Maintainability & Operability Specialist

Anglo American is a leading global mining company, and our products are the essential ingredients in almost every aspect of modern life. Our portfolio of world-class competitive mining operations and undeveloped resources provides the metals and minerals that enable a cleaner, greener, more sustainable world and that meet the fast-growing consumer-driven demands of the world’s developed and maturing economies.

We are constructing a state-of-the-art underground mine to enable the extraction of Polyhalite – a unique multi-nutrient fertiliser – along with the necessary infrastructure both above and below ground that will be required for transport, processing, and distribution.

POLY4 is our flagship multi-nutrient fertiliser product. Made from polyhalite, it contains four of the six macro-nutrients and many micronutrients that are essential to plant growth. It allows farmers to maximize their crop yield, increase quality and improve soil structure with one simple product.

The Operations & Maintenance Superintendent ensures that the Woodsmith Project is designed, built, and commissioned with long-term reliability, ease of maintenance, and operational efficiency at its core. This role bridges practical trade and supervisory experience with project design and future operations to deliver a safe, highly reliable, and cost-effective mining operation.

To embed maintainability, operability, and reliability principles into the design, construction, and commissioning of the Woodsmith underground polyhalite mine (including shafts, 37km Mineral Transport System, processing facilities, and surface operations) so that the asset achieves world-class safety, reliability, and whole-life cost performance from day one.

KEY TASKS

•  Participate in design, HAZOP, constructability, operability, and maintainability (COM) reviews, providing practical input on equipment access, lifting points, isolation, modularisation, standardisation, and ergonomics.

•  Develop and influence maintenance philosophies, strategies, spares holding, tooling, and CMMS setups tailored to deep underground mining operations.

•  Support or lead RAMS analyses, failure mode reviews, and design optimisation to improve MTBF, reduce MTTR, and enhance overall equipment effectiveness.

•  Contribute to Operational Readiness by embedding maintainability requirements into procurement, installation, commissioning, procedures, and training materials.

•  Advise on equipment standardisation, vendor selection, condition monitoring technologies, and whole-life cost evaluations.

•  Identify maintainability and operability risks, support mitigation plans, and drive continuous improvement through root cause analysis during early operations.

•  Mentor junior engineers and maintenance teams, acting as the bridge between trade-level realities and multi-disciplinary project teams.

•  Ensure full compliance with UK mining regulations (Mines Regulations 2014), Anglo American standards, and environmental requirements in the North York Moors National Park.

• HNC/HND, NVQ Level 3+ or equivalent technical qualification.
• CMRP or similar reliability qualification is advantageous.

Experience:

• Time-served apprenticeship in a relevant trade (Mechanical Fitter, Electrician, Millwright, Heavy Equipment Technician, etc.).
• •  Minimum 5–10 years’ supervisory experience as Maintenance Supervisor, Foreman, or Superintendent in mining, minerals processing, or heavy industry.
• •  Practical knowledge of conveyors, hoisting systems, pumping, crushing, underground equipment, predictive maintenance, CMMS (SAP preferred), and RCA techniques.
• •  Exposure to large capital projects, design reviews, or operational readiness is advantageous.

Technical Knowledge:

• Maintainability & Operability input into design and projects
• •  Maintenance strategy development (preventive, predictive, condition-based)
• •  Reliability, Availability, Maintainability & Supportability (RAMS) analysis
• •  Equipment standardisation and whole-life cost evaluation
• •  Condition monitoring and CMMS implementation
• •  Failure mode analysis and root cause problem solving

Who we are:  We aim to lead the industry by pursuing ever safer and more responsible ways of working, demonstrating integrity and showing care and respect for people and the planet. That means we are constantly seeking new opportunities to mine and process our products sustainably, using less water, less energy and more precise extraction technologies. As the custodians of coal and other precious natural resources – diamonds (through De Beers), copper, platinum and other precious metals, iron ore and nickel – our extraordinary teams work safely and collaboratively, with the utmost consideration for local communities, our customers and the world at large.  

What we Offer: When you join Anglo American, you can expect to enjoy a competitive salary and benefits package. But more than this, you’ll find yourself in an environment where the opportunities for learning and growth are second to none. From technical training to leadership programs, we bring out the best in our people. There are plenty of opportunities to move onwards and upwards too. We’re a large, successful multinational company – and we’re still growing all the time. 

How we are committed to your safety: Nothing is more important to us than ensuring you return home safely after a day’s work. To make that happen, we have the most rigorous safety standards in the industry. Not only that, we’re also continually investing in new technologies – from drones to data analytics – that are helping to make mining safer.  

Inclusion and Diversity:  Anglo American is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace where we value and respect every colleague for who they are and provide equality of opportunity so that everyone can fulfil their potential.