Maintenance

Indianaagconnection; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Indianaagconnection seeks a Lead-Level Senior Maintenance Technician to anchor the production floor, leading by example on complex mechanical and electrical challenges. The role focuses on uptime for high-volume corn dog lines, emphasizing automated fryers, cryogenic freezers, and high-speed packaging in a USDA setting.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years in industrial maintenance, strong PLC and electrical diagnostics, and a hands-on leadership style to mentor the team on safety, PMs, and rapid

Qualifications

• 5+ years of industrial maintenance experience in high-volume manufacturing.
• Food manufacturing experience with automated frying or cryogenic freezing preferred.
• Direct experience maintaining fryers or freezing systems and reading ladder logic.

Responsibilities

• Lead maintenance on high-speed lines, diagnose complex failures, and perform rapid repairs.
• Mentor junior technicians and drive floor wide uptime improvements.
• Ensure sanitary design and safe operation in USDA environments and perform PMs.

Skills

Industrial maintenance

Electrical troubleshooting

PLC troubleshooting

Thermal / Cryogenic systems

Sanitation & USDA standards

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Technical degree/certification in Mechatronics or Industrial Electricity

Tools

Allen-Bradley PLCs

VFDs / servo motors

Job description

Job Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled, Lead-Level Senior Maintenance Technician to anchor our production floor. This is a premium technical role for a veteran technician who thrives on the floor, leading by example and tackling our most complex mechanical and electrical challenges.

You will be the primary technical expert responsible for maximizing the uptime of our high-volume corn dog production lines, with a heavy focus on our automated continuous fryers, liquid nitrogen spiral freezers, and high-speed packaging. The ideal candidate pairs advanced troubleshooting capabilities with a dedicated, hands-on work ethic in a fast-paced USDA environment.

Key Responsibilities & Core Focus Areas

• Thermal & Cryogenic System Expertise: Lead the technical upkeep, calibration, and troubleshooting of automated continuous fryers (oil management, burner controls, etc.) and our liquid nitrogen spiral blast freezer (exhaust systems, precise temperature modulation, heavy-duty spiral conveyor drive systems).
• Advanced Troubleshooting: Diagnose complex, intermittent electrical failures, 3-phase power distribution issues, pneumatic/hydraulic faults, and control loop errors on high-speed processing and packaging equipment.
• 100% Hands-On Floor Presence: Spend the vast majority of the shift actively working on the production floor. Provide immediate emergency response to line stoppages, performing rapid, permanent mechanical and electrical repairs to keep production moving.
• Sanitary Engineering & PMs: Execute and optimize preventative maintenance programs tailored for high-heat and cryogenic environments. Ensure all fabrications, welding, and repairs strictly meet USDA sanitary design standards (hygienic welds, food-grade lubricants, zero bacterial harborages).
• Washdown & Pre-Op Execution: Mechanically prep, lock out (LOTO), and safeguard advanced equipment for high-pressure sanitation washdowns. Reassemble, calibrate, and fine-tune lines to guarantee flawless USDA pre-op inspection passes.
• Mentorship & Floor Leadership: Act as the technical escalation point for junior technicians on the floor, sharing diagnostic strategies and raising the overall technical capability of the team.

Technical Qualifications & Experience

• Experience: 5+ years of industrial maintenance experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment. Food manufacturing experience (specifically involving automated frying or cryogenic freezing) is heavily preferred.
• Advanced Thermal/Cryogenic Skills: Direct experience maintaining industrial automated fryers or commercial freezing systems (liquid nitrogen or ammonia).
• Automation & Electrical Mastery: Proficient in reading ladder logic to troubleshoot PLC systems (e.g., Allen-Bradley). Strong diagnostics for VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives), servo motors, photo-eyes, proximity switches, and safety circuits.
• Robust Mechanical Skills: Expert-level knowledge of heavy-duty conveyor systems, industrial pumps, gearboxes, precision timing, and automated stick-insertion or product-handling machinery.
• Environmental Resilience: Comfort working closely with extreme heat environments (fryer lines) and sub-zero, refrigerated packaging and freezing rooms.

Education & Certifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; Technical Degree/Certification in Mechatronics, Industrial Electricity, or Mechanical Systems highly preferred.

• Valid certifications in OSHA-10/30, LOTO execution, or advanced PLC programming are significant advantages.