Mechanical Supervisor / Mechanical Lead – Animal Feed & Solvent

Mechanical Supervisor / Mechanical Lead – Animal Feed & Solvent Extraction Plant

Location: Nakuru
Department: Engineering / Maintenance
Gross Salary: KES 60,000 per month

Role Purpose

The Mechanical Supervisor / Mechanical Lead will lead mechanical maintenance, reliability and engineering activities across the Animal Feed and Solvent Extraction Plant.

The primary objective is to reduce plant breakdowns and downtime, improve equipment reliability and availability, ensure readiness of critical spares and manpower, and support continuous improvement in plant safety, performance and production efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead preventive, predictive, corrective and breakdown maintenance across the plant.
• Oversee maintenance of hammer mills, roller mills, pellet mills, mixers, conditioners, conveyors, elevators, flakers, expanders, cookers, extractors, DTDC, pumps, gearboxes, bearings, fans, blowers, heat exchangers and related plant equipment.
• Conduct breakdown analysis, troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain preventive and predictive maintenance schedules.
• Monitor equipment condition and identify potential failures before breakdown.
• Plan and maintain critical mechanical spares and equipment history records.
• Supervise fitters, technicians, welders, fabricators and contractors to ensure productivity, workmanship and adequate manpower availability.
• Manage equipment installation, alignment, fabrication, modification, commissioning and improvement projects.
• Coordinate with Production, Electrical, Procurement, Stores and HSE teams to support uninterrupted plant operations.
• Support shutdown planning, execution and equipment start-up.
• Ensure strict compliance with LOTO, Permit-to-Work, hot-work, confined-space and other plant safety requirements.
• Monitor maintenance costs and identify opportunities for improved maintenance efficiency.
• Drive improvement in MTBF, MTTR, plant uptime and equipment reliability.
• Prepare maintenance KPIs, downtime analysis, maintenance reports and continuous improvement plans.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from a recognized institution; OR
• Diploma in Mechanical Engineering supported by strong relevant plant maintenance and equipment reliability experience.
• 5–8+ years' relevant mechanical maintenance experience within a process plant environment.
• Supervisory or managerial maintenance experience is preferred.
• Experience within Animal Feed, Solvent Extraction, Oilseed Processing, Edible Oil or similar process manufacturing environments will be a strong advantage.
• Candidates should meet applicable Kenyan professional registration requirements where required.

Technical Competencies

Candidates should demonstrate strong 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.
• Preventive and predictive maintenance.
• Breakdown troubleshooting and RCA.
• Critical spare-parts planning.
• Maintenance planning and scheduling.
• Contractor and technical-team supervision.
• Plant shutdown management.
• Maintenance cost control.
• LOTO and Permit-to-Work requirements.

Critical Screening Requirement

Preference should be given to candidates with hands-on process plant maintenance experience, particularly within animal feed, solvent extraction, oilseed processing, edible oil or comparable manufacturing operations.

The role requires a practical, hands-on maintenance professional rather than a predominantly administrative engineering profile.