records.
SHUTDOWN & TURNAROUND PLANNING
• Lead planning and preparation for plant shutdowns, turnarounds, and major maintenance campaigns.
• Develop integrated shutdown schedules and resource plans.
• Coordinate labor, equipment, materials, and contractor requirements.
• Monitor shutdown planning milestones and readiness reviews.
• Support execution teams during shutdown implementation.
• Facilitate shutdown governance meetings, readiness reviews, and critical path monitoring activities
• Conduct post-shutdown reviews and lessons learned assessments.
PERFORMANCE MONITORING & REPORTING
• Develop maintenance planning and execution performance dashboards.
• Monitor KPIs including:
o Schedule Compliance
o PM Compliance
o Backlog Management
o Work Order Closure Rates
o Contractor Performance
o Maintenance Cost Performance
o Shutdown Performance
• Prepare weekly and monthly maintenance performance reports.
• Analyze trends and recommend improvement initiatives.
• Support annual maintenance budgeting and forecasting processes.
CONTRACTOR & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
• Coordinate contractor mobilization and demobilization activities.
• Evaluate contractor performance and productivity.
• Ensure contractors comply with safety, quality, and environmental requirements.
• Optimize utilization of labor, equipment, and maintenance resources.
• Coordinate external specialist services and OEM support.
• Manage service-level agreements and vendor performance reviews.
LEADERSHIP & TEAM MANAGEMENT
• Lead maintenance planners, schedulers, and contracts administration personnel.
• Develop workforce capability and succession plans.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to team members.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure departmental objectives align with maintenance business goals.
SAFETY & COMPLIANCE
• Ensure compliance with company safety policies and procedures.
• Participate in risk assessments and shutdown safety planning.
• Ensure contractor compliance with permit-to-work and site safety requirements.
• Support incident investigations and corrective action implementation.
• Promote safe work practices and zero-harm objectives.
BUDGET & COST CONTROL
• Support preparation of annual maintenance budgets.
• Monitor maintenance expenditures against approved budgets.
• Track contractor costs and service contract performance.
• Identify cost optimization opportunities without compromising reliability.
• Support spare parts and inventory management strategies.
• Provide cost forecasting and budget variance analysis.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related field
• Master’s in mechanical engineering or in a related field is an advantage
Experience:
• 15+ years of maintenance planning, shutdown planning, contracts administration, or maintenance management experience in mining, minerals processing, or heavy industrial operations.
• Minimum 8 years in a supervisory or superintendent-level role.
• Proven experience with large-scale shutdown planning and contractor management.
• Experience supporting commissioning, start-up, and operational ramp-up activities is desirable
Certifications: Candidates holding or pursuing any of the following certifications will have an added advantage:
• Certified Maintenance & Reliability Practitioner (CMRP)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Six-sigma (BB)
Technical Skills:
• Maintenance Planning and Scheduling
• Work Management Systems
• Shutdown and turnaround planning
• SAP PM, IBM Maximo, Oracle, Pronto, or equivalent CMMS
• Contract Administration and Commercial Management
• Budgeting and Cost Control
• Resource Planning
• Procurement Processes
• Contractor Performance Management
• Maintenance KPI Reporting and Analysis
• Inventory and Spare Parts Management
• Risk Management
Soft Skills:
• Fluency in English, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Commercial and contractual awareness.
• Negotiation and influencing skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure.
• High ethical standards and professional integrity.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment