Planning Specialist

POSITION OVERVIEW

Ascend Performance Materials is a global leader in high-performance chemicals, fibers and plastics, committed to enhancing quality of life through innovation. With fully integrated manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia, we develop essential solutions that drive safer vehicles, cleaner energy, advanced medical devices, and durable consumer goods. Guided by a strong focus on safety, sustainability, and customer success, we operate responsibly while delivering value through cutting-edge technologies and industry expertise. Join our team and be part of a collaborative environment where your work drives meaningful global impact.

The role of the Maintenance Planner is to improve work force productivity and work quality by anticipating and eliminating potential delays through planning and coordination of labor, parts and material, and equipment access. While maintaining liaison between Operations and Maintenance, the planner is responsible for planning and coordination of all plannable maintenance work performed within the site.

TARGETED OUTCOMES

• Prepare effective job plans to ensure maintenance work is completed on time, according to the schedule.
• Identify and obtain the appropriate resources, necessary tools, proper materials, and equipment to achieve desired performance at right cost.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensuring proper planning of routine maintenance and turnaround work that meets all ES&H requirements (As per OSHA and APM standards). 
• Ensuring all work orders are planned to include Production Requirements, scaffolding, insulation needs, tools/equipment, fabrication needs, outsourcing, company/unit specification requirements, identification of permit requirements, etc., required to execute the work.
• Field management of contractors and Ascend personnel to assure progress and resolve Job Plan issues.
• Maintain job plans to assure accuracy and completeness for future use.
• If a work request is questionable for any reason, review with Gatekeeper/Operations Maintenance Coordinator to determine the need for the work. If a work request is valid, review the equipment / area of the request and gather information needed to perform the repair. (Parts, drawings, lifts, permits, etc.)
• Ensure all safety, tools, and procedures are included.
• Visit the job site so all work and needed parts are identified properly.
• Clarify where, what, when, how work is to be performed.
• Ensure accuracy of equipment BOM, edit as needed.
• Help maintain the PM system for area of responsibility, editing jobs, est. hours, frequency, adding new PM’s, etc. as needed.
• Identify part discrepancies, additional work needed, work task edits, reoccurring problems in area of responsibility through review of complete work orders in order to build standard task lists.
• Adhere to Management Operating System (MOS), including Short Interval Controls (SIC) and any Standard Work, prepared to review area of responsibility’s backlog, PM’s, requests, etc.
• Interfacing with Production, Capital Projects, Core Maintenance and other Maintenance personnel to coordinate and assist with development of job plans.

TEAM

• Reports to:  Maintenance Manager
• Team Members: Maintenance Team

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• 5 applicable years of experience in the maintenance/operations field OR at least 5 years of Planning experience/or equivalent coordinating and executing maintenance activities.
• Must have demonstrated mechanical ability or aptitude, initiative, self-direction and strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Working knowledge of SAP Maintenance 
• Understanding of World Class Maintenance principles; Process Safety Management including Management of Change process, Contractor ES&H Guidelines, and Procurement procedures to assure compliance.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• The following computer experience is highly desirable:  Prometheus; Template planning and estimating software; MS Word, Excel, and Project; SAP data entry, procurement, parts specification retrieval, history and reliability analysis.
• Working experience and knowledge of environmental, safety, and health guidelines, policies, and procedures as they relate to regulatory compliance; HRP, and MOC process.
• Good leadership, organizational, and facilitation skills

At Ascend Performance Materials, we value transparency and fairness in our hiring process. We do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters, search firms, or staffing agencies. Any resumes received from such entities will be considered the property of Ascend Performance Materials, and we will not be obligated to pay any fees for such submissions. Our Talent Acquisition Team actively engages with preferred recruitment partners who have established agreements with us. We encourage all interested candidates to apply directly through our official channels to be considered for any open positions.

Skills Summary:

About Us:

Ascend Performance Materials is the premium provider of high quality chemicals, fibers and plastics. With world scale integrated manufacturing facilities we are able to develop new products from our core technologies, and provide flexibility to respond to the expanding needs of customers. Ascend has global sales and distribution facilities across the globe and six manufacturing facilities globally. As a privately-held company, our people do big things and make big decisions, often much earlier in their careers than at larger companies. Ascend Performance Materials offers team members the opportunity to contribute in big, meaningful ways—all within a stable and growing business.

Why work at Ascend?

Our vision is to be the recognized leader in the nylon 6,6 value chain, creating new possibilities with PA66 for everyone, everywhere, every day. We achieve that through living our Ascend values.

We care. We operate safely with high integrity for our employees, our customers and our communities. Our people are our greatest assets, and our Total Rewards Program extends beyond traditional benefits to include access to on-site medical clinics at our U.S. facilities, a global wellness rewards program and Performance Matters, an employee-driven recognition plan. Our Commitment to Zero demonstrates our belief that is it possible to operate with zero personal injuries, zero process safety incidents and zero environmental releases. And the Ascend Cares Foundation, led by Ascend employees, supports Ascend families in times of need, provides inspiring opportunities ​​for community engagement and facilitates community leadership.

Customer-focused. We exist for our customers; they drive our actions. Their success is our success. Our plastics and chemicals are building blocks that help make everyday essentials safer and more sustainable, and we constantly strive to develop new and innovative products to meet the future needs of our customers. And that customer focus doesn’t only apply to the marketplace – it also applies to how we treat our colleagues and our fellow community members.

Better every day. We invest in our people and our processes to improve every day. A2E, our continuous improvement program, guides the way we do business. And this way of problem solving applies not only to our manufacturing practices but also to our commitment to developing our people. You’ll see it during your career at Ascend in our leadership development, skills training and mentoring programs

Agile. We think broadly and lead proactively in a constantly evolving organization and industry. Agility doesn’t mean simply working quickly – it means critical thinking, creative problem solving and novel approaches to everyday challenges.

One Ascend. All together, with a common set of goals and an eye toward the future. We don’t accept silos. We look for ways to share across departments, sites and geography. This means you won’t be boxed into a single role at Ascend – you could get the chance to work with teams across the globe to improve the way we serve our people, our customers and our communities.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, citizenship, genetic information or other protected status under federal, state or local laws.