Assistant Manager – Plant & Mechanical Maintenance

About the role

We are looking for an Assistant Manager – Plant & Mechanical Maintenance to lead the upkeep of mechanical and electrical equipment across our processing plants and cold‑chain facilities in Kenya and Rwanda. The role will drive preventive maintenance, equipment installation, troubleshooting and day‑to‑day maintenance activities to maximise plant uptime and reliability.

Key responsibilities

• Manage routine maintenance of mechanical and electrical plant equipment.
• Maintain blast freezers, industrial refrigeration units, cold rooms, conveyors, dryers and ventilation systems.
• Implement and monitor preventive maintenance schedules.
• Coordinate technicians and external maintenance contractors.
• Support equipment installation, testing, commissioning and handover.
• Monitor spare parts, tools and maintenance requirements.
• Troubleshoot equipment breakdowns and conduct root‑cause analysis.
• Maintain records of maintenance activities, downtime and equipment failures.
• Ensure compliance with safety, food safety and environmental standards.
• Contribute to improvements in plant uptime, maintenance cost and equipment reliability.

Required profile

• Degree or Higher Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.
• 5–10 years of experience in plant, processing or facility maintenance.
• Experience with industrial refrigeration / cold‑chain equipment preferred.
• Background in food processing, feed milling, poultry or similar industries is a plus.
• Experience planning and scheduling preventive maintenance.
• Proven ability to manage technicians and contractors.
• HVAC/Refrigeration certification advantageous.

Required skills

• Mechanical engineering principles
• Electrical engineering principles
• Industrial refrigeration and cold‑chain equipment
• Blast freezers, cold rooms, conveyors, dryers, ventilation systems
• Diesel generators
• Electrical troubleshooting
• Hydraulics
• Plumbing
• Preventive maintenance planning
• Maintenance scheduling
• Technician supervision
• Contractor coordination