Maintenance/Electrical Controls

Description Position Summary

The Electrical Controls & Maintenance Technician is responsible for the installation, troubleshooting, repair, and preventive maintenance of electrical, electronic, and automated control systems throughout the facility. This role supports production by maintaining PLC- and HMI-controlled processing and packaging equipment, minimizing downtime, and executing the plant's preventive maintenance (PM) program. The ideal candidate combines strong electrical fundamentals with hands-on PLC/HMI troubleshooting experience in a food manufacturing environment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot, diagnose, and repair electrical and controls issues on production equipment, including PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, servo drives, motor starters, sensors, and safety circuits
• Interpret and work from electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, panel layouts, ladder logic, and OEM documentation
• Monitor, modify, and back up PLC programs (e.g., Allen-Bradley/Rockwell RSLogix 500, Studio 5000; Siemens TIA Portal) as needed to support production and troubleshooting; document all program changes
• Configure and troubleshoot HMI applications (e.g., FactoryTalk View, Siemens WinCC, PanelView, proprietary OEM interfaces)
• Diagnose and resolve issues on industrial networks (Ethernet/IP, Profinet, DeviceNet, AS-i) and remote I/O
• Execute assigned preventive maintenance work orders on electrical and control systems per the plant PM program, including inspections, cleaning, calibration, thermal checks, and torque verification of electrical connections; complete PM documentation accurately and on time
• Co-ordinate with and assist contractors on new equipment installation, upgrades, and relocations, including conduit, wiring, panel building, and terminations to NEC standards
• Maintain, calibrate, and repair instrumentation such as temperature probes, pressure transmitters, load cells, flow meters, level sensors, and metal detectors/checkweighers
• Support mechanical maintenance tasks as needed, including pumps, gearboxes, bearings, pneumatics, and hydraulics
• Follow and enforce Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), arc flash, and all electrical safety procedures (NFPA 70E)
• Respond promptly to breakdowns and production calls; communicate status and root cause clearly to operations and maintenance leadership
• Enter work order data, parts usage, and repair history into the CMMS accurately and completely
• Assist with root cause analysis of recurring failures and recommend reliability improvements
• Maintain spare parts awareness and notify the parts room/planner of critical stock needs
• Comply with all GMP, food safety (SQF/BRC/HACCP), sanitation, and housekeeping requirements applicable to a food processing environment
• Support equipment changeovers, commissioning of new equipment, and contractor oversight as assigned

Equipment Environment

This facility operates automated confectionery/food processing and packaging equipment, which may include depositing lines (e.g., Aasted, IPCO Rotoform), ball mills and immersion mills (e.g., Royal Duyvis Wiener, Schold, Hockmeyer), mixers, tempering units, cooling tunnels, conveyors, and associated utilities (compressed air, chilled/hot water systems, hydraulic power units). Familiarity with this class of equipment is a strong plus.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED
• 3+ years of industrial electrical/controls maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated hands-on experience troubleshooting PLC-controlled equipment; ability to go online with a processor, interpret ladder logic, and force/monitor I/O to isolate faults
• Working knowledge of HMI operation and basic screen/tag troubleshooting
• Strong understanding of 480V 3-phase power distribution, motor controls, and control voltage circuits (24VDC/120VAC)
• Proficiency reading electrical schematics and OEM manuals
• Experience with VFD setup, parameter changes, and fault diagnosis
• Knowledge of and strict adherence to LOTO and NFPA 70E electrical safety practices
• Ability to use standard test equipment: multimeter, clamp meter, megohmmeter, oscilloscope (preferred)
• Basic computer skills, including CMMS use and Microsoft Office
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to prioritize during production-critical breakdowns
• Ability to work overtime, weekends, on-call rotation, holiday shutdowns.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate degree or technical certificate in Electrical Technology, Mechatronics, Industrial Automation, or related field
• Journeyman electrician license or equivalent
• Experience in food, beverage, or confectionery manufacturing and familiarity with GMP/washdown environments
• Rockwell Automation and/or Siemens training or certification
• Experience with servo systems, robotics, or vision systems
• Instrumentation calibration experience
• Welding/fabrication skills a plus

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs; frequent standing, walking, bending, kneeling, and climbing ladders
• Work at heights, in confined spaces, and around energized equipment following proper safety procedures
• Exposure to variable temperatures (production floor, cold rooms, mechanical spaces), noise, and washdown conditions
• Required PPE includes safety glasses, hearing protection, steel/composite-toe footwear, arc-rated clothing as tasked, and hairnet/beard net per GMP policy