Join Our Team as a Plumbing Lead
We are seeking a highly skilled and proactive Plumbing Lead to provide technical leadership and oversee all plumbing maintenance activities across the KFC Rohloff Group restaurant portfolio. The successful candidate will lead a team of plumbers and plumbing assistants, ensuring the effective delivery of preventative maintenance, reactive repairs, installations, and plumbing compliance across multiple sites. As the lead plumbing specialist, you will serve as the primary escalation point for complex plumbing issues, ensuring high standards of workmanship, safety, compliance, and service excellence. This role is critical to maintaining uninterrupted restaurant operations by ensuring all plumbing systems and assets remain safe, reliable, and fully operational.
What you'll be doing:
Plumbing Operations & Maintenance
- Plan, schedule, and allocate daily plumbing maintenance activities, installations, repairs, and emergency call-outs.
- Lead the inspection, diagnosis, maintenance, and repair of plumbing systems across multiple restaurant locations.
- Ensure the timely resolution of plumbing faults and breakdowns to minimise operational disruption.
- Oversee preventative maintenance programmes for all plumbing infrastructure and equipment.
- Monitor and maintain water supply, drainage, sewerage, grease management, and hot water systems.
- Investigate recurring plumbing issues and implement sustainable corrective solutions.
- Ensure all plumbing assets operate safely, efficiently, and reliably.
Technical Support & Escalations
- Act as the primary technical escalation point for complex plumbing faults and operational challenges.
- Provide technical guidance and support on major repairs, upgrades, and installations.
- Conduct root cause analyses of recurring plumbing failures and recommend corrective actions.
- Support restaurant and operations teams with expert troubleshooting and technical advice.
- Identify opportunities to improve plumbing infrastructure, asset reliability, and maintenance practices.
Compliance, Safety & Risk Management
- Ensure compliance with all applicable plumbing regulations, codes, municipal requirements, and industry standards.
- Ensure adherence to company policies, environmental regulations, and Occupational Health & Safety requirements.
- Conduct regular safety inspections, risk assessments, and compliance audits.
- Maintain all required permits, certificates, inspection records, and compliance documentation.
- Promote a strong safety culture and ensure safe work practices are followed at all times.
Contractor & Supplier Management
- Manage and coordinate plumbing contractors and service providers across multiple sites.
- Monitor contractor performance, workmanship, and service delivery standards.
- Ensure compliance with service level agreements (SLAs) and company requirements.
- Verify contractor certifications, licences, and compliance documentation.
- Review quotations and provide technical recommendations for plumbing projects and repairs.
- Assist with the procurement of plumbing materials, equipment, and spare parts.
Performance & Reporting.
- Monitor and drive key performance indicators, including equipment uptime, preventative maintenance completion, emergency response times, work order closure rates, contractor performance, and repeat failure rates.
- Track water usage and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
- Support maintenance budget control through effective planning and resource management.
- Prepare reports on maintenance activities, compliance, performance metrics, and improvement initiatives.
- Drive continuous improvement to enhance service delivery, operational reliability, and customer satisfaction.
What You Bring to the Table:
- Grade 12 / Matric.
- Valid Driver’s Licence.
- Recognised Plumbing Trade Qualification or Certification.
- Minimum 3 years’ plumbing maintenance and repair experience.
- Minimum 1 year of supervisory or leadership experience.
- Proven experience in commercial plumbing maintenance and repairs.
- Strong knowledge of plumbing regulations, safety standards, and compliance requirements.
- Willingness to travel between sites as required.
- Availability to participate in after-hours call-out support.
- Compliance-driven with a strong focus on quality, safety, and workmanship standards.
Advantageous
- Experience within a QSR, Retail, Hospitality, or Multi-Site Facilities Management environment.
- Experience managing or supervising maintenance contractors.
- Project management experience.
- Exposure to Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS).
- Knowledge of water conservation, water-saving technologies, and sustainability initiatives.
- Experience managing plumbing compliance, audits, and statutory inspections.