Maintenance Planner (Contract)

Job Title:  Maintenance Planner (Contract)
Location: Wheatfield, IN
Rate: $35–$45/hour
Work Model: 100% Onsite
Contract Length: July 27, 2026 – December 31, 2026
Extension / Conversion: Strong possibility of extension
Employment Type: W-2 Only
Work Authorization: U.S. Citizens Only | Green Card holders also eligible; no visa sponsorship available

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Maintenance Planner to support maintenance planning, work management, field coordination, and reliability activities in a power generation, utility, industrial, or related technical environment. This role will be responsible for developing detailed maintenance plans and work packets, coordinating work schedules, supporting outage and maintenance planning, managing contracted work scopes, and ensuring maintenance activities are planned and executed safely, efficiently, and in compliance with company and environmental requirements.

The ideal candidate will bring strong technical knowledge of maintenance, operations, construction, or industrial processes, along with the ability to work closely with operations, maintenance, materials, contract services, and field teams. This role requires someone who is comfortable spending significant time in the field performing job walk-downs, validating work scope, identifying hazards, and supporting accurate planning and scheduling.

This is a fully onsite role suited for a hands-on planner who can manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining strong attention to detail, safety, teamwork, and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

Maintenance Planning & Work Packet Development

• Develop detailed maintenance plans and work packets based on job size, complexity, and criticality.
• Prepare work packets that include material and parts lists, procedures, drawings, equipment clearance requests, and other supporting documentation.
• Apply maintenance and work management processes to ensure work is properly scoped, planned, scheduled, and executed.
• Develop cost and labor estimates for assigned maintenance tasks, crew work, and backlog items.
• Support work management and budget processes through accurate planning, estimating, and documentation.

Field Walk-Downs & Work Scope Validation

• Perform routine field walk-downs of jobs and equipment to validate work scope and execution needs.
• Identify jobsite hazards, work constraints, clearance needs, materials, tools, and resource requirements.
• Partner with operations and maintenance teams to improve work execution and ensure planning accuracy.
• Support troubleshooting and equipment monitoring activities with operating departments.
• Spend significant time in the field coordinating work activities and confirming readiness.

Scheduling & Coordination

• Coordinate maintenance work schedules with operating and maintenance groups to ensure reliability and operational needs are addressed.
• Assist in the development of outage and maintenance plans to ensure required work is prepared and ready for efficient execution.
• Help prioritize work based on operational impact, safety, equipment criticality, and resource availability.
• Coordinate with maintenance supervisors, craft personnel, contractors, operations teams, and support functions to align work activities.

Environmental, Safety & Compliance Support

• Place high priority on environmental equipment and systems maintenance to support compliance with environmental permits and procedures.
• Ensure maintenance work is planned and performed in accordance with environmental requirements and company standards.
• Issue accurate equipment clearance requests and ensure safety considerations are clearly understood and communicated to personnel involved in the ECR process.
• Reinforce safe work practices with crafts, contractors, and support teams.
• Support work planning that considers equipment safety, personnel safety, environmental compliance, and operational reliability.

Contractor & Procurement Coordination

• Develop work scopes and bid specifications for work performed by contracted resources.
• Manage projects performed by outside contractors in accordance with company procedures.
• Perform real-time cost tracking for contracted work to help ensure projects are completed within budget.
• Work closely with Materials and Contract Services on material needs, contract labor procurement, and dispute resolution.
• Coordinate with procurement, supply chain, and maintenance stakeholders to support timely availability of parts, materials, and contracted resources.

Budgeting, Reliability & Continuous Improvement

• Develop capital and O&M budget initiatives to support long-term reliability of critical equipment and systems.
• Support budget planning by providing accurate work estimates, cost inputs, and maintenance planning data.
• Identify planning improvements that support equipment reliability, work efficiency, and effective backlog management.
• Encourage teamwork, participation, and individual accountability across maintenance and operations teams.
• Assume duties of the Maintenance Supervisor during absences due to vacation, illness, or special assignment, as needed.

Emergency Response & Operational Support

• Respond to emergency calls outside normal scheduled hours as needed.
• Support urgent maintenance planning and coordination activities during emergent equipment or operational issues.
• Help operating departments monitor equipment conditions and troubleshoot abnormal performance or reliability concerns.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Develop maintenance plans, work packets, material lists, procedures, and clearance requests.
• Conduct field walk-downs to confirm job scope, equipment condition, hazards, materials, and labor needs.
• Coordinate with operations and maintenance teams on scheduling, priorities, and work execution.
• Estimate labor, materials, costs, and project needs for maintenance work.
• Support procurement of materials and contract labor.
• Prepare work scopes and bid specifications for contractor-performed work.
• Track contractor costs and support budget control.
• Assist with outage planning, backlog planning, and maintenance readiness.
• Support environmental compliance and safety expectations through accurate work planning.
• Respond to urgent maintenance needs or emergency calls as required.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a power plant, utility, construction, industrial, manufacturing, electrical, maintenance, operations, or related technical environment , or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proven technical competence and understanding of maintenance, operations, construction, industrial processes, or related technical disciplines.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• Willingness and ability to spend significant time in the field performing job walk-downs and coordinating work activities.
• Knowledge of maintenance management systems, project management software, spreadsheets, word processing applications, and related business tools.
• Strong organizational, communication, and planning skills.
• Ability to encourage teamwork, participation, and individual accountability.
• Understanding of and ability to apply maintenance and work management processes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Construction Management, Industrial Technology, Business , or a related field, and/or equivalent relevant work experience.
• Experience in power generation, utilities, heavy industrial facilities, electrical systems, manufacturing, or large-scale construction projects .
• Training in Master Standard Data , including application of engineered benchmark standards.
• Experience planning and coordinating outage, maintenance, construction, or capital project work.
• Experience using enterprise work management and procurement systems such as Maximo, SAP, Ariba , or similar maintenance, asset management, and supply chain platforms.
• Experience developing work packages, job plans, outage plans, or contractor scopes of work in a regulated or safety-sensitive environment.

Core Competencies

• Maintenance Planning
• Work Management
• Field Walk-Downs
• Work Packet Development
• Equipment Clearance Requests
• Outage Planning
• Preventive and Corrective Maintenance Support
• Contractor Coordination
• Material and Labor Planning
• Cost Estimating
• Environmental and Safety Compliance
• Maintenance Management Systems
• Power Generation / Industrial Operations
• Team Coordination

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a hands-on maintenance planning professional who understands how to translate field conditions, technical requirements, safety needs, materials, and labor inputs into executable work plans. They are organized, proactive, and comfortable working closely with operations, maintenance, contractors, and procurement teams to ensure work is properly scoped, planned, and ready for safe and efficient execution. Experience in power generation, utility, heavy industrial, or large-scale maintenance environments will be especially valuable.

Additional Notes

• This is a fully onsite position based in Wheatfield, IN.
• The role may require emergency response or support outside normal scheduled hours.
• The initial contract runs through December 31, 2026, with a strong possibility of extension.