Coordinator Shutdown (Mt Holland)

About Us

At Covalent Lithium, we are genuinely passionate about creating a clean energy future and supporting our teams who enable this vision.

Following the commissioning of our mine and concentrator at Mt Holland in 2024, we recently celebrated our first production of battery -grade lithium hydroxide at our Kwinana Refinery. We are now a fully integrated mine-to-refinery operation, supplying high quality lithium hydroxide to global markets and enabling approximately 1 million electric vehicles to go on the road, every year for the next 50 years.

We are proud to foster a culture where people with different skills, experiences and backgrounds are welcomed and set-up for success.

We support, empower and reward our people with a range of benefits:

• Competitive remuneration, and annual incentives for eligible employees
• Access to discounts, recognition and rewards
• Access to flexible work arrangements
• Dedicated wellbeing program support and discounted health insurance
• Equal access to paid parental leave, financial support, return to work and parenting room
• Salary sacrifice options for superannuation and novated leasing
• Discounted FIFO parking with Perth Airport

The Role

The Shutdown Coordinator is responsible for the planning, coordination, execution, and close-out of fixed plant shutdowns to ensure maintenance and project work is completed safely, efficiently, on schedule, and within budget. The role works closely with Operations, Maintenance, Planning, Reliability, Engineering, and contractors to develop and execute shutdown plans that maximise plant availability while minimising operational disruption. Through effective leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement, the Shutdown Coordinator ensures shutdown objectives are achieved, and continuous improvement opportunities are identified and implemented.

This is a full-time, permanent position, on a 4:3, 4:3, 8:6 roster, ex FIFO from Perth to our Mt Holland mine site.

Key Responsibilities

•    Coordinate, and manage shutdown plans, schedules, and work scopes for fixed plant maintenance and project activities. 
•    Coordinate resources, labour, contractors, equipment, materials, tooling, and services required for shutdown execution. 
•    Facilitate shutdown planning meetings and liaise with key stakeholders to ensure scope alignment and readiness. 
•    Monitor shutdown progress and adjust priorities to ensure critical path activities are completed on schedule. 
•    Identify and manage shutdown risks, constraints, and opportunities to improve safety, productivity, and efficiency. 
•    Ensure all shutdown work complies with site safety, environmental, and statutory requirements. 
•    Proactively engage with the Operations Coordinators to support the coordination of permit requirements, isolations, access arrangements and shutdown logistics.
•    Coordinate high-risk work activities including confined space entry, hot work, working at heights, lifting operations and electrical isolations to ensure critical controls are implemented and maintained.
•    Monitor contractor performance and ensure work is completed to the required quality standards. 
•    Track shutdown costs, resource utilisation, and schedule performance against approved plans. 
•    Provide regular progress updates and reports to maintenance and operational leadership teams. 
•    Facilitate effective communication between all shutdown stakeholders before, during, and after execution. 
•    Lead shutdown close-out activities, including work order completion, reporting, lessons learned, and continuous improvement reviews. 
•    Support the development and optimisation of shutdown management processes, systems, and procedures. 
•    Ensure accurate documentation and maintenance history updates within the CMMS.

Financial/Budget

•    Contribute to the preparation of budgets, including personnel, capital justification and the collation of data on a systematic basis for progressive forecasting and future estimating.
•    Drive the reduction of overall costs as relates to shutdowns. 
•    Manage relevant expenditure to remain within approved budget and forecasts in compliance with commercial protocols and procedures.

Leadership and Team

•    Demonstrate visible safety leadership and promote a strong safety culture aligned with Covalent’s values.
•    Build collaborative relationships across Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Planning, and contractor teams. 
•    Drive accountability for shutdown performance, quality, and schedule adherence. 
•    Promote continuous improvement through effective planning, execution reviews, and lessons learned. 
•    Maintain a proactive and solutions-focused approach to managing shutdown challenges and competing priorities.

Health, Safety, Environment and Community

•    Actively lead and participate in the establishment of a health and safety culture, leading by example, and setting the required health and safety standards. 
•    Ensure a safe working environment where all work is undertaken in a safe and efficient manner, in accordance with statutory requirements and Covalent policies & procedures.
•    Ensure all health, safety and environmental incidents are reported, investigated, and appropriate corrective action taken to prevent recurrence.

Role Requirements
    
•    5+ years in Fixed Plant maintenance and mineral processing, including at least 3 years in a Shutdown Coordinator capacity.
•    Engineering qualification and/or Trade background.
•    Experience in transitioning from plant commissioning to steady state operations.
•    Competent with basic root cause analysis methodology (5 Why’s) 
•    Valid C class driver’s licence
•    First Aid certificate
•    Current Working at Heights ticket
•    Current Confined Space Entry ticket
•    Statutory Supervisor appointment (S26) 
•    Demonstrated experience coordinating high-risk maintenance activities within a fixed plant processing environment.
•    Previous shutdown and maintenance / process plant experience in mining environment.
•    Experience in managing multi-discipline teams driving a high-performance culture through positive working relationships and leveraging company values and behaviours.
•    Computerised Maintenance Management System experience (SAP desirable)
•    Knowledge of budgeting, capital expenditure management and project management.
•    Demonstrated track record of problem solving and solution implementation delivering significant process improvements.
•    Ability to work in remote and/or arid environmental conditions. 

A competitive remuneration package commensurate with the role, candidate experience, skills and qualifications will be offered.
Our team members are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. Candidates from all backgrounds and ages are encouraged to apply, including First Nations People, those who identify as LGBTIQ+, people with disabilities and those with neurodiverse, intersectional, or multiple diverse characteristics.
Covalent Lithium is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, with a focus on our employees. We recognise skills, expertise, commitment and living our values of Purpose, Care, Accountability and Collaboration. Our goal is to attract, develop, motivate, reward, and retain the best people in the industry.