Maintenance Planner

The sweet things you'll be involved in:

Sugar Australia has an exciting opportunity for a Maintenance Planner to join our team in a permanent full-time capacity at our Yarraville VIC site. Reporting to the Asset Care Manager, you will be responsible for the effective planning of preventative maintenance activities to ensure maximum uptime across our critical refinery and packing operations. This role will focus on enhancing equipment reliability, supporting long-term plant performance, and driving a strategic, proactive approach to maintenance.

Your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Developing and executing preventative maintenance plans to maximise uptime and reliability of refinery and packing assets.
• Leading the planning and coordination of periodic and major shutdowns, including contractor management, across the refinery and packing plants within a 2-8 week horizon (extended for major shutdowns).
• Transitioning the site from reactive to strategic and proactive maintenance through forward planning.
• Reviewing and optimising preventive maintenance programs to ensure they are effective and aligned with operational needs.
• Minimising downtime risk by proactively addressing equipment failure points and ensuring assets meet performance standards.
• Driving continuous improvement in maintenance practices, asset reliability, and planning systems.
• Monitoring and reporting on key KPIs such as plan compliance, equipment availability, and maintenance effectiveness.
• Coaching and managing the site scheduler ensuring day-to-day activities are delivered to plan, on time and within budget.

What we're wanting you to bring to the table:

This role is suited to a trade qualified maintenance planner with strong strategic thinking, planning expertise, and a collaborative approach to improving asset reliability.

• Mechanical trade qualification (Fitter preferred) or Advanced Diploma in Engineering
• Minimum 5 years' experience in a maintenance or engineering planning role, ideally in an industrial or manufacturing environment
• Strong understanding of heavy manufacturing equipment and rotating machinery
• Hands-on experience with CMMS systems (SAP PM highly regarded)
• Familiarity with SCADA, PLCs, and supporting systems
• Experience in shutdown planning and contractor coordination
• Knowledge of GMP and safety compliance requirements
• Exposure to FMCG, food manufacturing, or the sugar industry desirable
• Excellent planning and organisational abilities
• Strong communication skills, attention to detail, and a continuous improvement mindset
• Comfortable leading others and working cross-functionally

About Sugar Australia:

Sugar Australia is the nation's trusted partner in sugar and ingredient solutions, enabling our customers to make great products for every home. We own and operate refineries, packing facilities, sugar silo terminals, and warehouse distribution sites across the country.

It takes a great team to turn raw sugar into our many food-grade products, and we work hard to make the highest-quality liquid sugars, icings, syrups, and crystals. You will find our retail products at your local supermarket under the iconic CSR sugar brand. We also supply refined sugar products and many other ingredients to the industrial, foodservice, and hospitality industries, supplying some of the largest brands in the country.

When joining the Sugar Australia team, you can expect to be part of a passionate and inclusive work environment that supports business growth and people development within a values-led culture. In return, you'll be remunerated with a competitive pay, onsite parking, access to an EAP provider, and access to our product library for those passionate bakers at heart.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage applications from people regardless of gender, ethnicity, or religious beliefs.

Come work with us and make a difference!