Background

Maamba Energy Limited (MEL), a leading energy company operating a large-scale coal mine and a 300 Megawatt coal-fired power plant in Maamba, Sinazongwe District, Southern Province, Zambia, is inviting applications for the position of Planning Engineer. This opportunity is ideal for professionals seeking planning engineer jobs in Maamba who are eager to contribute to an integrated maintenance strategy that supports operational excellence and asset reliability.

MEL is jointly owned by Nava Bharat Singapore Pte. Limited and ZCCM-IH plc. The company prides itself on maintaining high safety and engineering standards while delivering reliable energy solutions. The Planning Engineer will join the Engineering Department to support maintenance planning across various asset classes including Mechanical, Electrical, Automobile, and Instrumentation.

Role Overview

The Planning Engineer will be responsible for coordinating comprehensive maintenance planning activities that ensure equipment readiness, reliability, and compliance with safety protocols. This role demands a proactive approach to maintenance scheduling, resource coordination, and technical reporting to optimize plant performance.

Key Responsibilities

Maintenance Planning: Develop and manage daily, weekly, monthly, and annual maintenance schedules; ensure availability of labour, tools, spares, permits, and isolations prior to maintenance execution; maintain asset registers and criticality rankings; monitor maintenance backlogs and prioritize work orders.

Preventive and Predictive Maintenance: Design and optimize preventive and predictive maintenance plans and checklists; coordinate condition monitoring activities such as oil analysis, vibration monitoring, thermography, thickness testing, and calibration; assist in root-cause failure analysis and reliability improvement projects.

Shutdown and Resource Coordination: Plan and oversee shutdowns, overhauls, and equipment rebuilds; liaise with Operations, Stores, Procurement, SHEQ, contractors, and OEMs; ensure quality control and completion of corrective actions.

Systems and Reporting: Maintain accurate SAP or CMMS work orders, asset histories, and technical records; track key maintenance metrics including availability, schedule compliance, MTTR, MTBF, downtime, and costs; prepare performance and compliance reports for management review.

Safety and Compliance: Integrate safety controls into maintenance procedures; ensure adherence to permit-to-work, isolation, environmental, and statutory requirements; promptly report and escalate unsafe conditions or non-conformances.

Required Qualifications and Skills

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Reliability, Industrial, or a related Engineering discipline.

Membership and registration with the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ) and Engineers Registration Board (ERB).

Experience with SAP/CMMS or formal maintenance-planning training is advantageous.

A valid driver’s licence is preferred.

Proven skills in maintenance planning, scheduling, backlog management, shutdown coordination, and technical reporting.

Strong commitment to safety, statutory compliance, and risk management.

Personal Attributes

Safety-conscious and accountable in all tasks.

Analytical thinker with a solutions-focused mindset.

Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.

Collaborative team player capable of coordinating multiple stakeholders.

Disciplined and able to perform effectively under operational pressure.

• Develop and manage daily, weekly, monthly, and annual maintenance schedules.
• Ensure availability of labour, tools, spares, permits, and isolations prior to maintenance execution.
• Maintain asset registers and criticality rankings.
• Monitor maintenance backlogs and prioritize work orders.
• Design and optimize preventive and predictive maintenance plans and checklists.
• Coordinate condition monitoring activities such as oil analysis, vibration monitoring, thermography, thickness testing, and calibration.
• Assist in root-cause failure analysis and reliability improvement projects.
• Plan and oversee shutdowns, overhauls, and equipment rebuilds.
• Liaise with Operations, Stores, Procurement, SHEQ, contractors, and OEMs.
• Ensure quality control and completion of corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate SAP or CMMS work orders, asset histories, and technical records.
• Track key maintenance metrics including availability, schedule compliance, MTTR, MTBF, downtime, and costs.
• Prepare performance and compliance reports for management review.
• Integrate safety controls into maintenance procedures.
• Ensure adherence to permit-to-work, isolation, environmental, and statutory requirements.
• Promptly report and escalate unsafe conditions or non-conformances.

• Maintenance planning
• Scheduling
• Backlog management
• Shutdown coordination
• Technical reporting
• Commitment to safety
• Statutory compliance
• Risk management
• Analytical thinking
• Organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Ability to perform under pressure

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Reliability, Industrial, or a related Engineering discipline.
• Membership and registration with the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ) and Engineers Registration Board (ERB).
• Experience with SAP/CMMS or formal maintenance-planning training is advantageous.
• A valid driver’s licence is preferred.