Maintenance & Engineering Manager

Sugar Australia is looking for a hands-on Maintenance & Engineering Professional to join our team at Mackay Port on a permanent full-time basis.

Reporting to the Engineering Manager – Northern Loop, this is a key site leadership role where you’ll take ownership of maintenance and engineering activities across the site, helping keep our plant safe, reliable and performing at its best.

You’ll lead day-to-day maintenance delivery, work closely with operations, and play an important role in improving reliability, managing contractors, supporting capital works and long-term asset strategy. This role suits a degree qualified Engineer or Tradesperson with equivalent post trade qualifications and strong leadership skills, who enjoys being on the floor, solving problems and leading a small team in a practical, fast-paced environment.

About the Mackay Port site:

Our Mackay Port Terminal includes sugar packaging, warehousing, bulk storage and ship loading operations supported by a range of industrial plant and equipment. The site works closely with our Racecourse Refinery and plays an important role in supporting safe and efficient supply operations across domestic and export markets.

The sweet things you’ll be involved in:

• Planning, scheduling and supervising daily maintenance activities across trades, operators and contractors
• Leading and supporting a small site team including a Port Electrician and Reliability Technician
• Supporting safe, reliable plant performance and responding to breakdowns as needed
• Planning and executing preventative and corrective maintenance to maximise plant reliability and uptime
• Managing contractors, permits to work and scheduled maintenance work
• Working closely with operations to troubleshoot and resolve equipment issues
• Driving reliability and continuous improvement initiatives across the site
• Supporting capital projects, including commissioning, integration and setting maintenance strategies for new equipment
• Monitoring maintenance priorities, costs/budgets and performance
• Ensuring accurate CMMS (SAP PM) data and effective work order management
• Collaborating with operations and production teams to align maintenance plans with production requirements
• Ensuring all work is completed in line with safety standards, policies and regulatory requirements

What we’re looking for:

We’re looking for someone practical and hands-on, with strong leadership skills and a focus on safety and reliable operations. You will bring:

• A Bachelor of Engineering OR Trade Qualification with post-trade engineering qualifications
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a maintenance leadership or industrial supervisory role
• Experience in FMCG, food manufacturing or port operations
• Exposure to the Sugar Industry (desirable)
• Knowledge of lean or continuous improvement principles (desirable)
• Strong knowledge of rotating plant, conveyors, gearboxes and mechanical systems
• Experience with electrical systems, controls and compressed air systems
• Exposure to CMMS systems (SAP highly regarded)
• Experience leading teams and managing contractors in an industrial environment
• Strong understanding of safety, compliance and risk management in maintenance operations
• Ability to plan, prioritise and manage competing workloads effectively
• Strong problem-solving skills and a continuous improvement mindset
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills

About Sugar Australia:

Sugar Australia has been a trusted name in Australian manufacturing for over 170 years and is a leading producer of sugar and ingredient solutions across retail, foodservice and industrial markets.

We operate refineries, packing facilities, bulk storage terminals and distribution sites across Australia, supporting some of the country’s largest food and beverage brands alongside our well-known CSR Sugar retail products found in supermarkets nationwide.

With a strong operational footprint and manufacturing heritage, our teams play an important role in safely producing and moving essential products used in homes and businesses every day.

At Sugar Australia, our values of integrity, excellence, passion, innovation, teamwork and safety underpin the way we work and support one another across the business. We’re committed to creating an environment that supports strong operational performance, continuous improvement and ongoing people development.

What we offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits package and exclusive corporate discounts
• Health and wellbeing programs, regular social events, and employee recognition initiatives
• Ongoing learning and career development opportunities
• A friendly and collaborative culture, with a strong focus on our people and our customers
• Access to our product range – perfect for those with a passion for baking

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from all backgrounds, identities and experiences.

Interested?

If you’re an experienced Maintenance & Engineering leader ready to take ownership of a critical operational site and drive performance through strong leadership and technical expertise, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today and be part of something sweet.

Job Details