Durban, KwaZulu-Natal | Permanent | Mid-Senior | Engineering & Maintenance Leadership | Apply Before 30 April 2026
One of South Africa’s most recognised and fastest-growing food and beverage brands is hiring an experienced senior engineering professional in Durban. Pedros Chicken — the homegrown QSR powerhouse now operating a centralised sauce manufacturing and distribution facility — is recruiting a Maintenance Manager to lead and manage the maintenance, reliability, and utility performance of its manufacturing plant. This is a permanent senior leadership opportunity for an accomplished engineering professional to take full ownership of plant maintenance strategy, equipment reliability, utility systems management, food safety compliance, and engineering team leadership within a dynamic and fast-growing FMCG manufacturing environment.
⚙️ Durban, KwaZulu-Natal | Permanent | Engineering Leadership | Food & Beverage Manufacturing | Apply Before 30 April 2026
Maintenance Manager Job Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Job Title | Maintenance Manager |
| Employer | Pedros Chicken |
| Job Type | Permanent |
| Seniority Level | Mid-Senior |
| Division | Distribution Centre / Manufacturing |
| Functional Area | Engineering & Maintenance Management |
| Industry | Food & Beverage Manufacturing / FMCG |
| Location | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal |
| Experience Required | Minimum 5 Years in Maintenance Leadership |
| Posted | 20 March 2026 |
| Closing Date | 30 April 2026 |
| Application Status | ✅ Open – Apply Immediately |
Why This Maintenance Manager Role at Pedros Stands Out
Senior maintenance and engineering management positions within South Africa’s food and beverage manufacturing sector represent some of the most technically challenging and professionally rewarding opportunities available to experienced plant engineering leaders. As Maintenance Manager at Pedros’ Durban manufacturing facility, you will:
- Take complete strategic and operational ownership of maintenance, reliability, and utility performance across a centralised sauce manufacturing plant
- Lead and develop a dedicated maintenance and technical engineering team within one of South Africa’s most exciting and rapidly expanding food brands
- Apply deep expertise across boilers, water treatment systems, compressors, chillers, cooling towers, rotary bottle filling machines, packaging equipment, and HVAC systems
- Drive preventive maintenance programmes, predictive maintenance strategies, and reliability improvement initiatives across all critical plant assets
- Work at the intersection of engineering excellence, food safety compliance, FSSC22000, HACCP, and GMP standards in a regulated manufacturing environment
- Access genuine career advancement opportunities within Pedros’ growing manufacturing and distribution infrastructure
- Build highly marketable senior skills in asset lifecycle management, contractor management, spare parts optimisation, and engineering capital planning
This is an outstanding permanent opportunity for a BEng, BTech, or National Diploma-qualified engineering professional in the Durban and KwaZulu-Natal area with deep food, beverage, or liquid processing manufacturing experience.
What Does a Pedros Maintenance Manager Do?
The Maintenance Manager leads the end-to-end maintenance, reliability, and utilities function of Pedros’ centralised sauce manufacturing plant — ensuring that all equipment, infrastructure, and plant services are safe, compliant, available, and optimised to support efficient and uninterrupted production operations. This is a senior technical leadership role that combines hands-on engineering expertise with strategic maintenance planning, people management, regulatory compliance, and cross-functional operational collaboration.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
⚙️ Maintenance Strategy, Planning & Execution
- Develop and implement comprehensive maintenance plans and systems to ensure maximum equipment reliability and plant uptime
- Manage preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programmes across all processing equipment, utility systems, filling lines, packaging equipment, and associated plant infrastructure
- Establish shutdown plans, service schedules, inspection routines, and maintenance standards for all critical plant assets
- Ensure timely and effective response to all equipment breakdowns to minimise production downtime
- Conduct thorough root cause analysis (RCA) on all significant failures and implement corrective actions to prevent repeat occurrences
- Implement maintenance planning systems, work order control processes, and engineering reporting routines to drive operational discipline and visibility
🏭 Utilities & Plant Services Management
- Take full ownership of all utility systems and plant services including:
- Boilers and steam systems
- Water softener and water treatment plants
- Air compressors and pneumatic systems
- Chillers, cooling towers, and temperature-controlled facilities (cold rooms and freezers)
- Diesel backup systems and generators
- Pumps, valves, and piping networks
- Rotary bottle fillers, cappers, and end-of-line packaging systems
- HVAC systems and environmental control infrastructure
- Ensure all utility systems are maintained, operated safely and efficiently, and fully capable of supporting production requirements at all times
- Monitor equipment condition, service performance, and energy consumption to improve reliability and reduce operating costs
- Support plant commissioning, equipment installation, handovers, and start-up activities as required
🔧 Reliability Engineering & Continuous Improvement
- Work closely with operations and production teams to improve mechanical reliability, changeover performance, and overall operating efficiency
- Implement reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) principles and continuous improvement initiatives across all plant assets
- Identify and drive engineering improvement projects to reduce chronic failures, improve throughput, and lower maintenance costs
- Monitor and report on key maintenance performance indicators (KPIs) including mean time between failures (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTTR), and planned maintenance compliance
🤝 Contractor & Vendor Management
- Manage all engineering contractors, service providers, and technical support partners to ensure quality, safety, and cost-effective service delivery
- Develop and maintain service level agreements (SLAs) with key maintenance and engineering contractors
- Oversee contractor compliance with site safety requirements, permit systems, and lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures at all times
