Maintenance Planner – SAP CMMS & Reliability

Ascend Performance Materials; Decatur (AL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascend Performance Materials is seeking a Mechanical Maintenance Planner to develop safe, cost‑effective maintenance work packages and improve equipment reliability across our manufacturing sites.

You will collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Engineering, and contractors to ensure planned work is properly scoped, scheduled, and executed, while maintaining SAP CMMS data and driving continuous improvement in planning standards.

Qualifications

• Five or more years of industrial mechanical maintenance experience in a manufacturing, chemical, petrochemical, refining, or heavy industrial environment.
• Associate degree in a technical discipline or completion of an apprenticeship preferred.
• Experience using SAP PM or comparable CMMS; two or more years of SAP experience preferred.
• Ability to estimate labor hours, materials, tools, and contractor requirements.
• Experience planning maintenance work and developing detailed job packages.

Responsibilities

• Develop detailed work plans for corrective, preventive, predictive, and turnaround maintenance activities.
• Define work scope, labor-hour estimates, required crafts, materials, tools, permits, equipment, and safety requirements.
• Prepare comprehensive job packages that support safe, efficient, first-time quality execution.
• Verify job readiness before work is released for scheduling.
• Collaborate with the Maintenance Scheduler to prioritize and schedule planned work.
• Develop standard job plans for recurring maintenance activities.
• Review completed work orders to identify recurring equipment failures and opportunities for improvement.
• Recommend improvements to preventive maintenance strategies and maintenance procedures.
• Support Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) and reliability improvement initiatives.
• Assist with shutdown, turnaround, and outage planning activities.
• Utilize equipment criticality rankings to prioritize planning efforts.
• Create, maintain, and improve work orders, job plans, preventive maintenance tasks, equipment records, and maintenance history within SAP CMMS.
• Maintain accurate Bills of Material (BOMs) and equipment master data.
• Update equipment records following capital projects, equipment modifications, installations, and retirements.
• Ensure maintenance documentation is complete and accurate to support asset history and future planning.
• Identify material requirements and coordinate procurement activities to ensure work package readiness.
• Coordinate with the Material Coordinator to resolve inventory discrepancies and improve spare parts data.
• Identify when contract resources are required and obtain proposals in accordance with company procurement policies.
• Recommend improvements to spare parts inventory and BOM accuracy.
• Ensure all maintenance work packages comply with company safety procedures, OSHA regulations, environmental requirements, quality standards, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Incorporate appropriate safety precautions, permits, lockout/tagout requirements, and environmental controls into all work plans.
• Promote safe work practices and support the site's safety culture.
• Work closely with Operations, Maintenance Supervisors, Mechanical Technicians, Reliability Engineers, Engineering, Materials Management, and contractors to ensure maintenance objectives are achieved.
• Provide technical guidance and mentor personnel on maintenance workflow and planning best practices.
• Support continuous improvement of maintenance planning processes across the site.
• Prioritize maintenance planning activities in coordination with Maintenance leadership.
• Recommend updates to preventive maintenance strategies.
• Recommend improvements to Bills of Materials and spare parts inventories.
• Determine contractor requirements for planned work.
• Recommend process improvements that enhance equipment reliability and maintenance effectiveness.

Skills

SAP PM

CMMS

MS Office

Maintenance Planning

Preventive Maintenance

Predictive Maintenance

Drawing Reading

Communication

Estimating Labor Hours

Reliability Improvement

Education

Associate degree in technical discipline

Apprenticeship completion

Tools

SAP PM

CMMS

Job description

Ascend Performance Materials is seeking a Mechanical Maintenance Planner to develop safe, cost‑effective maintenance work packages and improve equipment reliability across our manufacturing sites.

You will collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Engineering, and contractors to ensure planned work is properly scoped, scheduled, and executed, while maintaining SAP CMMS data and driving continuous improvement in planning standards.