Mechanical Supervisor / Mechanical Lead

About the role

The Mechanical Supervisor / Lead will head the maintenance function for a process plant, ensuring reliable operation of critical equipment and driving continuous improvement in plant uptime.

Key responsibilities

• Lead preventive, predictive, corrective and breakdown maintenance across the plant.
• Oversee maintenance of hammer mills, roller mills, pellet mills, mixers, conveyors, elevators, pumps, gearboxes, bearings, fans, heat exchangers and related equipment.
• Conduct breakdown analysis, root‑cause analysis and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain preventive and predictive maintenance schedules.
• Plan and manage critical mechanical spares and equipment history records.
• Supervise fitters, technicians, welders, fabricators and contractors.
• Manage equipment installation, alignment, fabrication, modification, commissioning and improvement projects.
• Coordinate with Production, Electrical, Procurement, Stores and HSE teams to support uninterrupted operations.
• Support shutdown planning, execution and equipment start‑up.
• Ensure compliance with LOTO, Permit‑to‑Work, hot‑work and confined‑space safety requirements.
• Monitor maintenance costs and drive improvements in MTBF, MTTR and overall equipment reliability.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a Diploma with strong plant maintenance experience.
• 5–8+ years of mechanical maintenance experience in a process plant environment.
• Supervisory or managerial maintenance experience preferred.
• Experience in animal feed, solvent extraction, oilseed processing or edible oil manufacturing is a strong advantage.
• Meets applicable Kenyan professional registration requirements where required.

Required skills

• Hands‑on knowledge of rotating equipment.
• Pumps, gearboxes and bearings.
• Conveyors and material‑handling systems.
• Hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
• Equipment installation and alignment.
• Fabrication and welding.