Senior Maintenance Mechanic / PLC Technician

Senior Maintenance Mechanic / PLC Technician

An established, family-owned food manufacturing company is seeking an experienced Senior Maintenance Mechanic / PLC Technician to support operations at its high-volume production facility in Queens County, NY. This isn't another catalog ordering cookie cutter position, sometimes the fix will take creative troubleshooting or a custom-made part. If you're the person everyone calls when nobody else can figure out the problem, you'll fit right in as the senior maintenance mechanic. This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on maintenance professional who enjoys solving complex mechanical and electrical problems, troubleshooting automated equipment, and working with a combination of modern technology and specialized machinery. The facility features a diverse mix of PLC-controlled automation and legacy European equipment, offering an opportunity to apply creative problem-solving skills and take on challenging repairs that go beyond routine maintenance.

Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot, repair, and maintain production equipment including:
• Chocolate molding machines
• Foil wrapping and foil handling equipment
• Packaging and cartoning machines
• Conveyors and material handling systems
• Pumps, gearboxes, motors, pneumatic and hydraulic systems
• Diagnose electrical and control system issues on PLC-controlled machinery.
• Perform preventative and predictive maintenance to maximize equipment uptime.
• Troubleshoot sensors, photo eyes, VFDs, relays, motor starters, and control circuits.
• Read and interpret electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and mechanical drawings.
• Assist with PLC troubleshooting (Allen-Bradley, Siemens or similar) to identify faults and support production.
• Support machine changeovers and equipment setup.
• Work on both newer automated equipment and older European production machinery.
• Coordinate with production and engineering teams to minimize downtime.
• Maintain accurate maintenance records and spare parts inventory.
• Ensure all work is performed safely while complying with food safety, GMP, OSHA, and company standards.

Qualifications

• Industrial maintenance experience in a food, beverage, confectionery, pharmaceutical, or consumer packaged goods manufacturing environment.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with experience repairing complex production equipment.
• Working knowledge of PLC troubleshooting (ability to diagnose faults).
• Experience with electrical systems up to 480V.
• Ability to troubleshoot:
• Motors
• VFDs
• Sensors
• Solenoids
• Pneumatics
• Hydraulics
• Servo-driven equipment (preferred)
• Experience maintaining packaging equipment, wrappers, conveyors, or automated production machinery.
• Comfortable working on legacy European manufacturing equipment where replacement parts may require custom fabrication or creative troubleshooting.
• Food manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• PLC programming experience is a plus.

Preferred Experience

• Chocolate, candy, bakery, snack food, or other food manufacturing.
• High-speed equipment.
• Molding, wrapping, and cartoning equipment.
• European OEM equipment.
• GMP, HACCP, and food safety standards.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced maintenance professional who enjoys solving difficult mechanical problems, keeping complex production equipment running, and working on a unique combination of modern automation and legacy European machinery. The ideal candidate is mechanically strong, comfortable with electrical troubleshooting and PLC diagnostics, and has a passion for maintaining equipment in a food manufacturing environment.

APPLY TODAY for immediate consideration or reach out directly to Shevon at View email address on click.appcast.io, call or text View phone number on click.appcast.io

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations. GPAC (Growing People and Companies) is an award-winning search firm specializing in placing quality professionals within multiple industries across the United States since 1990. We are extremely competitive, client-focused and realize that our value is in our ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time.