Job Purpose

To lead and manage all electrical engineering and maintenance activities across the mine's surface operations, ensuring legal compliance, equipment reliability, safe execution of electrical work, and alignment with production and cost targets.

The Electrical & Instrumentation Superintendent provides technical expertise, supervises electrical teams, oversees MV/LV power distribution, and ensures continuous improvement of electrical systems that support crushing, milling, flotation, dewatering, tailings, and plant services.

Key Responsibilities

Statutory & Legal Compliance

Fulfil statutory duties under the Mine Health & Safety Act (MHSA) for electrical engineering.

Ensure compliance with:

• MHSA
• OHS Act for relevant electrical installations
• SANS electrical standards (10142 & others)
• OEM specifications and mine engineering standards
• Maintain legally required electrical records:
• MV/LV inspections
• Transformer & switchgear tests
• Earth leakage & protection system tests
• Appointments and competency documents

Electrical Maintenance Management

Oversee execution of mechanical & electrical maintenance for:

• MV and LV substations
• Transformers, switchgear, and distribution boards
• MCCs, VSDs, soft starters
• Motors, pumps, compressors, fans
• Crushing & milling electrical systems
• Plant lighting, power reticulation, UPS systems
• Ensure maintenance standards meet OEM, statutory and engineering best practice.
• Shutdown effectiveness.

Leadership & Team Management

Supervise and develop:

• Electrical Foremen
• Electricians
• Electrical Technicians
• Apprentices
• External contractors
• Conduct performance reviews, training needs assessments, and succession planning.

Asset & Reliability Management

• Ensure availability of electrical assets through:
• Predictive maintenance (thermography, oil analysis, PD testing)
• Preventative maintenance optimisation
• Root cause analysis (RCA) of recurring failures
• Drive improvements to reliability KPIs (MTBF, MTTR, system uptime).

Electrical Engineering & Technical Support

• Provide engineering expertise for:
• Plant modifications & expansions
• Equipment upgrades
• Power system stability analysis
• Protection settings and coordination
• Motor starting studies (DOL, VSD, star-delta)
• Approve electrical designs, schematics, and project documentation.

Projects & Capital Work

• Manage or support capital projects involving electrical equipment:
• New substations
• Crusher/mill drive upgrades
• Conveyor electrical systems
• Pump station electrical infrastructure
• Participate in project planning, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and handover.

Safety Management

• Enforce electrical safety (LOTO, safe isolation, arc-flash protection).
• Conduct risk assessments (HIRA), incident investigations, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure compliance with hazardous area classification (if applicable).
• Promote a strong safety culture within the electrical team.

Planning & Budget Control

• Manage electrical maintenance budgets and track expenditure.
• Ensure correct specification and procurement of electrical spares and equipment.
• Collaborate with planners to optimise PM schedules and reduce backlog.

Reporting & Governance

Compile:

• Electrical maintenance reports
• Breakdowns & root cause findings
• Reliability statistics
• Monthly engineering KPIs
• Energy usage & efficiency reports
• Maintain accurate documentation, drawings, and CMMS data.

Required Skills & Competencies

Technical Competencies

Strong understanding of:

• MV/LV electrical power systems
• Substations, transformers, switchgear
• Motor control (MCCs, VSDs, soft starters)
• Protection systems & relays
• SCADA/PLC interfaces
• Crushing & milling electrical infrastructure
• Ability to interpret electrical drawings, SLDs, protection studies.
• Proven experience in heavy industrial or mining environments.

Leadership Competencies

• Strong team management and coaching skills.
• Able to make sound decisions under pressure.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• High safety leadership presence.
• Strong planning, organisational, and project management ability.

Qualifications & Experience

Minimum Requirements

• Degree or Diploma in Electrical Engineering (Heavy Current).
• 7–10 years electrical maintenance experience in mining or heavy industry.
• 3–5 years supervisory or superintendent-level experience.
• Strong knowledge of MHSA and SANS electrical standards.
• Valid driver's licence.

Preferred

• ECSA registration or candidacy (advantageous).
• Experience in zinc, lead, copper, or base metals processing.
• Advanced protection systems training (Siemens, ABB, Schneider).
• SAP/Pragma/OnKey CMMS experience.
• Project management certification or exposure.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Electrical equipment availability and reliability.
• Compliance with MHSA and statutory electrical requirements.
• Reduction in unplanned electrical downtime.
• Maintenance backlog control and PM completion rates.
• Safety performance and incident reduction.
• Cost control within engineering budget.
• Quality and accuracy of reporting and engineering governance.
• Performance and development of electrical personnel.