Maintenance Services Specialist - Contracts Administration at Astron Energy (Pty) Ltd.

Jib Details:

A Subject Matter Expert (SME) position able to influence peers, superiors and coach team around contract management to optimise quality, cost, safety and timeliness of Maintenance and field projects. Contract Owner for multiple Services Contractors for example, Rigging & Lifting, Painting & Coating, Scaffolding, etc.

Responsible for the provision of a range of services required for the effective execution of daily Routine Maintenance (RM), Controlled Maintenance (CM), Field Projects and Turnaround & Regeneration work (approx. every 18 months to 3 years). This is achieved through the management of a select group of approved Contractors ensuring Contractors deliver the right service, at the right quality and cost, on time.  Services include Hiring of Equipment (Pumps, compressors, Generators), provision of site Scaffolding, Rigging & Lifting, Civils, Painting & Coating.

Serves as a SME in support of Planner/Schedulers (Turnaround Planner/Schedulers in particular) to ensure that all services required for the execution of work are built into plans. Works with relevant 3rd-party Vendors to enable them to plan, prepare and be ready on-site to deliver the required services at the required times. Ensures FULL understanding of the company’s short and longer-term needs for the services  across all company functions requiring those services (i.e., Turnaround, Field Projects, RM, CM). With this knowledge, supports Planner/Schedulers to optimize plans and resources, to ensure that on-site Contractors are fully engaged, are set up for success, and are productively employed on site.  

Procurement Processes:  Tender Process - compile Scope of work that has to go out for Tender, for all services contractors from Request for Proposals (RFP) to post Contract Award Management. Aligns with Procurement Category Specialist and solicits information from the Services Coordinators to ensure their specialist knowledge is included in this process.  Aligns with Procurement Category Specialist in the event of conflict such as cost disputes, to achieve mutually agreeable solutions where possible.

Vendor Selection:Technical Evaluation of prospective Vendors:  Partners with Procurement, Legal and Services Coordinators in assessing prospective Contractor organizations. (Assessment done to determine the extent to which there would be a good match between Contractor competence and company quality, timing, safety and cost requirements).

Criteria may include: the existence of a comprehensive and proactive safety program; safety record vis-à-vis their program; membership of industry organizations; compliance with industry standards / requirements; competence (knowledge, experience, skill levels) of Contractor staff that would be working on site; performance feedback from other clients Contractor worked for; reputation for service excellence). Makes recommendations to Lead, Services and Facilities about engaging and disengaging Contractors based on data relative to RFP and KPI criteria

Onboarding of new contractors and Management of Change (MOC).  Accountable for the preparation and effective onboarding of new contractors on site, ensuring site establishment is completed and the necessary Facilities are in place to support them.  Builds professional relationship with Contractor representatives.

Serves as Contract Owner for Approved Contractors. In this capacity: ensures that the respective Contractors meet all Contractor Health and Safety Management (CHESM) requirements and are compliant with company standards and requirements.

Exhibits strong leadership skills to optimize team performance. Coaches Services Coordinators in Contractor Management Processes, equipping the team to improve vendor selection and performance. 

Field Verification & Audits:Gathers feedback from various role players regarding Contractor performance on site. Meets with Contractor site management on regular basis (monthly) to review performance vs KPI’s, including service quality, cost, CHESM, and time. In conjunction with Services Coordinators, recommends to the Lead, Services & Facilities either the continuation of, or disengagement of Contractor.Meets with Contractor site management from time to time to provide feedback on performance, address issues, and ensure Contractor remains compliant with expectations.

Business Planning and Reporting:  Contributes to business planning for Maintenance Services & Facilities through engaging with Coordinators to obtain their input.  Manage post award Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and develop Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which provide regular status updates on service provision actuals versus plan and services lookahead of all shared resources. 

Cost Management:  Evaluate best and affordable method of resolving maintenance issues with minimal cost implication.  Monitor claims relative to awarded contract terms.  Query discrepancies, involve the right SME’s to ensure that billing is compliant with terms of contract.  Use Financial Savvy to flag cost over-runs or under-runs, and anticipate action required to align costs with plan.  Must be decisive to recommend course corrections to Lead, Services & Facilities ahead of time.

Professional Qualification and Certifications:

• National Higher Diploma / B. Tech qualification Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering or  Project Management.
• Minimum of M3 plus 10 years’ experience in Refining Maintenance Technical role

Work Experience:

• Minimum 10 years’ experience of which 3 years minimum in reliability & maintenance. (Preferably in petrochemical industry)

Skills:

• Contractor Management - Procurement Processes from Scope of Work to Vendor Selection to Post award KPI Management
• Business Planning & Reporting
• Software Proficiency – Microsoft Office including Excel, PowerPoint.  Working knowledge of Excel, SAP Maintenance Planning and Prima Vera P6 Scheduling software will assist in the Management information aspects of this role.
• Business Intelligence (BI) an advantage.
• Stakeholder Engagement, communication & relationship Building
• Influencing, making Decision Recommendations
• Understanding of fundamentals of services provision – quality, cost, safety and time bound
• Understanding of plant & equipment
• Prioritization of conflicting tasks/projects