Smithfield Foods

Maintenance Planner

Tar Heel, NC Full time

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A great job-and a great future-awaits you at Smithfield Foods. We are an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork products. We’re looking for motivated people who want to join our team and grow lasting and meaningful careers with us. Apply Now!

THE VALUE YOU’LL BRING:

This role plays a key part in supporting the plant’s maintenance and reliability objectives through effective planning, organization, and coordination of daily maintenance activities. As the Maintenance Planner, you will be responsible for developing detailed job plans, identifying materials, tools, and labor requirements, and ensuring that all resources are prepared before work begins.

You will serve as the plant’s subject matter expert for maintenance planning within the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), ensuring that equipment data, bills of material, and preventive maintenance task lists are accurate and up to date. By maintaining a well-organized backlog, preparing job packages, and collaborating with maintenance, operations, and storeroom teams, you will help ensure safe, efficient, and reliable plant operation. This position may provide support to project engineering as needed but will primarily focus on day-to-day maintenance planning and coordination.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

The below statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required. Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Maintenance Planning & Coordination

  • Develop, review, and maintain equipment master data, including equipment lists, bills of material (BOMs), and preventive maintenance (PM) task lists.

  • Walk down jobs in the field to verify scope, materials, and job requirements.

  • Estimate labor hours, materials, and special tools required for each work order.

  • Obtain vendor quotes, coordinate purchasing, and ensure parts and materials are available prior to job start.

  • Track material deliveries and coordinate staging and kitting of parts for upcoming work.

  • Maintain an organized backlog of maintenance work, categorized by area, discipline, and urgency.

  • Support weekly and shutdown planning meetings to coordinate with operations and maintenance leadership.

  • Review completed work orders for accuracy and ensure job feedback is properly entered in the CMMS.

CMMS & Data Management

  • Maintain the accuracy and integrity of data within the CMMS.

  • Generate reports on backlog status, preventive maintenance compliance, labor utilization, and work order trends.

  • Support the maintenance leadership team with metrics and analysis to drive continuous improvement.

Inventory & Procurement Support

  • Work closely with the storeroom and procurement teams to verify spare-parts availability, update min/max levels, and identify critical spares.

  • Recommend adjustments to stocking strategies based on usage and failure history.

Safety & Compliance

  • Ensure all job plans incorporate appropriate safety procedures, permits, and lockout/tagout requirements.

  • Support plant safety initiatives and comply with all company and regulatory standards.

Leadership & Collaboration

  • Work closely with maintenance, reliability, and operations teams to ensure effective communication of planned work.

  • Provide technical support and guidance to maintenance personnel during job execution when needed.

WHAT WE’RE SEEKING:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Technology, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

  • Working knowledge of maintenance principles, mechanical and electrical systems, and CMMS software.

  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).

  • Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.

  • Ability to work effectively with others in a fast-paced production environment.

  • Demonstrated ability to be approachable, team-oriented, and maintain a positive work environment.

OTHER SKILLS THAT MAKE YOU STAND OUT:

  • Previous experience as a Maintenance Planner, Scheduler, or Reliability Technician.

  • Strong understanding of preventive and predictive maintenance practices.

  • Experience with CMMS software, preferably SAP.

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

  • Experience using project management or scheduling software such as Microsoft Project.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The plant environment may include wet or humid conditions (non-weather related), extreme cold or heat, working near moving mechanical parts, and exposure to fumes, airborne particles, or chemicals. Noise levels in production areas may be moderate to loud.

  • Frequently required to stand, walk, use hands to handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear.

  • Occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

  • Frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds; occasionally up to 50 pounds.

  • Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

EEO Information

Smithfield is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, protected veterans status, status as a disabled individual or any other protected group status or non-job characteristic as directed by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment selection process, please call us at 757-357-1595.

Check out this video to learn more about this role!