ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE MANAGER

Sunset Sleepers | Pakenham, Victoria

Take ownership. Drive improvement. Keep production moving.

Immediate start

Sunset Sleepers is looking for an experienced, hands-on Engineering & Maintenance Manager to take ownership of the reliability, performance and continuous improvement of our manufacturing operations.

This is an significant leadership role for someone who takes pride in keeping machinery in excellent condition, preventing breakdowns and finding smarter ways to improve production.

We are looking for someone who doesn't wait to be told what needs fixing. You will be proactive, organised and capable of independently managing the maintenance function, leading a team and taking responsibility for keeping our production lines running safely and efficiently.

About the Role

You will take ownership of our production equipment, maintenance systems, workshop, tools and spare parts. Your focus will be to minimise unplanned downtime, maintain equipment to a high standard and continually identify opportunities to improve production efficiency.

You will lead and develop a team of junior engineers, metal fabricators and maintenance personnel, ensuring work is properly planned, organised and completed to a high standard.

Key Responsibilities

- Take full ownership of the maintenance, condition and performance of production machinery and equipment.

- Monitor production lines and identify potential issues before they become breakdowns.

- Develop and manage preventative maintenance schedules and systems.

- Troubleshoot mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic and control-system faults.

- Lead, organise and supervise a team of junior engineers, metal fabricators and maintenance personnel.

- Maintain an organised workshop, ensuring tools, equipment and spare parts are properly stored, maintained and readily available.

- Manage critical spare parts, stock levels, ordering and maintenance records.

- Identify production bottlenecks and develop innovative ideas to improve efficiency, output and reliability.

- Design, develop and implement machinery upgrades, modifications and practical engineering solutions.

- Coordinate contractors, suppliers and specialist technicians when required.

- Establish clear maintenance standards, accountability and a proactive team culture.

- Report on equipment performance, maintenance activities, recurring faults and improvement projects.

About You

We are looking for a self-motivated and knowledgeable individual who takes genuine ownership of their work and has the drive to make things better.

You will ideally have:

- Strong hands-on experience in industrial maintenance, engineering or manufacturing.

- Excellent mechanical fault-finding and troubleshooting abilities.

- Practical knowledge of hydraulic, pneumatic and automated machinery systems.

- Experience managing or supervising technicians, engineers or metal fabricators.

- The ability to plan, organise and manage maintenance activities independently.

- Strong organisational skills, particularly with tools, workshop equipment, spare parts and inventory.

- A practical and innovative mindset, with the ability to identify problems and develop solutions.

- The confidence to make decisions, take initiative and follow projects through to completion.

- A strong understanding of preventative maintenance and equipment reliability.

- A commitment to safety, quality, cleanliness and high standards of workmanship.

An engineering degree, relevant trade or technical qualification, or equivalent industry experience will be highly regarded. Experience with PLCs, automation, fabrication and high-volume manufacturing will also be advantageous.

What We Are Looking For

Above all, we want someone who will own this area of the business.

Someone who treats the machinery, workshop and maintenance team as their responsibility. Someone who is always looking ahead, keeps equipment in good health, has the tools and parts organised, and is constantly thinking about how production can run better.

We want a person who brings ideas, takes initiative,



leads by example and creates a maintenance function that the rest of the business can rely on.

Our goal is to achieve maximum production uptime through excellent maintenance, planning and continuous improvement. Safety and proper maintenance will always come before production targets.

About Sunset Sleepers

Sunset Sleepers is an Australian manufacturer of concrete sleepers. We are focused on producing quality products while continually improving our manufacturing operations, equipment and processes.

We value Trust, Teamwork, Quality and Safety, and are looking for someone who shares these values and wants to make a meaningful contribution to the business.

To apply: Please submit your resume outlining your relevant engineering, maintenance and team leadership experience.

Join Sunset Sleepers and take ownership of keeping our production moving forward.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THIS POSITION

Take full ownership of the reliability, condition, performance and continuous improvement of Sunset Sleepers’ production lines, machinery and associated engineering infrastructure. The role leads a technical team and develops the systems, standards and capabilities needed to achieve the ambition of zero unplanned downtime, safe operation and continuously improving manufacturing efficiency.

This is a hands-on, autonomous leadership role: anticipate and eliminate failures, organise maintenance and spare parts, drive practical engineering improvements, and ensure equipment remains safe, reliable, clean and fit for purpose without constant management intervention.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

EQUIPMENT RELIABILITY AND PRODUCTION UPTIME

- Own the operational readiness and condition of production equipment, including mould handling, conveyors, demoulding, filling and automation systems.

- Inspect and monitor machinery proactively; identify deterioration, wear, performance losses and emerging faults before production is interrupted.

- Diagnose mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic and control-system faults; coordinate licensed specialists for restricted electrical work.

- Investigate breakdowns using root-cause analysis; implement and verify permanent corrective actions rather than repeated temporary repairs.

