The Maintenance Planner is responsible for planning, scheduling, and coordinating preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance activities to maximize equipment reliability and minimize downtime throughout Plain Dealing Lumber's sawmill and planer mill operations. This role develops detailed work plans, coordinates labor, materials, and equipment, manages maintenance work orders, and partners with operations and maintenance teams to ensure work is completed safely, efficiently, and in alignment with production priorities. The Maintenance Planner plays a key role in improving maintenance performance, equipment availability, and overall operational reliability.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
•Own and manage the work order system (CMMS); create, prioritize, assign, and close work orders in coordination with the Maintenance Manager and Maintenance Supervisor; maintain an accurate, current backlog at all times.
•Plan all scheduled and preventive maintenance work in advance: define the scope of work, identify required parts and materials, estimate labor hours, and confirm resource availability before scheduling the job.
•Develop and manage the facility’s preventive maintenance schedule; ensure PM tasks are assigned, tracked, and completed on time; escalate overdue PMs to the Maintenance Manager promptly.
•Coordinate with the Purchaser and Inventory Control Specialist to ensure all parts, materials, and consumables required for planned work orders are on hand before the job is scheduled; flag parts shortages early to prevent delays.
•Build and maintain equipment files and maintenance histories for all major plant equipment; capture completed work orders, failure modes, repair histories, and parts usage data to support reliability analysis.
•Produce weekly and monthly maintenance performance reports for the Maintenance Manager covering work order completion rate, PM compliance, backlog aging, labor hours, and parts spend.
•Coordinate planned maintenance outages and shutdown windows with the Maintenance Supervisor and production supervisors; build outage work packages that sequence jobs for maximum efficiency within the available window.
•Analyze equipment failure data and work order history to identify recurring failures, chronic downtime contributors, and opportunities to improve the PM program; present findings and recommendations to the Maintenance Manager.
•Maintain LOTO procedure documentation, equipment-specific safety procedures, and maintenance standard operating procedures; ensure documentation is current, accessible, and reviewed on schedule.
•Assist the Maintenance Manager with capital project planning by tracking project scope, parts lists, contractor coordination, and schedule milestones.
•Immediately report all safety incidents, near-misses, and significant equipment failures to the Maintenance Manager; support root cause analysis by providing equipment history and work order data.
•Perform other duties as assigned by the Maintenance Manager.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Associate's degree in Business, Industrial Technology, Supply Chain, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent combinations of relevant work experience and demonstrated success in purchasing, inventory management, maintenance support, or a related field will be considered in lieu of formal education.
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in a maintenance planning, scheduling, or coordination role in a manufacturing, sawmill, or industrial environment required.
•Hands-on experience with a CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) required; ability to build, manage, and report from the work order system is essential.
•Strong organizational and analytical skills; able to manage a high volume of concurrent work orders and planning tasks with accuracy and attention to detail.
•Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook); Excel skills sufficient to build maintenance tracking reports, analyze data, and manage schedules are required.
•Strong understanding of preventive maintenance principles, equipment reliability concepts, and maintenance scheduling best practices.
•Ability to read and interpret mechanical and electrical drawings, equipment manuals, and maintenance documentation to develop accurate work plans.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience in a sawmill, lumber, paper mill, or wood products manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
•CMRP (Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional) or other maintenance planning certification is a plus.
•Bilingual (English/Spanish) skills a plus.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT
This position is primarily office and computer-based but requires regular presence throughout the facility including the maintenance shop, production floor, and equipment areas to assess work scope, verify job readiness, and coordinate with the maintenance team. The incumbent must be able to sit for extended periods and also walk, stand, climb, and access equipment in various areas of the facility. Required PPE including hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, steel-toed boots, and high-visibility vest must be worn at all times in production and yard areas. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.
Plain Dealing Lumber is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.