Job Description

ROLE OVERVIEW The Engineering Foreman will lead day-to-day engineering and maintenance activities across a mining or drilling project environment, with responsibility for equipment availability, maintenance execution, breakdown response, technical supervision and safe delivery of work. The role combines frontline leadership with hands-on engineering judgement and requires a strong understanding of heavy mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and drilling equipment. The successful candidate will coordinate artisans and technical personnel, plan and monitor maintenance work, support fault finding and root-cause analysis, ensure equipment is maintained to operational standards, and work closely with production, project and engineering teams to minimise downtime and improve reliability. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES • Supervise engineering and maintenance teams across mining, drilling and associated project equipment. • Plan, coordinate and monitor preventive, planned and corrective maintenance activities to support maximum equipment availability. • Lead breakdown response, fault finding and technical troubleshooting across mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. • Ensure daily, weekly and shutdown maintenance work is properly planned, prioritised, executed and closed out. • Monitor equipment condition, recurring failures, downtime trends and maintenance backlogs, and drive corrective actions. • Support root-cause investigations on significant equipment failures and implement practical reliability improvements. • Coordinate inspections, servicing, repairs, component replacements and rebuild activities on heavy mining and drilling equipment. • Ensure maintenance standards, OEM requirements, engineering procedures and statutory safety requirements are consistently applied. • Manage workshop and site engineering activities, including tools, spares, consumables and critical replacement components. • Liaise with OEMs, suppliers and technical support teams regarding diagnostics, parts, technical information and specialist interventions. • Support commissioning, mobilisation and demobilisation of drilling and project equipment where required. • Maintain accurate maintenance records, job cards, equipment history and technical reporting, including outstanding defects and action tracking. • Supervise artisans, technicians and assistants, allocate work and ensure competent execution of engineering tasks. • Coach technical team members and reinforce safe work practices, lock-out procedures, permits and risk controls. • Work closely with the Contract Manager / Project Manager and operations teams to balance maintenance requirements with production priorities. EQUIPMENT & TECHNICAL EXPOSURE • Heavy mining and drilling equipment, including drill rigs and associated mechanical systems. • Mechanical drive systems, bearings, gearboxes, couplings and rotating equipment. • Hydraulic power packs, cylinders, valves, pumps, hoses and hydraulic fault finding. • Electrical motors, starters, panels, basic control systems, instrumentation and field electrical troubleshooting. • Preventive maintenance, condition monitoring, inspections and equipment reliability practices. • Mobile and fixed equipment maintenance within demanding mining or industrial environments. • SANY mining / drilling equipment knowledge or previous maintenance exposure is a strong advantage. • Experience with other recognised heavy-equipment OEMs will also be considered relevant. • Disciplined planning, reporting and follow-through on defects and maintenance actions. Requirements EQUIPMENT & TECHNICAL EXPOSURE • Heavy mining and drilling equipment, including drill rigs and associated mechanical systems. • Mechanical drive systems, bearings, gearboxes, couplings and rotating equipment. • Hydraulic power packs, cylinders, valves, pumps, hoses and hydraulic fault finding. • Electrical motors, starters, panels, basic control systems, instrumentation and field electrical troubleshooting. • Preventive maintenance, condition monitoring, inspections and equipment reliability practices. • Mobile and fixed equipment maintenance within demanding mining or industrial environments. • SANY mining / drilling equipment knowledge or previous maintenance exposure is a strong advantage. • Experience with other recognised heavy-equipment OEMs will also be considered relevant. EXPERIENCE & REQUIREMENTS • Minimum 5 years' relevant engineering, maintenance or heavy-equipment experience in mining, drilling, construction or a comparable industrial environment. • Demonstrated experience supervising artisans, technicians or maintenance teams in an operational environment. • Strong practical fault-finding capability across mechanical and hydraulic systems; electrical exposure is highly advantageous. • Experience planning and controlling maintenance work, breakdown response and equipment inspections. • Sound knowledge of mining-site safety requirements and safe maintenance practices. • Ability to interpret technical manuals, drawings, schematics and OEM maintenance information. • Strong planning, prioritisation, communication and practical problem-solving ability. • Willingness to work on operational project sites, including shifts, overtime, rotation or temporary relocation where required. • Medically fit for mining / operational site work and in possession of a valid driver's licence. QUALIFICATIONS – PREFERRED PROFILE • Recognised trade qualification such as Millwright, Fitter, Electrician, Diesel Mechanic or closely related technical trade; and/or • N4–N6, Diploma or equivalent technical qualification in Mechanical, Electrical or Mining Engineering. • Additional maintenance, reliability, hydraulics, electrical, OEM or supervisory training will be advantageous. ADVANTAGEOUS • Direct experience maintaining SANY drill rigs, mining machinery or associated SANY equipment. • Raise-bore, shaft, underground drilling or specialist mining equipment exposure. • Experience working with maintenance planning systems / CMMS and structured job-card processes. • Experience with component rebuilds, major shutdowns, mobilisation or commissioning activities. • Root Cause Analysis / reliability improvement experience. • OEM technical training on drilling, hydraulic, electrical or heavy mobile equipment. KEY COMPETENCIES • Hands-on engineering judgement and practical maintenance leadership. • Strong troubleshooting and decision-making under operational pressure. • High focus on safety, equipment reliability and quality of workmanship. • Ability to lead technical teams and hold maintenance standards consistently. • Strong communication with operations, management, suppliers and OEM technical teams. • Disciplined planning, reporting and follow-through on defects and maintenance actions