- Plan recovery and contingencies for critical equipment failures; minimise the frequency and duration of unplanned stoppages.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE AND ASSET MANAGEMENT

- Build and own a preventive maintenance program, critical-asset register, inspection schedules, checklists and maintenance history.

- Schedule lubrication, servicing, adjustments and replacement of wear components around production needs.

- Monitor PM completion, overdue tasks, failure patterns and equipment condition; progressively introduce condition-based maintenance where practical.

- Maintain accessible manuals, drawings, PLC/HMI backups, machine settings and change records.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND ENGINEERING PROJECTS

- Identify bottlenecks, cycle-time losses, manual handling, waste, quality issues and reliability improvement opportunities.

- Design, prototype, test, commission and document cost-effective machinery, process and automation improvements.

- Prioritise ideas by expected benefit, risk, cost, maintainability and production impact; quantify results after implementation.

- Collaborate with production and leadership on engineering priorities and projects from concept to handover.

WORKSHOP, TOOLS AND SPARE PARTS

- Own workshop cleanliness, 5S-style organisation, tool accountability and equipment condition.

- Maintain a critical-spares list, minimum stock levels, reorder process and orderly labelled storage.

- Ensure tools, parts and consumables are available when required while controlling stock and expenditure.

TEAM LEADERSHIP AND DELIVERY

- Lead, coach,



allocate and review work for junior engineers, metal fabricators and maintenance personnel.

- Set standards for safe workmanship, productivity, follow-through, documentation and quality of repairs.

- Build team capability so routine maintenance and common faults can be managed without reliance on one individual.

- Manage specialist contractors and coordinate work with production supervisors.

PLANNING, REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY

- Own a visible, prioritised maintenance backlog and engineering improvement pipeline.

- Report weekly on uptime losses, top risks, PM completion, recurring faults, critical spares and project progress.

- Act independently within agreed authority and budgets; escalate major safety, cost and production risks early.

SAFETY, QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENT

- Maintain effective guarding, interlocks, emergency stops and safe isolation / lockout-tagout practices.

- Risk-assess and validate machinery modifications before return to production; ensure required licensed work is performed by authorised people.

- Comply with applicable Victorian OHS legislation, relevant standards and Sunset Sleepers safety, quality and environmental procedures.

- Support product consistency through machinery accuracy, repeatability and process stability.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Unplanned downtime Measured by line and cause; sustained reduction towards zero avoidable stoppages

Preventive maintenance 100% of critical scheduled PM completed on time; overdue items visible and controlled

Reliability Lower repeat failures, improved mean time between failures and mean time to repair

Efficiency Demonstrated throughput / cycle-time / labour or waste improvements

Asset condition Documented inspections, safe condition and completed corrective actions

Spares and workshop Critical parts available; organised, auditable workshop and inventory

Team and projects Tasks completed to standard; capability growth; improvements delivered and validated

Numerical targets and baselines to be agreed after reviewing current equipment performance.

Planned maintenance and safety-critical stoppages must not be discouraged by uptime targets.

QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

- Strong hands-on industrial maintenance and machinery fault-finding experience in a manufacturing environment.

- Practical understanding of mechanical systems, hydraulics, pneumatics, automation and industrial controls.

- Demonstrated experience creating preventive maintenance systems and organising tools, parts and records.

- Experience leading technicians, fabricators or engineers and delivering practical improvements.

- Engineering degree, relevant trade/technical qualification or equivalent substantial experience.

- Desirable: PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, sensors, welding/fabrication, commissioning, CMMS and high-volume production.

EXPECTED BEHAVIOURS

- Ownership and autonomy: identifies, prioritises and resolves issues without being chased.

- Proactivity and follow-through: prevents repeat problems and closes actions completely.

- Practical innovation: continuously makes equipment simpler, safer and more productive.

- Organisation and leadership: builds reliable systems and a capable, accountable team.

- Commercial judgment: balances uptime, safety, cost and long-term maintainability.

LIVE THE SUNSET SLEEPERS CORE VALUES

TRUST • TEAMWORK • QUALITY • SAFETY. Maintain high standards of honesty, collaboration, workmanship, care for equipment and safe operations.

HEALTH & SAFETY

All work and supervision must comply with company procedures and applicable Victorian occupational health and safety requirements. Stop unsafe work, report hazards and ensure appropriate isolation, risk assessment and competency before work begins.

PROBATION REVIEW (AFTER 6 MONTHS)

Review reliability results, preventive maintenance system, workshop standards, team development, completed improvements and independence of the function.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This position description outlines principal responsibilities and is not exhaustive. Other reasonable, job-related duties may be assigned. The employee acknowledges understanding of the responsibilities and safety requirements.

📌 Engineering & Maintenance Manager (Pakenham)
🏢 Sunset Sleepers
📍 Pakenham