Utilities Foreman

SUMMARY:
JOB DESCRIPTION: Utilities Foreman
Location: Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), Eastern Cape
Department: Engineering & Utilities
Reporting To: Engineering Manager / Technical Manager
Employment Type: Permanent
Salary : R65 000 Gross per Month

1. Role Purpose

The Utilities Foreman is responsible for the efficient operation, maintenance, and optimisation of all utilities infrastructure within the manufacturing site. This includes boilers, refrigeration systems, air compressors, chillers, generators, water treatment plants, pasteurisation systems, and associated control instrumentation. The role ensures utilities availability, legal compliance, safety integrity, and continuous plant performance to support production uptime.

POSITION INFO:

1. Key Responsibilities

Utilities Operations & Maintenance

• Oversee daily operations of all utilities equipment including:
  ✔ Industrial boilers (5-ton units)
  ✔ Ammonia refrigeration plants, glycol chillers & cooling towers
  ✔ High-pressure compressors (up to 40 bar) and air dryers
  ✔ Standby and production generators
  ✔ Water treatment systems (sand filters, multi-stage filtration, chlorination systems)
• Ensure optimal performance of utilities through monitoring, inspection, and corrective action.
• Conduct troubleshooting on mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and instrumentation systems.
• Maintain accurate running hour logs, utility performance records, and compliance documentation.

Preventative & Planned Maintenance

• Implement, manage, and optimise preventative maintenance schedules for all utilities equipment.
• Prioritise and allocate maintenance tasks to artisans and technicians.
• Ensure critical spares availability and stock control to prevent downtime.
• Maintain calibration schedules for all instrumentation, sensors, transmitters, and control valves.
• Oversee maintenance shutdowns, planned servicing, and statutory inspections (boiler, pressure vessels, safety equipment).

Instrumentation & Automation

• Support PLC/HMI troubleshooting (Siemens S7, VSDs, single-loop controllers).
• Assist with instrumentation calibration, settings, and fault finding (flow, level, pressure, temperature).
• Maintain backups of PLC programs, configurations, and control system documentation.
• Ensure integrity of automation systems used within utilities (burner controls, ammonia controls, pump systems, dosing systems).

Health, Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Ensure all utilities operations comply with OHS Act, boiler regulations, and relevant SANS standards.
• Enforce permit-to-work systems, lock-out procedures, and confined space entry protocols.
• Maintain up-to-date safety files, service records, and statutory inspection certificates.
• Attend safety audits, quality audits, and participate in root cause investigations.

Team Leadership & Administration

• Supervise utilities artisans, technicians, and contractors.
• Conduct daily planning meetings and allocate work based on production priorities.
• Report utilities issues, downtime, and solutions to the Engineering Manager.
• Manage overtime, attendance, shift planning, and performance of the utilities team.
• Prepare utilities reports, maintenance summaries, project updates, and compliance logs.

Continuous Improvement & Projects

• Identify and implement utilities-related improvement projects to reduce downtime and energy consumption.
• Lead cost-saving initiatives on water, steam, air, ammonia, and refrigeration systems.
• Support commissioning of new utilities equipment and expansions.
• Optimise plant reliability through data-driven decision-making (5 Why’s, failure analysis, FMEA).

Minimum Requirements
Qualifications

• Trade Test: Instrumentation Mechanician (essential)
• or Millwright
• or BTech Mechanical Engineer
• Technical qualifications: N6 or higher (advantageous)
• Boiler operation or boiler familiarisation certification (advantageous)
• Pneumatics, hydraulics, and PLC-related certificates beneficial

Experience

• 10+ years utilities and maintenance experience in manufacturing/FMCG/processing sectors
• Strong exposure to boilers, refrigeration plants, chillers, compressors, and water treatment systems
• Experience leading maintenance teams or utilities departments
• Proven track record of reducing equipment downtime and improving plant performance

Technical Competencies

• Instrumentation fault finding & calibration
• PLC (Siemens S7) & HMI exposure
• Pneumatic & hydraulic systems
• VSDs & control valves
• Root cause analysis & problem-solving
• Utilities compliance and statutory inspections
• Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical systems

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong leadership and mentoring ability
• High attention to detail
• Excellent communication & reporting skills
• Ability to work under pressure in high-volume manufacturing environments
• Proactive, solution-driven and safety-conscious

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Utilities uptime & availability
• Planned vs. unplanned downtime
• Compliance with boiler, compressor, ammonia & OHS regulations
• Execution of preventative maintenance schedules
• Cost control & budget adherence
• Spares management effectiveness
• Performance of utilities team
• Reduction of energy & water usage

Why This Role Is Critical
The Utilities Foreman plays a central role in ensuring the reliability and safety of the entire manufacturing plant, protecting production uptime and ensuring compliance with safety and food manufacturing standards. This role directly influences efficiency, product quality, and operational performance.

 

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