Planner - Sr

Westlake Pipe & Fittings, a Westlake division (NYSE:WLK), is one of the largest polyvinyl chloride pipe and fittings manufacturer in North America. With 23 manufacturing and distribution locations, the company supplies gasketed, solvent weld and restrained joint pipes and a wide range of fittings for a diverse list of markets including municipal water and sewer, plumbing, water well, pool and spa, and agricultural and turf irrigation. Westlake Pipe & Fittings is an industry leader in product development with Certa-Lok® spline-lock technology and product systems that are focused on building A Better Foundation. To learn more, visit the website at WestlakePipe.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook. 

SUMMARY

The Senior Maintenance Planner plays a key leadership role in supporting the WPF Reliability Manager to implement, standardize, and continuously improve maintenance planning and scheduling practices across all Westlake Pipe & Fittings plants. This senior position is responsible for mentoring and training Planner/Schedulers, ensuring effective processes, and maintaining accurate records to increase plant productivity, equipment reliability, and asset performance. The role is also responsible for overseeing the inventory management of the Capital Spares program. The Senior Maintenance Planner supports all company policies, goals, and objectives, and represents the company in a knowledgeable and professional manner.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

May include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Serve as a subject matter expert and mentor to Planner/Schedulers at all Westlake Pipe & Fittings plants.  Meet with all in a Bi-Weekly to Monthly Planner Scheduler Teams Meeting.
• Partner with the WPF Reliability Manager to implement, improve, maintain and standardize planning and scheduling processes across the organization.
• Maintain and provide process maps, policies, and training materials for Planner/Schedulers and Plant leadership teams.
• Travel to each plant at least once per year to provide hands-on support, training, and review of planning/scheduling processes.
• Maintain specification records for production equipment and mold bases.
• Oversee the Capital Spares inventory program, ensuring critical spares are identified, tracked, and managed in alignment with reliability goals.
• Address issues using the Fiix issue tracker in Teams, as assigned.
• Monitor and ensure work orders are created in the CMMS for any work requiring labor time of 30 minutes or more.
• Monitor and ensure all labor hours, materials, and necessary notes are accurately recorded in the CMMS.
• Ensure appropriate root cause analysis is captured within work orders prior to closure.
• Coordinate with Maintenance Superintendents to align maintenance activities with scheduled production downtime.
• Provide guidance on managing and scheduling Preventative Maintenance (PM) activities (inspections, oil changes, lubrications, etc.).
• Maintain the Task Group database in the CMMS, updating and verifying accuracy and fulfillment of maintenance objectives in getting equipment to its useful service life.
• Work with Planner/Schedulers to communicate maintenance work schedules to operations and maintenance supervision; ensure alignment and compliance.
• Provide input to management and suggest improvements for efficiency and reliability.
• Analyze equipment history and predictive maintenance data/trends to anticipate plant maintenance needs.
• Act as Master CMMS Administrator for Pipe & Fittings, assisting plants as needed, including onsite support.
• Track and monitor Planner/Scheduler and Reliability training across WPF.
• Meet with the Plant Maintenance Leadership bi-weekly via Teams to address any issues and take forward any concerns.
• Perform other related duties as designated by supervision.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• High School Diploma required; Associate’s degree in a technical field preferred.
• 5-8 years’ experience in maintenance planning and scheduling, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• 2 years’ experience in injection molding, extrusion, production, and/or manufacturing.
• Leadership or mentoring experience strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with Windows-based software (Excel, Word, Outlook) required.
• Experience with Fiix CMMS Software preferred.
• Strong understanding of equipment reliability, capital spares management, and maintenance best practices.
• Experience with inventory management, especially for critical and capital spares.
• Ability to recognize opportunities for process improvement and standardization.
• Knowledge of OSHA standards and requirements preferred.
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written) in a corporate environment.
• Ability to operate well in a team environment and across multiple sites.
• Valid driver’s license required.
• Passport Required (can obtain after Hire)
• Willingness and ability to travel to other plant locations as needed.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Responsible for supporting and maintaining compliance with all company safety policies and procedures, including Permit to Work (PTW) and Hot Work permit processes.
• Expected to travel to various plant locations as needed for training, support, and process review.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This is a working supervisor position. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate as half of the time is based in an office and half of the time will be required in the operating units which can require usage of required PPE including safety glasses, hearing protection, etc.  May also result in exposure to outside elements and may require usage of stairs and elevators.  Travel including air travel or auto travel may occasionally be required.