Maintenance and PLC Specialist

About the role

The PLC & Electrical Specialist is responsible for maintaining and improving all electrical, automation, PLC and SCADA systems in a high‑pressure, continuous production environment. The role ensures reliable plant automation, electrical infrastructure integrity and correct control logic across all factory processes while supporting production through automation improvements.

Key responsibilities

• Maintain and program Allen‑Bradley PLC systems and manage the plant SCADA system.
• Ensure plant control logic is stable, optimized and correctly integrated with sensors and equipment.
• Perform electrical installation, maintenance and repairs, including wiring, lighting, distribution boards and motor drives.
• Diagnose and repair electrical faults quickly to minimise downtime and comply with South African regulations.
• Maintain sensors, transmitters and instrumentation, ensuring reliable signal communication with PLCs.
• Develop and execute preventative maintenance schedules for automation and electrical assets.
• Support installation, commissioning and integration of new machinery into existing PLC/SCADA platforms.
• Provide technical support to production teams, troubleshoot control issues and improve throughput.
• Deliver training to millwrights and maintenance personnel on PLC and electrical systems.
• Provide weekend technical supervision and respond to emergency breakdowns.
• Ensure all work follows OHS Act, lock‑out/tag‑out procedures and participates in safety audits.

Required profile

• Qualified Electrician (Trade Test) with at least 5 years of industrial electrical experience.
• Proven PLC programming experience, preferably on Allen‑Bradley platforms.
• Experience with SCADA systems and instrumentation is preferred.
• Background in food processing, rendering or manufacturing plants is advantageous.
• Highly structured, detail‑oriented, methodical problem‑solver with strong analytical abilities.

Required skills

• PLC programming (Allen‑Bradley)
• SCADA systems
• Industrial electrical systems
• Motor control and drives
• Instrumentation and sensors
• Automation troubleshooting