Maintenance Planner (Oil and Gas) – Career Overview
A Maintenance Planner (Oil and Gas) is responsible for planning, scheduling, and coordinating maintenance activities in oil and gas facilities. This role involves ensuring that all maintenance tasks are efficiently planned and that the necessary resources—such as personnel, tools, and parts—are available. Maintenance Planners play a key role in minimizing downtime, reducing costs, and improving the overall reliability of equipment and systems in the oil and gas industry.
Maintenance Planners (Oil and Gas) are responsible for:
● Developing and scheduling maintenance plans for oil and gas facilities, ensuring that preventive and corrective maintenance activities are carried out on time.
● Coordinating maintenance tasks, ensuring that the necessary resources (tools, parts, technicians) are available for scheduled work.
● Creating work orders and maintenance schedules based on equipment manuals, historical data, and operational requirements.
● Tracking equipment performance and identifying potential issues through condition monitoring and historical analysis to prioritize maintenance tasks.
● Collaborating with operations and maintenance teams to minimize downtime by aligning maintenance schedules with production schedules.
● Managing spare parts inventory, ensuring that critical components are in stock and readily available for maintenance tasks.
● Ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory standards, ensuring that all maintenance activities follow industry safety regulations and environmental requirements.
● Documenting maintenance activities, including work orders, parts used, and hours worked, to ensure accurate records for auditing and reporting purposes.
● Analyzing maintenance data, using performance metrics to improve maintenance strategies and reduce operational costs.
A successful Maintenance Planner (Oil and Gas) should be:
● Strong organizational skills, able to plan and manage maintenance activities in a busy, complex environment.
● Proficient in maintenance management software (e.g., CMMS or SAP), capable of scheduling and tracking maintenance work and inventory.
● Experienced in oil and gas operations, with knowledge of the equipment and systems used in upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas facilities.
● Familiar with safety standards and regulatory requirements, particularly in the oil and gas industry.
● Good communication skills, able to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including operations, engineering, and maintenance.
● Problem-solving skills, capable of identifying maintenance needs and recommending improvements to optimize equipment performance.
● Analytical skills, using performance data and historical maintenance records to improve maintenance schedules and reduce downtime.
Education and Training
Most Maintenance Planners (Oil and Gas) have:
● A Bachelor's degree in engineering, maintenance management, or a related field.
● Several years of experience in oil and gas maintenance or operations management, particularly in roles that require knowledge of equipment and systems in the oil and gas sector.
● Certification in maintenance management (e.g., Certified Maintenance Manager (CMM)) or project management (e.g., PMP) is often preferred.
● Experience with CMMS systems or similar maintenance management software.
Maintenance Planners (Oil and Gas) typically work in office settings but spend time in field environments, such as offshore platforms, drilling rigs, or oil refineries, to oversee maintenance activities. The role may involve working in remote or hazardous environments, requiring adherence to strict safety protocols. Maintenance Planners may be required to work shifts or be on-call to address urgent maintenance issues
The demand for Maintenance Planners (Oil and Gas) remains strong, particularly as the oil and gas industry seeks to improve operational efficiency and reduce downtime. With experience, planners can advance to supervisory or managerial roles, such as Maintenance Supervisor or Maintenance Manager. Specialization in areas such as predictive maintenance or digital asset management can further enhance career opportunities.