Ammonia & Automation Technician

Leoforce; Franklin Park (IL); On-site; USD 50,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) after one year

PTO accrual from day one

Paid holidays

Biweekly pay

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Leoforce seeks a mid‑level ammonia refrigeration technician to operate and maintain a heavy industrial system at the Franklin Park site. You will manage compressors, condensers, evaporators, and control panels, ensuring cold‑chain integrity and safety compliance.

You will document rounds, perform preventive maintenance, and collaborate with the Plant Engineer on complex repairs and instrumentation upgrades. OSHA‑level PPE and disciplined safety practices are required.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of hands‑on industrial maintenance in manufacturing.
• Experience with ammonia refrigeration systems and safety protocols.
• Ability to read PLC logic and diagnose equipment faults from I/O/HMI.
• Strong mechanical background with millwright‑level skills.

Responsibilities

• Operate and monitor the plant's industrial ammonia refrigeration system.
• Perform preventive maintenance and repairs on refrigeration equipment.
• Troubleshoot ammonia systems, alarms, defrost cycles, and leaks.
• Follow lockout/tagout and safety procedures during work.
• Read PLC logic and diagnose faults from electrical schematics.
• Document rounds, repairs, and parts usage within shifts.

Skills

Ammonia refrigeration

PLC logic

Electrical troubleshooting

Preventive maintenance

Lockout/tagout

Mechanical/millwright

Schematic reading

Safety compliance

Troubleshooting sensors

HMI/SCADA

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering or related field

RETA CARO/CIRO training or equivalent

Industrial maintenance training

Tools

VFDs

Servo drives

Encoders

Diagnostics equipment

Job description

Experience and Salary

Experience: Mid Level
Salary: $36 - $40.5 per hour

Job Details

• Operate and monitor the plant’s industrial ammonia refrigeration system, including compressors, condensers, evaporators, receivers, valve stations, and relief systems.
• Complete and document daily operating rounds, including suction and discharge pressures, temperatures, oil levels, equipment sound, and ammonia detector-panel conditions.
• Perform preventive maintenance and qualified repairs involving compressors, evaporators, condensers, valves, seals, oil systems, fans, motors, and refrigeration equipment.
• Troubleshoot ammonia detection systems, refrigeration alarms, defrost cycles, temperature deviations, leaks, and cold-chain performance issues.
• Follow established ammonia emergency‑response, evacuation, respiratory‑protection, and alarm‑response procedures.
• Maintain proper temperatures across production coolers, holding freezers, spiral units, and blast cells operating down to -10°F.
• Diagnose evaporator icing, defrost‑performance issues, airflow problems, fan and motor failures, and door or curtain infiltration.
• Safely troubleshoot 480V three‑phase, 240V, and 24V control circuits.
• Diagnose motor circuits, contactors, overloads, relays, VFDs, sensors, photo eyes, servos, control panels, and electrical schematics.
• Read PLC logic, HMI fault screens, and system I/O to identify equipment faults, interlock problems, communication issues, and safety‑circuit failures.
• Install, maintain, troubleshoot, and replace automation components, including servos, servo drives, encoders, VFDs, sensors, motion sensors, photo eyes, and control devices.
• Verify newly installed automation components, preserve equipment settings, and back up applicable configuration information.
• Perform millwright‑level assembly, disassembly, alignment, and repair of heavy industrial machinery.
• Troubleshoot compressed‑air and pneumatic systems, conveyors, transfers, pumps, packaging equipment, and dock doors.
• Support preventive maintenance, emergency repairs, root‑cause investigations, and corrective‑action follow‑through.
• Document equipment rounds, repairs, parts usage, work orders, and cause‑and‑fix information within the same shift.
• Apply lockout/tagout procedures and work within established training, authorization, PPE, and safety boundaries.
• Coordinate contractor‑level ammonia, electrical, programming, and controls work with the Plant Engineer when necessary.
• Help protect electrical and mechanical equipment during sanitation and washdown activities.
• Assist the Sanitation Manager with equipment‑related washdown procedures and safe access to difficult areas.
• Follow GMP, HACCP, SQF, sanitation, quality, and food‑safety requirements.
• Participate in alarm‑response arrangements established at the time of hire.
• Work safely in wet production areas, elevated equipment areas, compressor rooms, coolers, and freezers operating as cold as -10°F.

Qualifications Needed

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, robotics, or a closely related field preferred; a recognized technical‑school program, trade‑school program, apprenticeship, OEM training, or military technical training in industrial maintenance, mechatronics, electrical systems, refrigeration, or controls may qualify as an equivalent.
• Formal industrial ammonia refrigeration operator training required, such as RETA CARO/CIRO, Industrial Consultants Level 1/2, a university industrial‑refrigeration program, or a verified equivalent.
• Minimum 3 years of directly relevant, hands‑on industrial manufacturing maintenance experience, including automation experience in a production environment.
• Hands‑on experience operating and maintaining an industrial ammonia refrigeration system.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot 480V three‑phase, 240V, and 24V electrical and control circuits.
• Demonstrated ability to read PLC logic and use PLC I/O and HMI information to diagnose equipment faults.
• Experience maintaining and troubleshooting compressors, evaporators, condensers, valve stations, refrigeration controls, and ammonia detection systems.
• Experience installing, maintaining, troubleshooting, and replacing VFDs, servos, sensors, photo eyes, encoders, motor controls, and other industrial automation components.
• Strong mechanical background, including millwright‑level machinery teardown, buildup, alignment, and repair.
• Experience with pneumatic and compressed‑air systems.
• Strong lockout/tagout and industrial safety knowledge.
• Ability to perform preventive maintenance, root‑cause analysis, equipment documentation, and cause‑and‑fix reporting.
• Ability to distinguish between technician‑level work and repairs requiring contractors, engineering support, programming changes, or additional authorization.
• Food manufacturing experience involving GMP, HACCP, SQF, sanitation, or quality systems strongly preferred.
• Ammonia emergency‑response, Incident Commander, HAZWOPER, SCBA, or respiratory‑protection training strongly preferred.
• EPA Section 608 Universal certification, stationary‑engineer licensure, boiler experience, HVAC/R experience, PSM/RMP participation, CMMS experience, or relevant ISA, ETA, MSSC, or OEM certifications are a plus.
• Bilingual English and Spanish strongly preferred.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds unassisted and work for extended periods in wet, cold, elevated, and industrial environments.
• Ability to work in production areas around 40°F and periodically enter freezer environments reaching -10°F.
• Ability to wear required PPE and qualify for respiratory protection when required.
• Willingness to complete certificate verification, professional references, background check, drug screening, and E‑Verify.

Location

Franklin Park,IL, US

A bit about us:

Founded as a family‑owned food manufacturer and based in Franklin Park, Illinois, we are a medium‑sized producer of Greek and ethnic food products serving restaurants, retailers, and national brands. We operate an SQF Level 2‑certified facility under both USDA and FDA jurisdiction, with certified Halal production programs and a federal inspector on‑site every production day. Our highly automated plant depends on a reliable industrial ammonia refrigeration system to protect the cold chain across its production areas, coolers, freezers, spiral units, and blast cells.

Why join us?

• Direct-Hire Opportunity: Full‑time, permanent position paid biweekly
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision eligibility after 30 days
• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) eligibility after one year
• Paid Time Off: PTO accrues from day one, with up to 10 days annually at hire and up to 15 days after three years
• Paid Holidays: Eligibility after 30 days
• Performance Growth: Substantial performance‑based raises for employees who demonstrate strong results
• High‑Impact Role: Serve as the plant’s primary ammonia refrigeration technician and working automation expert
• Stable Food Manufacturing Environment: Join an established, family‑owned manufacturer with rigorous food‑safety and operational standards