Maintenance Planner Scheduler

The Maintenance Planner / Scheduler is responsible for planning, coordinating and scheduling maintenance work to improve equipment reliability, maintenance productivity and plant uptime. The position converts approved maintenance needs into complete, executable work packages and manages work priority, labor, parts, tools, contractors and equipment availability. The Planner / Scheduler uses Maintimizer to manage work from request through completion, coordinates required downtime with Operations, and works closely with Maintenance, Production Planning, Engineering, Purchasing/MRO and outside services. The role is focused on proactive planning several weeks in advance to maximize workforce productivity and minimize downtime. Maintenance supervision retains responsibility for technical direction, work execution and technician accountability.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Review and validate planned maintenance requests and backlog; confirm scope, equipment identification, requested completion date, lead time, authorization/charge information when applicable, and preliminary priority with the appropriate resources.
• Develop complete job plans for PM and non-breakdown corrective work, including work steps, required crafts/skills, estimated labor hours, parts/materials, tools, safety requirements, permits, outside services and other resources.
• Identify work requiring Engineering design or specialized technical input and coordinate with Engineering, Maintenance Supervisors, Leads and subject-matter experts as appropriate.
• Manage work-order status and backlog from submission through completion using defined statuses such as Waiting for Planning, Waiting for Parts, Ready to Schedule and Scheduled.
• Apply the Ready to Schedule standard: scope is sufficiently defined; required labor/skills and estimated hours are identified; parts/materials are available or confirmed; special tools/equipment and applicable safety requirements are identified; and required equipment downtime is coordinated.
• Work with Maintenance Supervisors to determine labor and skill availability and develop a preliminary workforce schedule by mechanic/craft.
• Coordinate with Purchasing/MRO and maintenance support personnel to ensure required parts and materials are available before scheduled work; identify shortages, long-lead items and critical-spare concerns.
• Develop and maintain the weekly maintenance schedule and a rolling 2-4 week look-ahead based on priority, available labor, production requirements and equipment availability.
• Participate in maintenance scheduling meetings with Operations/Production to finalize priorities, downtime windows, resource requirements and lead times; communicate the finalized schedule to Maintenance, Production, Production Planning, Engineering, Purchasing/MRO, contractors and other affected resources.
• Issue scheduled work orders/job-plan packets to Maintenance supervision and address planning questions before execution.
• Review completed work orders and supervisor/technician feedback for labor, parts, findings, improvement comments and follow-up work; use feedback to continuously improve job plans and labor estimates.
• Maintain accurate work orders, PMs, job plans, equipment records/history and asset status in Maintimizer, including equipment additions and removals.
• Maintain and revise the annual 52-week rolling PM matrix; facilitate continuous improvement of PM tasks and frequencies using equipment history, failure data, manufacturer recommendations and input from Maintenance supervision and Engineering.
• Coordinate scheduling and documentation of required equipment inspections and certifications and support regulatory, customer and certification audits, including SQF and FDA requirements as applicable.
• Maintain applicable equipment certificates and inspection/equipment lists in SharePoint or the designated document system, including scales, checkweighers, backflow devices, sprinkler/pump/suppression systems, boilers and other regulated equipment as assigned.
• Monitor and report maintenance performance, including PM compliance, schedule compliance, backlog hours and age, work-order status, planned versus emergency work, parts readiness, estimated versus actual labor hours, uptime and repeat failures.
• Report food safety and quality concerns to personnel with authority to initiate action and support employee safety, food safety, regulatory and company requirements in all maintenance planning activities.
• Support shutdown and major-maintenance planning by coordinating labor, materials, contractors, tools, job sequencing and equipment availability.
• Maintain and support procedures related to the planning function, including PM and work-order procedures, and perform other duties as assigned by management.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate or bachelor's degree preferred. Technical school or apprenticeship background is desirable.
• Minimum 5 years of maintenance experience in food processing or manufacturing, or equivalent maintenance planning experience.
• Strong working knowledge of industrial maintenance crafts and systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, hydraulics and pneumatics.
• Working knowledge of industrial equipment and components such as bearings, gearboxes, power-transmission systems, pumps and seals, valves, motors, couplings, VFDs, sensors/switches, motor starters, controls, PLC-related equipment, piping/tubing, welding and fabrication.
• CMMS experience required; Maintimizer experience preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel required.
• Ability to read equipment manuals, drawings, bills of material and technical documentation; identify required parts/resources; and estimate labor requirements and job duration.
• Experience with preventive/predictive maintenance, backlog management, shutdown planning and maintenance scheduling preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to coordinate professionally with Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, Purchasing, suppliers, contractors and external auditors.
• Well organized, detail oriented, able to manage multiple priorities and adapt to changing manufacturing requirements.
• Food manufacturing experience and working knowledge of food safety, sanitation and regulatory requirements preferred.