Industrial Technician III

Greater Chicago Food Depository; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Employer-paid life and disability

403(b) retirement plan with employer"s

Job summary

Greater Chicago Food Depository is seeking an Industrial Maintenance Technician III in Chicago, IL. You will lead advanced troubleshooting of critical production equipment, oversee facility systems, and guide junior technicians to ensure uptime and reliability.

The role requires deep mechanical and electrical skills, PM optimization, and the ability to plan corrective actions and coordinate with contractors for installations and startups. Strong leadership and communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Safety-first mindset with knowledge of LOTO, arc flash, guarding and hot-work.
• Expert troubleshooting of rotating equipment, conveyors, pumps, and drives.
• Strong electrical troubleshooting for 480V systems and MCCs.
• Ability to troubleshoot PLC-controlled equipment and perform IO verification.
• Advanced HVAC, refrigeration, and building systems expertise.
• Proficient in pneumatics, hydraulics, and precision measurement.
• Lead root cause analyses and corrective actions initiatives.
• Experience with predictive maintenance and vibration/thermal analysis.
• Ability to document failures, PMs and training guidance.

Responsibilities

• Lead advanced troubleshooting and repair of critical production equipment and facility systems.
• Act as technical resource for junior technicians, operations, and vendors.
• Perform root cause analyses for major downtime and high-cost repairs.
• Develop corrective actions to reduce recurrence and improve uptime.
• Evaluate equipment trends using CMMS data and operator feedback.
• Recommend changes to PM frequencies, spare parts, and lubrication practices.
• Lead or support installation, commissioning, and startup of new systems.
• Provide fabrication and shop-level modifications within standards.
• Assist with contractor coordination and parts identification.
• Train and coach lower-level technicians without supervisory duties.

Skills

Safety Leadership

Advanced Mechanical

Advanced Electrical

Controls and Automation

HVAC and Refrigeration

Pneumatics and Hydraulics

Root Cause Analysis

Predictive Maintenance

Measuring and Calibration

Fabrication and Shop Tools

Tools

Multimeters

Clamp Meters

Megohmmeters

Tachometers

Infrared Thermometers

Calipers

Dial Indicators

Torque Tools

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: Greater Chicago Food Depository - Chicago, IL 60632, Education Level: None, Salary Range: $36.00 - $42.00 Hourly, Job Shift: Day, Role Description: Industrial Maintenance Technician III is the highest-level technician and serves as a senior technical expert for complex troubleshooting, equipment reliability, advanced repairs, root cause analysis, project support, and technician development. This level is expected to independently diagnose difficult mechanical, electrical, controls, HVAC, pneumatic, hydraulic, fabrication, and facility infrastructure issues; lead corrective action efforts; improve preventive maintenance strategies; and support operational uptime through advanced technical judgment and leadership.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead advanced troubleshooting and repair of critical production equipment, facility systems, building infrastructure, HVAC systems, refrigeration support equipment, power transmission systems, controls, pumps, motors, conveyors, and automated equipment.
• Serve as a technical resource for Level I and Level II technicians, operations teams, supervisors, vendors, contractors, and engineering support.
• Perform and lead root cause analysis for repeat failures, major downtime events, safety-related failures, and high-cost repairs.
• Develop corrective action plans that address the true cause of failure, reduce recurrence, improve uptime, and extend asset life.
• Evaluate equipment performance trends using CMMS history, PM results, downtime records, vibration, temperature, electrical readings, inspection findings, and operator feedback.
• Recommend changes to preventive maintenance frequencies, inspection criteria, spare parts, lubrication practices, equipment standards, and reliability procedures.
• Lead or support installation, commissioning, alignment, testing, and startup of new equipment or modified systems.
• Perform advanced fabrication, welding, layout, precision measurement, field fitting, guarding improvements, and equipment modification within approved standards.
• Assist with contractor coordination, job planning, technical scope development, parts identification, and repair prioritization.
• Train, coach, and evaluate technical skill development for lower-level technicians without replacing formal supervisory performance review responsibilities.

Qualifications: Required Skills and Proficiencies

• Safety Leadership: Advanced knowledge of LOTO, energized work awareness, arc flash precautions, machine guarding, hot work, fall protection, confined space, contractor safety, permit requirements, and job hazard analysis.
• Advanced Mechanical: Expert troubleshooting of rotating equipment, conveyors, power transmission, precision alignment, bearings, seals, gearboxes, shafts, couplings, pumps, fans, valves, piping, lubrication failure, vibration, mechanical looseness, and wear patterns.
• Advanced Electrical: Strong troubleshooting of industrial power and control circuits, 480V systems as authorized, motor control centers, starters, contactors, overloads, relays, transformers, sensors, drives, grounding concerns, control panels, and intermittent electrical failures.
• Controls and Automation: Ability to troubleshoot PLC-controlled equipment through I/O verification, HMI alarms, sequence-of-operation review, sensor validation, control device testing, and coordination with controls specialists when program-level changes are required.
• HVAC and Refrigeration Systems: Advanced troubleshooting of RTUs, air handlers, exhaust systems, economizers, dampers, compressors, condenser and evaporator fans, chilled or conditioned spaces, airflow problems, controls, contactors, motors, belts, sheaves, coils, drain systems, and temperature control issues.
• Pneumatics and Hydraulics: Advanced troubleshooting of pressure, flow, actuator sequencing, valves, pumps, cylinders, hoses, fittings, air preparation, leaks, contamination, overheating, and repeat component failures.
• Root Cause Analysis: Ability to lead 5 Why, fishbone analysis, failure mode thinking, corrective action planning, verification of effectiveness, and documentation of permanent countermeasures.
• Predictive and Precision Maintenance: Proficiency with vibration observations, thermal readings, oil or lubrication condition indicators, precision alignment, torque standards, belt tensioning, chain wear measurement, equipment baseline readings, and trend-based maintenance decisions.
• Advanced Troubleshooting: Ability to diagnose complex and intermittent failures using schematics, ladder logic review support, trend data, operator interviews, historical work orders, electrical readings, mechanical measurements, and controlled test runs.
• Measuring and Calibration: Advanced use of multimeters, clamp meters, megohmmeters where authorized, tachometers, infrared thermometers, pressure and vacuum gauges, micrometers, calipers, dial indicators, laser or precision alignment tools, torque tools, and layout equipment.
• Fabrication, Power Tools, and Shop Tools: Advanced welding, cutting, grinding, drilling, tapping, layout, field fitting, structural repair, bracket and guard fabrication, stainless or mild steel repair as applicable, and safe design of practical maintenance solutions. Advanced proficiency with power tools and shop tools, including safe selection, setup, inspection, guarding, work holding, blade/bit/abrasive selection, torque application, layout, cutting, drilling, tapping, grinding, finishing, and minor field modification. Ability to train others on proper tool use, identify unsafe tool conditions, maintain shop organization, and determine when work should be escalated to a machine shop, certified welder, vendor, or engineer.
• Reliability and Continuous Improvement: Ability to reduce downtime, improve PM effectiveness, identify bad actors, recommend capital or repair solutions, standardize repairs, improve spare parts strategy, and support long-term asset reliability.
• Technical Documentation: Ability to write detailed failure reports, repair procedures, PM instructions, parts lists, job plans, equipment notes, and training guidance.
• Professional Skills: Leadership, accountability, clear communication, calm response under pressure, coaching, planning, decision-making, vendor coordination, and ownership of critical repairs.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• Employer-paid life and disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution
• Generous paid time off
• Parental leave
• On-site gym
• $3,000 annual employer-paid ThrivePass lifestyle and wellness benefit program
• $250 employee referral bonus