Maintenance Planner

Lesaffre Group Openings • Cedar Rapids, IA

10h • Onsite

About The Position

The Maintenance Planner is responsible for planning all non-urgent work orders with detailed scope, job steps, required parts, tools, permits, and labor requirements. This role ensures compliance with Management of Change (MOC) and capital project requirements, assigns proper work order status, and documents reasoning within the CMMS. The planner verifies documentation and permits before scheduling, follows up on incomplete work, and identifies planning gaps. A key focus is eliminating "lost time" by ensuring work readiness, improving maintenance productivity, and optimizing technician utilization. The role also involves scoping work orders for clarity, verifying correct parts before scheduling, maintaining accurate spare parts inventory, creating and managing purchase requisitions, obtaining approvals, recommending inventory adjustments, and meeting with suppliers to improve service and cost. The Maintenance Planner uses the CMMS to plan, document, and track maintenance activities, maintains accurate work order notes and history, prepares backlog reports, and ensures data integrity for reliability and decision-making. They support Reliability Maintenance programs, identify root causes of failures, seek cost reduction opportunities, create and update equipment Bill of Materials (BOMs), and identify ways to improve the planning function. Close coordination with maintenance, production, and other departments, effective communication, and providing clear documentation are essential. The role may also involve assisting technicians and stepping into technical roles if required. Secondary duties include supporting special projects and assisting the maintenance team during critical situations or staffing gaps, and coordinating/scheduling preventive maintenance (PM) and repair work with production schedules.

Requirements

• Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or Engineering Technology
• Minimum 3 years of industrial maintenance experience or equivalent training
• SAP Plant Maintenance (PM) experience preferred
• Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude
• Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, technical manuals, and drawings
• Strong organizational, communication, and time management skills
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities
• Microsoft 365 proficiency

Nice To Haves

• Associate degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Engineering Technology preferred

Responsibilities

• Plan all non-urgent work orders with detailed scope, job steps, required parts, tools, permits, and labor requirements
• Ensure compliance with Management of Change (MOC) and capital project requirements when applicable
• Assign proper work order status (including hold status for MOC review) and document reasoning within the CMMS
• Verify all documentation and permits are current prior to scheduling work
• Follow up on incomplete work and identify planning gaps (incorrect parts, missing information, etc.)
• Eliminate or minimize “lost time” by ensuring readiness of all planned work
• Focus planning efforts on improving maintenance productivity and technician utilization
• Scope out work orders to ensure clarity and completeness before execution
• Verify correct parts are received before scheduling work
• Maintain accurate and adequate spare parts inventory levels
• Create and manage purchase requisitions (PRs) within the CMMS
• Obtain approvals for purchases exceeding established thresholds
• Recommend inventory adjustments and cost saving opportunities
• Meet regularly with suppliers and vendors to improve service and cost
• Use CMMS to plan, document, and track maintenance activities
• Maintain accurate work order notes, statuses, and history
• Prepare and distribute backlog reports weekly
• Ensure data integrity to support reliability and decision-making
• Support Development and sustainment of Reliablilty Maintenance programs
• Identify and address root causes of planning and execution failures
• Actively seek cost reduction opportunities (supplier comparisons, rebuild vs replace, technical alternatives, etc.)
• Create and update equipment Bill of Materials (BOMs) while planning maintenance orders
• Identify ways to improve the planning function, review with leadership, and implement
• Coordinate closely with maintenance, production, and other departments
• Communicate effectively with technicians, supervisors, managers, and external vendors
• Provide clear documentation, reports, and updates
• Assist technicians when needed and step into technical roles if required
• Support special projects as assigned
• Assist maintenance team during critical situations or staffing gaps
• Coordinate and schedule preventive maintenance (PM) and repair work in alignment with production schedules when needed

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior