Maintenance Planner - Specialty Minerals - North Adams, Adams, Williamstown

Job Summary

The Maintenance Planning Supervisor is responsible for supporting the execution of maintenance work by estimating, planning and scheduling all the mechanical and electrical work for each shift.  This involves ensuring the coordinated availability of facilities/equipment to be worked on, parts materials, special tools/equipment and manpower/skills required to achieve orderly, timely, successful and efficient work execution. The Maintenance Planning Supervisor is also responsible for assigned OE initiatives in the maintenance department. To ensure that the team properly execute the assigned maintenance tasks, and that materials and time utilized are also properly reported. 

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Receives and screens all work requests to see that they have been properly filled out, discusses the details with the originating department and ensures that the work scope is clearly described.
• Plans all maintenance work requests by breaking them into basic job steps then determining what parts, material, special tools, skills, manpower and time are required for each step and in total.  Incorporates Safety Task Review procedures and maintenance SOPs into all planned work.
• Determines the availability of parts, materials and special tools required for the work orders executions.  Submits purchase requisitions for any parts, materials or special tools required that are unavailable to the plant.
• Maintains the backlog of planned work orders and monitors the status of purchase requisitions to ensure that the work order is available to schedule as soon as all requirements are met.
• Ensures that all PM work orders are scheduled for execution and performed consistently with their established frequencies.  Works with the Maintenance group to make improvements to the PM program.
• Develops the maintenance schedule for required shifts.  Coordinates the scheduling of all work with the Production and Maintenance Team Leaders.
• Maintains close communication with Production, Maintenance and Project Engineering, so as to be intimately acquainted with their maintenance challenges and long-range needs.  To promote effective collaboration between all groups with respect to solution of problems, to detect and eliminate the sources of emergency and other unscheduled work and convert fire fighting to a planned and controlled situation.
• Make special studies and investigations for Department Managers.
• Controls the close out of all maintenance work orders ensuring that all charges are properly assigned and the accuracy of the maintenance records are maintained.
• Conducts completed job plan audits to ensure planning function matches current conditions and performance.
• Look for ways to improve the maintenance department through 5S, TPM, and daily management control
• Look for ways to improve equipment effectiveness through improvements in equipment and processes.
• Provides performance metrics, both forward and backward facing.
• Prioritizes work based upon plant needs using input from various department supervisors
• Analyzes mechanical problems to determine the optimum repair or rebuild technique to minimize costs and ensure a quality result.  Recommends whether to do jobs in-house or use contractors.
• Trains mechanics in various skills necessary to perform their jobs.
• Acts as primary employee relations contact, and resolves personnel problems and complaints, where possible, referring others to higher supervision.
• Orients and trains new mechanical personnel in departmental policy and safety procedures.
• Establishes personal contact with workforce to ensure high employee morale and cooperation.
• Evaluates subordinates' work performance and gives feedback regarding all strengths and weaknesses
• Makes every good faith effort to achieve Department EEO objectives and ensure that personnel practices are fair and consistent with Governmental regulations.
• Studies equipment functions and recommends mechanical spare parts inventory requirements.
• Oversees the P.M. and lubrication programs in assigned areas.
• Performs various clerical duties such as writing purchase requisitions and work orders; contacting vendors and approving timecards.
• Establishes employee goals in line with plant/department objectives and enters into Performance Management system
• Completes employee annual and mid-year performance evaluations in Performance Management system and delivers one-on one performance reviews with department personnel.
• Assists in the development of individual plans for performance improvements.
• Instructs team on what is to be done, methods to be used, and reviews safety requirements, pointing out any potential hazards that may exist.
• Checks to ensure that the facility to be worked on is available and the proper number of people are assigned to each job.
• Determines and arranges for materials that turn up short or were not anticipated in the planning and estimating process.
• Obtains information and decisions about unanticipated developments in time to prevent delays.
• Stays in close contact with the progress of jobs and eliminates any bottlenecks.

Other Duties & Responsibilities   Performs other duties as assigned

Note: Management reserves the right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Qualifications/Requirements

The requirements listed in the sections that follow are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or abilities required to perform the duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions (primary duties) of the job.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Possess a two-year technical degree in a related field and 5 years’ experience as a mechanic with a sound knowledge of mechanical maintenance, fabrication and installation procedures. Bachelor's degree and supervisor experience are strongly preferred.
• Sound knowledge of plant business processes; especially as they relate to maintenance, inventory and procurement functions. 
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills that enable the person to communicate effectively with production maintenance and other plant personnel at all hourly and staff levels.  Must have the ability to communicate effectively, to motivate others and to promote a positive work atmosphere. 
• The incumbent must be a self-starter who can work effectively with a minimum of supervision. 
• Must have the ability to work effectively with all levels of employees within the company. 
• Incumbent must have demonstrated a willingness to challenge conventional ideas, be flexible, innovative and be able to function effectively in a team format.
• High degrees of computer skills and familiarity with Windows, Word and Excel; Oracle CMMS is a large plus.
• Ability to accurately scope a variety of maintenance jobs.  Specifically determine any labor, materials, tools, procedures and other requirements needed to effectively coordinate work activities. 

Working Conditions: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly conducting work in a controlled office environment, sitting at a desk.  On a frequent basis, there may be exposure to plant areas, which include exposure to outside weather conditions as well as loud noise from equipment and dust from production processes. 

Safety Equipment:  Safety equipment required while performing the duties of this job includes a personal lockout/tagout lock, an ANSI approved hard hat and safety glasses, gloves, safety shoes/boots with safety toe protection.

Safety Training:  A new employee hired to perform the duties of this position is required to be MSHA certified or be provided MSHA New Employee Training by a qualified individual which consists of a total of 24 hours of training. 

Additional refresher safety training will be required as management deems appropriate or as dictated by MSHA regulations.