What is a Maintenance Coordinator?

A maintenance coordinator ensures all aspects of a plant, facility or company are properly maintained. This includes all interior and exterior equipment and services. The position requires her to oversee all maintenance scheduling, make sure quality standards are maintained, and resolve any related challenges. She does not supervise the maintenance itself. Supervising maintenance crews is the job of the maintenance supervisor, who commonly has specialized training in certain systems and operations.

If the maintenance coordinator is overseeing a site with equipment or machinery, preventive maintenance (PM) scheduling is vital to successful daily operations. Following prescribed schedules for minor and major maintenance prevents performance interruptions due to mechanical failure, which affect the company’s profits and adversely influence customer ratings. Failure to follow PM schedules can also nullify warranties and increase overhead through the need to purchase new equipment if upkeep is not properly and regularly executed.

Due to the scope of her responsibilities, a maintenance coordinator has to have an excellent working knowledge of each of the services and pieces of equipment in her charge. She has to effectively schedule in-house maintenance, as well as that provided by outside vendors. She must prioritize maintenance tasks and periodically check the completed work for quality to guarantee guidelines are being precisely followed.

Highly-developed communication skills are imperative to be successful in this position. Crew members and supervisors, need to feel comfortable approaching the maintenance coordinator with challenges. In turn, she must be proactive in identifying potential problems and suggesting solutions.

At the corporate level, a maintenance coordinator may be called upon to provide input at company meetings or represent the company’s interests at gatherings of vendors and suppliers. These discussions may regard PM adjustments, warranty administration or changes in policies and procedures. If major changes in maintenance contract terms or execution are introduced, the coordinator presents the proposed changes to her superiors for review and consideration.

If there is a lapse in direct maintenance supervision due to a maintenance supervisor’s absence, the maintenance coordinator is commonly called upon to quickly familiarize herself with the equipment or systems requiring immediate attention. She may rely upon manuals or guidelines for help or enlist the aid of employees knowledgeable of the specified department’s operations to keep things running smoothly.

Based on the variety of equipment and systems a maintenance coordinator is normally responsible for, she must be extremely well-organized. It is also essential that she can successfully multi-task and easily adjust her priorities. Even if PM schedules are maintained, emergency situations will no doubt arise that require her to think clearly and present easily incorporated solutions.