Junior Mechanical Engineer – Maintenance & Reliability

Junior Mechanical Engineer – Maintenance & Reliability

Location: Brits, North West
Salary: R30,000 - R35,000 CTC per month
Employment type: Permanent

The Opportunity

A well-established multi-site manufacturer is seeking a motivated Junior Mechanical Engineer to join its Brits plant, with a focus on repairs, maintenance and equipment reliability.

This is a hands-on development opportunity for an early-career engineer with basic practical maintenance experience and an understanding of planned preventive maintenance (PPMs), breakdowns, downtime and maintenance schedules. Working closely with plant leadership, maintenance artisans and production teams, the successful candidate will assist in planning, coordinating and tracking maintenance work to improve equipment availability, reduce repeat failures and support safe, reliable production.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with developing, implementing and monitoring planned preventive maintenance (PPM) schedules, inspection checklists and routine equipment servicing.
• Support the maintenance team with mechanical breakdowns, fault-finding and repairs, working under the guidance of experienced personnel.
• Record and track equipment downtime, breakdown causes, repair actions and recurring failures, and highlight trends and outstanding issues.
• Assist with root-cause analysis and follow up corrective and preventive actions to reduce repeat breakdowns and improve reliability.
• Help maintain accurate maintenance schedules, work orders, equipment histories and repair records.
• Coordinate maintenance planning with production and maintenance teams, including planned stoppages, task priorities, labour, spare parts and external service providers.
• Follow up maintenance tasks and report progress, overdue work and equipment concerns to the responsible manager.
• Assist with assessing mechanical components and identifying repair, replacement and improvement needs.
• Compile practical maintenance reports and basic performance information, including PPM completion, downtime and recurring breakdowns.
• Support equipment modifications, installations and reliability improvement projects where required.
• Follow plant safety procedures, isolation and lockout requirements, housekeeping standards and safe working practices during all maintenance activities.

Minimum Requirements

• Degree, diploma or advanced diploma in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Graduate through to approximately three years' relevant practical experience, with some exposure to mechanical repairs and maintenance in a plant, workshop or manufacturing environment. Internships, in-service training and graduate placements may provide this exposure.
• Basic understanding of planned preventive maintenance (PPMs), breakdown maintenance, downtime tracking and maintenance schedules.
• Practical mechanical aptitude and familiarity with basic mechanical systems, components and technical drawings.
• Ability to assist with fault-finding, structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis under supervision.
• Good Microsoft Excel and reporting ability, with accurate record-keeping and follow-up skills; exposure to a computerised maintenance management system will be advantageous.
• Ability to organise tasks and coordinate effectively with maintenance and production personnel.
• A hands-on approach, sound safety awareness, initiative and a willingness to learn from experienced plant personnel.
• Reliable transport and the ability to commute to Brits.

Candidate Profile

This role will suit a technically curious junior engineer who is comfortable on the plant floor and wants to develop practical maintenance and reliability skills. The successful candidate should understand the basics of how maintenance is planned, how breakdowns and downtime are recorded, and how repair work is followed through to completion.

The company is looking for discipline, practical involvement, accurate reporting and a strong learning mindset, with the ability to support experienced maintenance personnel and help improve day-to-day equipment reliability.