Maintenance Planner

VACANCY ADVERTISEMENT 

Lotus (Africa) Limited is a leading Africa-focused advanced uranium company with significant scale and resources. The Company holds an 85% interest in the Kayelekera Uranium Project in Karonga, Malawi. Lotus is committed to generating value for its shareholders, customers, and communities where it operates. The Company is situated in Karonga, Malawi and has its headquarters in Perth, Australia. Lotus is undertaking refurbishment and maintenance of the process plant and other facilities in preparation for production to commence in the near future.

Lotus (Africa) Limited invites applications from suitably qualified, energetic, and self-motivated Malawian nationals to join its team at Kayelekera Mine in Karonga District in the position below:

MAINTENANCE PLANNER

Employment Type: Fixed Term (12 months)

 JOB PURPOSE

The Maintenance Planner will be responsible for planning, scheduling, and coordinating preventive and corrective maintenance activities at Kayelekera Uranium Mine. The role will ensure that maintenance work is well-organized, resources are effectively allocated, and equipment downtime is minimized to support safe and efficient operations.

The Maintenance Planner plays a key role in the reliability and availability of plant and mobile equipment by creating detailed maintenance schedules, managing work orders, tracking job completion, and ensuring spare parts and tools are available. This position reports to the Senior planner and works closely with maintenance teams, supply chain, and operations to execute the maintenance strategy and improve equipment performance.

REPORTING TO:

Senior Maintenance Planner

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

 Planning and Scheduling

• Draft an annual maintenance plan/matrix to identify the frequencies and durations for each mobile equipment. Present this annual plan/matrix for approval so that the planned downtime durations are included in the production budget and finance budget.
• Plan and prioritize maintenance work orders based on safety, production needs, and equipment criticality.
• Develop a monthly schedule for the equipment that are due for PM maintenance as per their running hours/calendar hours and distribute to the required departments like mining, etc.
• Track maintenance KPIs (e.g., MTBF, MTTR, schedule compliance) and generate performance reports.
• Provide Monthly reports as required and agreed on by the Senior HV & LV workshop Supervisor.
• Attend all pre-identified meetings as required.
• Monitor equipment performance and schedule corrective maintenance to prevent unplanned downtime.
• Identify and plan all required resource needs (people, materials, special tools and special equipment like cranes), to execute these maintenance activities without unwanted delays.
• Coordinate with operations, maintenance, and other departments to ensure planned maintenance is aligned with production priorities.
• Schedule and prioritize preventive, corrective, and predictive maintenance tasks.
• Perform any other form of planning function that might be required from you, as per needs basis from your HOD/Supervisor on behalf of the company to the benefit of all teams and the company.
• Look at improvement opportunities to reduce unwanted and unplanned downtime and increase the overall life expectancy of equipment.
• Participate in root cause analysis (RCA) and continuous improvement initiatives.

 Work Order and CMMS Management

• Maintain and update the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
• Identify and ensure all mobile workshop and mobile fleet assets are loaded into the CMMS system.
• Ensure you follow the naming and numbering conventions when creating assets. Manage these assets within the CMMS system.
• Develop and create PMs for each equipment as required based on OEM recommendations and equipment history.
• Create BOMS for each asset as required and upload that into the CMMS module.
• Identify and create the roles/trades/crafts that will be required to perform the maintenance activities.
• Monitor the creation, issue, return and close out work orders in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
• Monitor work order status and ensure timely execution and feedback entry.
• Maintain accurate equipment history and maintenance records.
• Analyse maintenance data and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and reliability reporting.
• Review the integrity of the data captured on the job cards and CMMS system and train individuals to capture information accurately. Capture accurate data within the CMMS system for historical purposes and do not clutter the system with unwanted information.

Maintenance Strategy and Continuous Improvement

• Determine manpower, tools, and materials required for each maintenance activity.
• Coordinate with the warehouse and procurement team to ensure availability of spare parts and consumables.
• Maintain a critical spares list and assist in inventory optimization.
• Support the implementation of the site’s maintenance strategy and reliability improvement initiative.
• Identify opportunities to improve maintenance procedures, reduce downtime, and optimize maintenance costs.
• Participate in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and failure investigations.

Safety and Compliance

• Ensure all maintenance plans and activities comply with safety standards, environmental regulations, and site procedures.
• Incorporate safety-critical maintenance tasks in scheduling.
• Participate in pre-task risk assessments and ensure all permits are in place.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Technical diploma or degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering or related field.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in maintenance planning in a mining or heavy industrial environment.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite and scheduling tools (e.g., MS Project) and a CMMS (e.g., Pronto) system.
• Experience with condition monitoring systems and mobile fleet diagnostics.

CORE COMPETENCIES/SKILLS

• Excellent  organizational   and time management skills.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills.
• Excellent  communication and coordination abilities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Analytical mindset with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Detail-oriented with the ability   to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong computer literacy, including Excel, scheduling software, and CMMS
• Familiarity with mining equipment (e.g., Cat, Komatsu, etc.).
• Solid understanding of maintenance best practices (e.g., RCM, TPM).
• Sound knowledge of maintenance practices for plant and mobile equipment.
• Strong understanding of preventive and predictive maintenance.
• Experience with equipment shutdown planning and turnaround time is an advantage.
• Strong commitment  to  safetyand compliance

PERSONAL QUALITIES/ BEHAVIOURAL TRAITS

• Consistent demonstration of Lotus Core Values.
• Performance  Orientation,  strongly motivated,  leads by example  and maintains a high work standard.
• Advanced communications, supervisory, mentoring and training skills.
• Decisive  leader, who collaborates actively
• Strong conceptual thinking ability.
• Resilience and Resourcefulness.
• High  level   of interpersonal  and negotiating skills.

How to apply:

Suitably qualified candidates should send their Applications & Curriculum Vitae with three traceable referees (with position clearly indicated on the envelope) to:

The Human Resources Manager,

Lotus (Africa) Limited,  Kayelekera Uranium Mine,

P.O Box 47, Karonga, Malawi.

Or email to: Lal.jobs@lotusmalawi.com.

Closing date: Thursday 15^th May 2025.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you are not contacted within thirty (30) days after the closing date, you should consider your application unsuccessful