- Manage maintenance costs, contractor spend, and asset lifecycle capital planning within approved budgets
🦺 OHSA, Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure all maintenance activities fully comply with Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requirements, safe work procedures, permit-to-work systems, and lockout/tagout requirements
- Support food safety and quality requirements by maintaining hygienic design integrity and implementing safe maintenance practices across all food contact areas
- Ensure compliance with FSSC22000, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), and HACCP standards applicable to food and beverage manufacturing environments
- Maintain all statutory inspections, calibration coordination, maintenance records, and asset documentation to the required standard
- Ensure engineering readiness for all internal and external audits, inspections, and regulatory compliance reviews
👥 People Leadership, Coaching & Development
- Lead, coach, and develop the maintenance team and technical support resources to build a high-performance, safety-focused engineering function
- Conduct regular performance management reviews, skills gap assessments, and development planning for all maintenance staff
- Foster a culture of engineering excellence, safety ownership, and continuous improvement within the maintenance team
- Identify training and development needs and collaborate with HR to implement targeted technical and safety training programmes
📦 Spare Parts, Asset Management & Reporting
- Implement and manage spare parts inventory systems to ensure critical spares availability without excessive stockholding costs
- Develop and maintain asset registers, equipment histories, and maintenance documentation for all plant assets
- Manage asset lifecycle planning including replacement forecasting, capital expenditure motivation, and long-term asset care planning
- Prepare and present regular maintenance performance reports to plant and senior management
Minimum Requirements – Maintenance Manager
Educational Qualifications
- BEng, BTech, or National Diploma in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or Process Engineering — or equivalent relevant engineering experience — essential requirement
Experience Requirements
- Minimum 5 years of experience in a maintenance leadership role within food, beverage, liquid processing, or a related manufacturing environment — non-negotiable
- Proven hands-on technical knowledge of boilers, water treatment systems, compressors, chillers, cooling towers, pumps, valves, piping, rotary bottle filling machines, packaging equipment, HVAC, and temperature-controlled facilities
- Demonstrated experience in preventive maintenance systems, breakdown analysis, and reliability improvement programmes
Technical Knowledge & Compliance
- Strong working knowledge of food safety standards including FSSC22000, GMP, and HACCP requirements in a manufacturing environment
- Working knowledge of OHSA requirements, permit-to-work systems, and lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures
- Experience with maintenance planning software, CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management Systems), and work order management
Skills & Competencies
- Strong engineering problem-solving and root cause analysis skills
- Excellent people leadership, coaching, and team development ability
- Sound contractor and vendor management experience
- Strong budgeting, cost management, and capital expenditure planning skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills for reporting to senior management and engaging with cross-functional teams
Career Growth in Food & Beverage Manufacturing Engineering
A Maintenance Manager role within South Africa’s food and beverage manufacturing sector is a well-recognised platform for advancement into senior plant engineering leadership and executive operations management. High-performing engineering leaders can progress toward:
- Maintenance Manager → Senior Maintenance Manager / Plant Engineering Manager
- Plant Engineering Manager → Operations Manager / Plant Manager
- Plant Manager → Manufacturing Director / Head of Operations
- Head of Operations → Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Investing in further qualifications such as a postgraduate diploma in engineering management, MBA with operations specialisation, CMRP (Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional) certification, or advanced food safety management qualifications can significantly accelerate your career advancement and market value within the South African and international food manufacturing sector.
Frequently Asked Questions – Maintenance Manager Jobs Durban 2026
What engineering qualifications are required for this role? A BEng, BTech, or National Diploma in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or Process Engineering is required. Equivalent relevant engineering experience will also be considered.
Is food and beverage manufacturing experience essential? Yes. A minimum of 5 years of maintenance leadership experience within food, beverage, liquid processing, or a closely related manufacturing environment is a non-negotiable requirement.
What food safety certifications are relevant to this role? Knowledge of FSSC22000, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), and HACCP standards is specifically required for this position.
What utility systems experience is most relevant? Hands-on experience with boilers, water treatment, compressors, chillers, cooling towers, rotary bottle fillers, packaging equipment, and HVAC systems is specifically listed as essential technical knowledge for this role.
Is this a permanent position? Yes. This is a permanent senior management position offering long-term career stability, engineering leadership development, and advancement opportunities within Pedros’ growing manufacturing infrastructure.
What is the application closing date? Applications close on 30 April 2026. Given the seniority of this role, shortlisting is likely to begin before the closing date — apply early for priority consideration.
How to Apply – Maintenance Manager | Pedros Chicken | Durban
Ready to lead one of South Africa’s most dynamic food manufacturing maintenance operations?
🖥️ Apply Online:
Submit your comprehensive CV, relevant engineering qualifications, food safety certifications, and contactable references before the closing date of 30 April 2026.
⚡ Senior engineering management roles in Durban’s food manufacturing sector attract highly competitive candidate pools. Apply immediately to ensure your application receives full and early consideration.
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