Assistant Maintenance Lead

WHY THIS ROLE IS VALUABLE: The Asst. Lead - Maintenance will provide vital engineering and maintenance support for day-to-day plant activities at the Ornua Saudi AlWazeen plant. In this role, you will deputise the Engineering Lead, focusing entirely on executing day-to-day operations, enhancing equipment reliability, and improving overall facility efficiency and safety. You will proactively lead a committed, flexible, and efficient team of 4-5 technicians reporting directly to them. All plant activities must be conducted in a manner that ensures strict compliance with relevant legislation, food safety codes of practice, and environmental standards. KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY: Daily Operations & Scheduling • Review job orders daily to determine and assign work priorities across shifts. • Schedule the periodic repair, maintenance, and installation of machines, tools, and equipment to ensure continuous, uninterrupted production operations. • Plan, organize, and review maintenance schedules, shift working, and related activities to match dynamic production requirements. • Plan, develop, and implement new methods and procedures designed to improve operations, minimize operating costs, and achieve greater utilization of labor and materials. Equipment & Utility Maintenance • Direct maintenance activities on facility utility systems to provide a continuous, stable supply of heat, steam, water, electric power, gas, or air required for plant operations. • Design, execute, and continually optimize a comprehensive, written Preventative Maintenance (PM) program for all plant equipment and systems. • Work closely with service technicians and external industry experts to develop regular service plans for specialized company equipment and machinery. • Coordinate the activities of technicians fabricating or modifying machines, tools, or equipment to manufacture new products or improve existing products. • Modify programming of equipment, including programmable logic controllers (PLCs), as required to ensure automation synchronization. Coordination, Safety & Quality • Coordinate mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and other external contractors during complex equipment installations, re-installations, and routine maintenance operations. • Work closely with operational teams to investigate and resolve maintenance/technical problems, identify root causes of plant underperformance, and recommend measures to improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). • Ensure that all company policies are fully implemented and adhered to, with a particular focus on hygiene, food safety (HACCP), and occupational health and safety regulations. Team Leadership & Inventory Management • Maintain an effective training and skills-matrix development program that includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating, and process improvement. • Take full supervisory ownership for subordinate activities, making yourself readily available to staff, mentoring technicians, and fostering a quality-focused mindset. • Maintain an efficient spare parts inventory and ordering system to prevent operational delays while managing cost targets. KEY REQUIREMENTS: • Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (or a closely related engineering discipline). • Experience: 5–7 years of relevant maintenance or engineering experience. • Proven experience working within a dairy or food manufacturing environment is required. • A valid Boiler License or hands-on industrial refrigeration experience is considered a strong plus. • Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think outside the box to resolve complex technical and automation challenges. • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; proficiency in Arabic is an advantage. • High capacity to work effectively within a collaborative, cross-functional team environment as well as in an individual leadership capacity. CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Wednesday 4th November, 2026 Show more Show less

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (or a closely related engineering discipline). Experience: 5–7 years of relevant maintenance or engineering experience. Proven experience working within a dairy or food manufacturing environment is required. A valid Boiler License or hands-on industrial refrigeration experience is considered a strong plus. Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think outside the box to resolve complex technical and automation challenges. Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; proficiency in Arabic is an advantage. High capacity to work effectively within a collaborative, cross-functional team environment as well as in an individual leadership capacity.

Daily Operations & Scheduling: Review job orders daily to determine and assign work priorities across shifts. Schedule the periodic repair, maintenance, and installation of machines, tools, and equipment to ensure continuous, uninterrupted production operations. Plan, organize, and review maintenance schedules, shift working, and related activities to match dynamic production requirements. Plan, develop, and implement new methods and procedures designed to improve operations, minimize operating costs, and achieve greater utilization of labor and materials. Equipment & Utility Maintenance: Direct maintenance activities on facility utility systems to provide a continuous, stable supply of heat, steam, water, electric power, gas, or air required for plant operations. Design, execute, and continually optimize a comprehensive, written Preventative Maintenance (PM) program for all plant equipment and systems. Work closely with service technicians and external industry experts to develop regular service plans for specialized company equipment and machinery. Coordinate the activities of technicians fabricating or modifying machines, tools, or equipment to manufacture new products or improve existing products. Modify programming of equipment, including programmable logic controllers (PLCs), as required to ensure automation synchronization. Coordination, Safety & Quality: Coordinate mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and other external contractors during complex equipment installations, re-installations, and routine maintenance operations. Work closely with operational teams to investigate and resolve maintenance/technical problems, identify root causes of plant underperformance, and recommend measures to improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Ensure that all company policies are fully implemented and adhered to, with a particular focus on hygiene, food safety (HACCP), and occupational health and safety regulations. Team Leadership & Inventory Management: Maintain an effective training and skills-matrix development program that includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating, and process improvement. Take full supervisory ownership for subordinate activities, making yourself readily available to staff, mentoring technicians, and fostering a quality-focused mindset. Maintain an efficient spare parts inventory and ordering system to prevent operational delays while managing cost targets.