How to hire a maintenance planner

How to hire a maintenance planner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step maintenance planner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a maintenance planner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new maintenance planner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a maintenance planner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a maintenance planner, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A maintenance planner's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, maintenance planners from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents maintenance planner salaries for various positions.

   Type of Maintenance Planner	Description	Hourly rate
   Maintenance Planner		$18-40
   Section Chief	A section chief's job varies with the type of organization. In most cases, a section chief is the head of a given section in an organization that is tasked with performing certain duties... Show more	$17-78
   Electrical Supervisor	The electrical supervisor oversees electricians' performance, training them for the repair and maintenance of equipment. They are responsible for enhancing their skills to create and design electrical operating systems in order to prevent malfunctions causing electric short circuits or shock... Show more	$31-59

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CMMS
   • Maintenance Planning
   • Maintenance Tasks
   • Maintenance Procedures
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Predictive Maintenance
   • Maintenance Management System
   • Plant Maintenance
   • Industrial Maintenance
   • Maximo
   • Corrective Action
   • PowerPoint
   • Routine Maintenance
   • Maintenance Supervisors

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage aircraft TCTO - organization, depot, safety, and commodity as the TCTO manager.
   • Provide turnaround management services to support client's requirement in achieving successful projects.
   • Develop and manage PC base computerized maintenance management and productivity management system (CMMS).
   • Develop and implement safety preventive maintenance per OSHA guidelines.
   • Utilize CMMS (computerize maintenance management system) for preventive maintenance scheduling, work order generating, and equipment management.
   • Take part in BRC, GMP, and KPI audits.

   More maintenance planner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your maintenance planner job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A maintenance planner can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, maintenance planners' average salary in south carolina is 46% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level maintenance planners 54% less than senior-level maintenance planners.
   • Certifications. A maintenance planner with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a maintenance planner's salary.

   Average maintenance planner salary

   $57,625yearly

   $27.70 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level maintenance planner salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 1, 2026

   Average maintenance planner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$78,549	$38
   2	Washington	$75,568	$36
   3	New York	$75,377	$36
   4	Virginia	$68,125	$33
   5	Oregon	$68,104	$33
   6	Minnesota	$62,369	$30
   7	Michigan	$61,906	$30
   8	Indiana	$59,784	$29
   9	Ohio	$58,834	$28
   10	Colorado	$58,565	$28
   11	Illinois	$57,722	$28
   12	Wisconsin	$57,664	$28
   13	Texas	$55,565	$27
   14	Kentucky	$54,930	$26
   15	Kansas	$53,972	$26
   16	Arizona	$53,163	$26
   17	Missouri	$53,080	$26
   18	Georgia	$51,198	$25
   19	North Carolina	$50,531	$24
   20	Tennessee	$46,844	$23

   Average maintenance planner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	CVR Energy	$138,701	$66.68
   2	Genentech	$118,218	$56.84	2
   3	Calpine	$113,005	$54.33	7
   4	PBF Energy	$111,963	$53.83	3
   5	AbbVie	$104,794	$50.38	4
   6	General Motors	$103,600	$49.81
   7	Novo Nordisk	$102,734	$49.39
   8	Peabody Energy	$100,368	$48.25
   9	Erickson	$98,795	$47.50
   10	BioMarin	$95,531	$45.93
   11	Tesla	$92,588	$44.51
   12	Allison Transmission	$91,391	$43.94	5
   13	Pinnacle West Capital	$90,507	$43.51	1
   14	Tucson Electric Power	$90,155	$43.34
   15	Koch Industries	$89,866	$43.20	11
   16	Marathon Petroleum	$87,787	$42.21	2
   17	Constellation Energy Partners	$86,738	$41.70	11
   18	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$85,931	$41.31	1
   19	Arizona Public Service	$84,954	$40.84
   20	Koppers	$84,376	$40.57	1

4. Writing a maintenance planner job description

   A maintenance planner job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a maintenance planner job description:

   Maintenance planner job description example

   The Maintenance Planner should have a high degree of focus on safety and be active with the mill safety program. Responsible for work order review, planning and materials procurement for the facilities maintenance department. Works closely with Production, Engineering, Maintenance Craftsmen, Storeroom Coordinator and OEM vendors/suppliers to create detailed job plans for corrective/preventative maintenance, shutdowns and manage the work order backlog. Maintain and update the EAM system equipment bill of materials, parts records and preventative maintenance activities. Become a SME for the EAM system and maintenance work order planning and scheduling process.
   Key Responsibilities
   Plans and schedules corrective, preventive, predictive, and proactive maintenance activities, while coordinating daily with production, engineering and maintenance supervision.Tracks work orders and maintains equipment history files.Controls and optimizes maintenance spare parts ordering, stocking, issuing and inventorying with the Storeroom Coordinator.Involved with root cause analyses for equipment and system failures. Directs maintenance colleagues towards identified problems through work order system.Follows established procedures to resolve technical problems. Provides support to operations to increase machine uptime and productivity.Adheres to all plant safety policies. Participates in plant-wide safety, housekeeping, Operational Excellence, and Lean Manufacturing programs.Performs other duties as assigned.
   Education and Experience
   Typically possesses a Bachelor's/Associates degree or equivalent work experience as a Skilled Tradesperson and at least 2-4 years of relevant experience.
   
   Knowledge and Skills
   Demonstrates strong analytical skills.Knowledgeable or experience with work order planning and scheduling.Familiar with common maintenance tools, manufacturing equipment, troubleshooting procedures and basic repairs procedures.Possesses a solid understanding of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems.Possesses strong written and oral communication skills.Demonstrates ability to work collaboratively with others as part of a team.Proficient in Microsoft Project and Office Suite.Experience with using and being an administrator for a CMMS system.Project management training or experience
   40
   
   EEO Statement:
   htps://www.greif.com/uploads/media/default/0001/03/230497a078bec89c55df07d1d04e7f6db5ac6122.pdf
   
   We offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits and opportunity for growth. Greif, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, gender, religion, age, national origin, color, disability, or veteran status. EOE/Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran. For more information read Greif's Equal Opportunity Policy.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right maintenance planner for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with maintenance planners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit maintenance planners who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your maintenance planner job on Zippia to find and recruit maintenance planner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting maintenance planners requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new maintenance planner

   Once you've decided on a perfect maintenance planner candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new maintenance planner first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a maintenance planner?