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.
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
Salary Range: $63,899 - $79,874
Department: Kitchener Fixed Manufacturing
Position Type: Contract (1 Year), Full-Time, Onsite, Replacement
Shift: Monday - Friday (9:00am - 5:00pm)
Position Overview:
The Maintenance Planner plays a critical role in improving the efficiency, reliability, and cost control of the maintenance function. This position is responsible for planning, prioritizing, and scheduling corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance activities to support safe operations and maximize equipment uptime.
Working closely with Maintenance, Production, and Reliability teams, the Maintenance Planner ensures work is well-defined, properly resourced, and ready for execution. This role contributes directly to achieving site goals related to safety, quality, service, and cost performance.
Key Responsibilities:
- Actively support and comply with all safety programs and policies within the manufacturing location.
- Develop detailed maintenance work plans for corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance, including:
- Job steps and safety requirements
- Required parts and materials.
- Special tools and contractor needs
- Estimated labor hours by trade.
- Perform shop-floor planning for mechanical and electrical maintenance activities to ensure work readiness.
- Coordinate with vendors and contractors for required services, parts, or outsourced work.
- Ensure all planned work is fully kitted prior to scheduling.
- Regularly visit the shop floor to identify and remove barriers that could impact safe and efficient task execution.
- Prioritize maintenance activities using criticality analysis and coordinate schedules with Maintenance and Production to optimize uptime.
- Support preventive and predictive maintenance programs and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Assist in developing and supporting master plans for shutdowns, outages, and turnarounds.
- Track and update key performance indicators (KPIs) related to maintenance planning and execution.
- Provide input into maintenance budget development and cost tracking.
- Utilize CMMS and ERP systems to plan, schedule, and track maintenance work.
- Communicate effectively with stakeholders across Maintenance, Operations, Quality, and external service providers.
- Manage multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Perform additional related duties as required.
Qualifications:
- Post-secondary degree, diploma, or certification; preference given to manufacturing, engineering, or mechanical/electrical disciplines.
- Minimum 3 years of experience in a manufacturing environment in a maintenance planning, coordination, or reliability-related role
- Strong working knowledge of CMMS systems
- SAP experience (intermediate to expert preferred)
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and working knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Experience supporting major projects or new equipment CMMS setup is an asset.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and time management skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and stakeholders simultaneously.
- Trades background or maintenance supervision experience will be considered as an asset.
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.
