Maintenance Planner

Made Better isn’t just a claim; it’s our Dare promise.

Dare has been a proudly Canadian, family-owned company since 1889. Throughout our long history, we’ve created some of the most loved brands in the country including Bear Paws cookies, REALFRUIT gummies, Breton crackers, Melba Toast and many more. For over 130 years we had been located in the Kitchener area since the family’s original store opened in 1892. We are head quartered in Cambridge Ontario and we’ve expanded our roots far beyond. With manufacturing plants in North America and over 1400 employees, Dare is part of the fabric of Canada.

At Dare our dedicated team works passionately to uphold our tradition of excellence, innovation and quality in every aspect of our operations. Our state-of-the-art facilities utilize advanced technology to ensure consistency and quality while meeting the evolving needs of our consumers and customers.

Salary: $70,000

Position Summary

The Preventive Maintenance Planner is responsible for planning, coordinating, and optimizing preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance activities to maximize equipment reliability, minimize production downtime, and improve overall asset performance.

Working closely with the Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Supervisors, Production, Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, and external contractors, this role ensures maintenance activities are effectively planned, resources are available, and work is executed safely, efficiently, and according to business priorities.

The position supports long-term asset management, reliability improvement initiatives, shutdown planning, maintenance performance reporting, and continuous improvement activities while ensuring compliance with food safety, quality, and workplace safety standards.

Key Responsibilities

Preventive Maintenance Planning & Scheduling

• Develop, maintain, and optimize preventive maintenance schedules for production and facility equipment.
• Plan and coordinate daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual maintenance activities.
• Prioritize maintenance work orders based on equipment criticality, production requirements, safety considerations, and business priorities.
• Schedule maintenance activities to minimize production disruption and maximize equipment availability.
• Coordinate planned shutdowns, maintenance outages, equipment installations, and major maintenance projects from planning through execution.
• Ensure maintenance activities align with production schedules, safety requirements, and operational objectives.

Work Order & CMMS Management

• Create, review, prioritize, and schedule maintenance work orders within the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
• Ensure work orders include accurate job plans, required materials, labour requirements, estimated completion times, and safety documentation.
• Maintain accurate equipment history, maintenance records, and documentation within the CMMS.

Maintenance Resources & Execution Support

• Coordinate availability of tools, equipment, permits, materials, and replacement parts required for scheduled maintenance activities.
• Collaborate with Purchasing and Stores teams to maintain availability of critical spare parts.
• Coordinate contractor scheduling, access requirements, and compliance with plant safety and food safety standards.

Reliability & Asset Management

• Develop and improve preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance strategies to enhance equipment reliability and reduce downtime.
• Lead reliability improvement initiatives through equipment performance analysis, failure investigations, and continuous improvement activities.
• Support Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), and predictive maintenance programs.
• Analyze equipment trends, maintenance history, and operational risks to recommend improvements, upgrades, and reliability solutions.
• Identify opportunities for automation, digital maintenance solutions, and emerging technologies to improve asset performance.

Cross-Functional Communication & Leadership

• Act as the primary coordination point between Maintenance and Production regarding maintenance schedules, equipment availability, and downtime requirements.
• Communicate maintenance priorities, schedule changes, and equipment status updates to affected departments.
• Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Quality Assurance, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Health & Safety, and external suppliers.
• Provide technical guidance and coordination support to maintenance personnel, contractors, and cross-functional teams.

Reporting & Performance Management

• Generate weekly and monthly maintenance performance reports, including:
• Equipment Downtime
• Maintenance Labour Utilization
• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
• Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
• Maintain equipment history, maintenance documentation, and reliability records.
• Prepare maintenance performance summaries and reports for leadership review.

Qualifications

Education

• Post-secondary education in Maintenance Management, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Technology, Business Administration, or a related technical field.

Experience

• 3–5 years of experience in maintenance planning, scheduling, coordination, reliability support, or manufacturing maintenance operations.
• Experience supporting preventive maintenance programs, shutdown planning, reliability initiatives, or maintenance improvement projects.
• Experience using CMMS systems such as SAP PM, Maximo, Fiix, eMaint, MP2, or Maintenance Connection is highly desirable.

Technical Skills

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Outlook, Word, and Teams.
• Ability to interpret equipment manuals, technical drawings, maintenance procedures, and engineering documentation.
• Knowledge of preventive and predictive maintenance practices.
• Understanding of SAP PM, asset management, reliability engineering, predictive maintenance technologies, and maintenance planning principles.

Core Competencies

• Strong planning, organization, and prioritization skills.
• Analytical problem-solving abilities.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based within a manufacturing facility with regular interaction on the production floor.
• Occasional support outside regular working hours for shutdowns, major maintenance activities, or urgent maintenance requirements.
• Exposure to manufacturing environments requiring appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Total Rewards Package: Our Total Rewards package reflects the investment we make in our employees to help them and their families achieve their well-being goals. Total Rewards at Dare Foods includes a competitive base salary, comprehensive health and wellness benefits and retirement programs. In addition, we offer paid time off, career development opportunities as well as reward and recognition programs.

At Dare Foods Limited, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive, accessible, equal-opportunity environment that welcomes all individuals from all backgrounds because we know it will make our company a better place to work. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (visible or invisible, temporary or permanent) can be made at any stage of application and employment.

We want to thank all candidates in advance for their interest; only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we cannot confirm the receipt of individual applications or resumes.

Salary offers will be determined based on the candidate's skills, experience, and internal equity.