Hybrid Maintenance Technician ~ Night shift at Suntado, LLC

Job Title:  Maintenance Technician

Department:                  Maintenance

Classification:               Hourly, non-exempt

Reports to:                    Maintenance Supervisor/Maintenance Manager

Overview

As the Maintenance Technician at our company, you will be responsible for monitoring operation and maintaining equipment to ensure optimum performance. Presence on the production floor is required in order to work with quality technicians and machine operators to produce consistent, safe, high-quality ESL and UHT beverages. This position shares responsibility for maintaining Suntado’s food safety, quality and legality program under the BRC/GFSI/PCQI guidelines.

Ultimately, you will:

1. Demonstrate safe behavior in all aspects of your daily routine to include cleaning tools, maintaining equipment, performing routine tasks, and instilling a culture of safety throughout the facility.
2. Prioritize food safety and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) in all aspects of your work.
3. Work closely with machine operators to gain understanding of the process and help them understand the mechanical operation and troubleshoot equipment. Together, identify, report, and correct deviations and problems.
4. Minimize downtime on production equipment by executing timely PMs and completing maintenance tasks as needed.
5. Provide detailed, timely daily reports on downtime, work performed (work order generation and completion), parts usage or needs, and any ongoing issues.
6. Provide accurate and timely feedback with details to maintenance leadership in order to generate, update, and correct documentation for PMs, work orders, or parts information in CMMS system.
7. Always communicate progress or issues on action tracker.
8. Add value by participating in maintenance throughout the plant to keep processing and production equipment operational. Prioritize and work with Production supervisor to prioritize when more than one task at hand.
9. Always provide initiative-taking support and solutions.
10. Demonstrate proficiency in reading equipment manuals and P&ID drawings to better troubleshoot, address, and fix equipment.
11. Participate in HACCP team, Quality RCAs, routine plant inspections, ISDA, SQF, and customer audits as directed by maintenance manager.
12. Serve as a technical leader for the plant, bringing deep knowledge and experience to help drive equipment reliability, troubleshoot effectively, and mentor others.

This role requires an agile and intelligent mechanic with great people and communication skills, working knowledge of aseptic processing and packaging, experience with dairy or low acid food processing, and mechanical acumen. Must be initiative-taking, possess the ability to collaborate with a team, and have the desire to succeed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Implement, monitor, improve, and uphold high standards of safety in all aspects of maintenance routine.
• Ensure appropriate processes and standards are in place and followed to keep producing quality food, maintain high performance, and generate robust records.
• Report out on top downtime for each shift and communicate ongoing issues to the incoming shift.
• Exhibit and foster a presence on the floor and initiative-taking team that collaborates with operators to troubleshoot and solve problems in real-time.
• Lead troubleshooting for top downtime items; identify and correct root cause.
• Provide support to vendors and technicians on-site for commissioning, training, PMs, routine, and non-routine work. Help operators learn, hands-on any time they can.
• Uphold high standards of conduct while providing support to operations.
• Participate in cross functional teams focused on reducing downtime and improving performance, resolving quality concerns, and take advantage of situations where your expertise can provide coaching or teaching moments to teams.
• Maintain robust records of maintenance activity, changes, and resolution of problems on equipment.
• This position will require active involvement in daily operations and taking advantage of teaching moments to help operators learn and develop.
• Work with the Maintenance Supervisor and Manager to get the tools needed to be successful and be an advocate for the shift when opportunities arise that require support from the plant leadership team.
• Maintain an endless pursuit of knowledge and continuous training to maximize effectiveness across the plant's equipment.
• Execute precision maintenance practices on aseptic filling machines and high-speed packaging equipment.
• Regularly read, study, and analyze OEM equipment manuals to perform proper maintenance procedures.
• Perform in-depth work within the CMMS system to accurately track work, log maintenance activities, request parts, and analyze asset reliability data.
• Always provide initiative-taking support and solutions.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and/or Experience

• Technical or Trade schooling, military experience, degree in electrical or mechanical field, or certificate for similar is preferred.
• 5+ years of manufacturing maintenance experience or 2 years of maintenance experience with aseptic processing and/or filling.
• Knowledge of CMMS systems and inventory control methods.
• Experience coordinating maintenance routines, planned/preventative maintenance strategies, and compiling accurate maintenance reports.
• Personal experience and familiarity with Alfa Laval pumps, mixproof valves, and heat exchangers.
• Knowledge of Aseptic filling.
• Experience working with high-speed centrifuge, milk separators are preferred.
• Knowledge of thermal processing is a plus, with emphasis on UHT.
• Experience troubleshooting PLC environments.
• Tetra Pak or similar aseptic filling machine experience is a plus.
• High-speed packaging equipment experience is a plus.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Experience in manufacturing maintenance, UHT processing, aseptic filling, or a combination of all three, desired.
• Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently to all personnel throughout the plant; written and verbal.
• Lead by example, demonstrating high standard of safety. 
• Must be able to prioritize, multi-task, and problem solve in a challenging environment.

Communication Skills

• Ability to discuss machine operation and performance with operators.
• Excellent active listening skills.
• Competence to build and effectively manage interpersonal relationships at all levels of the company.
• Familiar with current communication tools and platforms (collaboration tools, instant messaging, blogs, etc.) to keep your organization well informed in a timely manner.
• Fluency in Spanish is beneficial but not required.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak and listen. Physical demands of the position are heavy lifting up to fifty pounds, walking, climbing, and bending flexibility. Must be able to work safely in varying temperature extremes since equipment is often located on rooftops and other unconditioned spaces. Safely work on ladders, scaffolding, platforms, and other types of lifts.

Commitment to Ethics and Equal Employment Opportunity

Our company is firmly committed to conducting business in compliance with the letter and spirit of the law and other accepted standards of business conduct as reflected in the company's policies. Our company is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. Our company is committed to selecting, developing, and rewarding the best person for the job based on the requirements of the work to be performed and without regard to race, age, color, religion, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability/handicap, marital status, protected veteran status, uniform status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity and expression, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. EEO.

Disclaimer

The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature of work performed; the level of knowledge and skills typically required; and usual working conditions of this position. It is not designed to contain, or be interpreted as, a comprehensive listing of all requirements or responsibilities that may be required by employees in this position.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel as classified.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for their job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.