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Workshop Manager | CAT & Volvo HME | Ghana | 8/3 Expat Rotation

Senior expatriate opportunity in Ghana for an experienced South African Workshop Manager with strong Caterpillar and Volvo HME maintenance experience. The role requires proven leadership of production-critical mining or heavy earthmoving fleets, with responsibility for fleet availability, reliability, maintenance planning, breakdowns, field service, component management and the development of local maintenance teams.
Reference: WMG1
Sector: Mining & Mining Services / Heavy Earthmoving
Discipline: HME Maintenance / Engineering
Location: Ghana, West Africa
Type: Expatriate / Project-based
Salary: R130 000 - R150 000
Client: Confidential Client
Closing Date: 09 Oct 2026

Strata Search is recruiting an experienced Workshop Manager for a production-driven heavy earthmoving fleet supporting mining and major earthworks operations in Ghana.

This is a senior expatriate advisory position requiring strong 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗛𝗠𝗘) maintenance experience and proven responsibility for workshop performance, fleet availability and reliability.

We are looking for a genuine heavy-equipment maintenance professional who has progressed through the technical environment into senior workshop and fleet maintenance leadership.

The successful candidate must understand what it takes to keep production-critical HME operating in a demanding African project environment, where equipment downtime directly affects earthmoving production.

𝗞𝗘𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦
• Lead all workshop and field-service maintenance activities across the HME fleet
• Manage maintenance supervisors, artisans, technicians and support personnel
• Take responsibility for fleet availability, reliability and maintenance performance
• Plan and control preventative, scheduled and corrective maintenance programmes
• Coordinate breakdown response and drive rapid, safe return-to-service
• Monitor equipment downtime, repeat failures and maintenance trends
• Conduct and oversee complex diagnostics and fault-finding
• Drive root-cause analysis and corrective action on recurring equipment failures
• Plan and coordinate major component repairs, replacements and change-outs
• Manage component condition, operating life and replacement planning
• Coordinate engine, transmission, drivetrain, hydraulic and electrical/electronic repairs
• Manage workshop workflow, job planning, labour allocation and maintenance priorities
• Maintain accurate machine histories, job cards and maintenance records
• Monitor maintenance KPIs and implement reliability improvements
• Manage critical spares, parts planning and inventory requirements
• Liaise with Caterpillar, Volvo and other OEM/dealer technical support teams
• Monitor maintenance expenditure and support effective cost control
• Maintain workshop tooling, housekeeping and operating standards
• Ensure strong HSE compliance across workshop and field-service activities
• Work closely with construction and operations teams to align maintenance priorities with production requirements
• Develop local supervisors, artisans and technicians through hands-on mentoring and structured skills transfer

𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗘𝗡𝗩𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧
The fleet consists of heavy earthmoving equipment used in mining and major earthworks operations.

Candidates should have strong practical maintenance exposure across equipment such as:

• Large Caterpillar dozers
• Hydraulic excavators
• Wheel loaders
• Volvo articulated dump trucks
• Motor graders
• Compaction equipment
• Water and service equipment
• Associated heavy mobile plant

𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘
• Extensive 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗼 𝗛𝗠𝗘 maintenance experience
• Proven Workshop Manager, HME Maintenance Manager or equivalent leadership experience
• Strong background within mining, mining contractors, heavy earthmoving or major civil earthworks
• Experience managing production-critical heavy-equipment fleets
• Demonstrable responsibility for fleet availability and uptime
• Strong preventative and planned maintenance capability
• Breakdown and field-service management experience
• Major component repair, replacement and change-out experience
• Strong diagnostics and technical fault-finding capability
• Knowledge of diesel engines, transmissions, drivetrains, hydraulics and electrical/electronic systems
• Maintenance planning and component-life management experience
• Strong workshop systems and maintenance-control experience
• Experience managing OEM/dealer relationships and critical spares
• Strong HSE leadership within an HME maintenance environment
• Previous African mining or project experience highly advantageous
• Previous expatriate/rotation experience advantageous

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡
This is 𝗻𝗼𝘁 a light vehicle, road transport or general automotive workshop position.

We need a practical HME maintenance leader who understands heavy earthmoving equipment operating under production pressure and has personally carried responsibility for keeping a fleet available.

The successful candidate should be comfortable moving between the workshop, field breakdowns, maintenance planning and operational discussions rather than managing solely from an office.

This is also an advisory role with a significant 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀-𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 responsibility. The successful candidate will be expected to develop local supervisors, artisans and technicians, transfer practical technical knowledge and strengthen the long-term capability of the maintenance team.

Strong ethics, resilience, technical judgement and the ability to operate effectively in a rugged African project environment are essential.

𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: Ghana, West Africa
𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: 8 weeks on / 3 weeks off
𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗬: R130,000 – R150,000 per month
𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗧: South African expatriate professionals

Appointment remains subject to final project and regulatory approvals.