Job Title: Head of Engineering & Maintenance (Asset Management)
Duration: Long term expected
Schedule: Site-based
Location: Angola
This opportunity will lead engineering and maintenance across a large open-pit mining operation and multi-stage processing plant, with accountability for asset integrity, equipment availability and life-cycle cost. The position is focused on building a structured work-management environment using reliability engineering, CMMS/ERP maintenance planning and shutdown execution to move maintenance from reactive activity to planned performance. The role offers broad technical scope across fixed plant, mobile fleet, workshops and utilities in a complex remote-site mining environment.
This position will play a key role in the continued ramp-up of the mining operations, including optimisation of newly commissioned crushing infrastructure, implementation of CMMS-based maintenance systems, support of a fleet renewal programme, and development of a high-performing national workforce through structured succession planning.
Preferred Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical or Mechatronic Engineering
Required Experience:
- Minimum 15 years of experience in heavy mining or mineral-processing maintenance
- At least 5 years in an Engineering Manager, Maintenance Superintendent or equivalent leadership role at a large open-pit operation
- Demonstrated implementation of a work-management or reliability programme that delivered measurable improvement in equipment availability and maintenance cost
- Experience within a recognised major mining organisation or a comparable mining environment
- Experience working in Africa, remote-site operations and expatriate rotation environments
Required Skills:
- Leadership of engineering and maintenance across mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, mobile fleet, workshops and utilities
- Work-management system design including asset register development, criticality ranking, maintenance strategies, backlog control, planning and scheduling routines, and shutdown planning
- Reliability engineering capability including RCM, FMECA, RCA, Weibull analysis and condition monitoring
- CMMS/ERP work management, including SAP PM or equivalent systems, master data governance and planning and scheduling KPI management
- Fixed-plant engineering knowledge covering crushers, screens, DMS cyclones and pumps, conveyors, slurry systems, compressed air, water systems and tailings infrastructure
- Mobile-fleet maintenance knowledge including OEM maintenance contracts, component life management, fleet management systems and tyre management
- Maintenance budgeting, contractor strategy, spares and consumables strategy, and OEM or dealer relationship management
- Safety leadership across isolation and lock-out, permit-to-work, confined space, working at height and contractor management controls
- English at fluent professional level
Preferred Qualifications:
- Professional Engineer registration such as ECSA, Engineers Australia or equivalent
- Post-graduate qualification in Asset Management, Maintenance Engineering, MBA or MEng
- Legal appointment experience such as GMR 2.1 or equivalent
- Experience with diamond processing plants including DMS, crushing, scrubbing and recovery circuits
- Experience with large haul truck fleets
- Portuguese language capability (Preferred)
About Airswift:
Airswift is an international workforce solutions provider within the energy, process and infrastructure industries. Airswift serves as a strategic partner to clients, offering a turnkey workforce solution to capture and deliver the top talent needed to complete successful projects by aligning with unique project needs. With over 1000 employees and 9,000 contractors operating in over 60 countries, Airswift's geographical reach and pool of talent available is unmatched in the industry.