Facilities Mechanic

At Hilmar Cheese Company we improve lives around the world through wholesome dairy products. Since our founding in 1984, Hilmar Cheese Company has been committed to innovation and sustainability. Our state-of-the art production facilities convert an abundance of locally sourced high-quality milk into a variety of nutritious cheeses, whey protein and lactose. The Cheese and Ingredients that we produce create a wide variety of retail and food service products from sliced and shredded cheeses, to protein supplements and infant formula. We are a trusted partner to premier food and beverage brands in more than fifty countries helping bring their vision into reality.

Throughout our decades of success and growth we have remained committed to our mission and values and these principles unite our people and guide all that we do.

A Typical Day

The Facilities Mechanic is responsible for safe and effective operation and maintenance of Facilities Equipment, e.g., Ammonia Refrigeration Plants, Cold Storage Facility, Steam Boilers, Well Water Systems, Potable Water Systems, Compressed Air Systems, HVAC's, etc.


Job Responsibilities

• Operation of Facilities Equipment
• Ensure that daily analysis of chemical treatment of facilities equipment and deviation corrections are completed in a timely manner
• Preventative maintenance of Facilities Equipment.
• Basic fabrication skills, e.g., welding, shop tools, print reading.
• Create and Close Work Orders and check Equipment History and Parts from Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
• Member of A/ERT and Hazmat Team (Ammonia Emergency Response Team)
• Ability to effectively communicate and work in teams.
• Ability to perform tasks unsupervised.
• Active participation and ownership in your training and development program and associated activities, classes, and events, which will be held before, during, after shifts and during scheduled days off.
• Help coach and train teammates and participate in on the job, buddy training.
• Place high priority on food safety and sanitation by understanding and executing HCC's food safety and sanitation policies and procedures.
• Hold self and others accountable to HCC's food safety & sanitation guidelines and policies by communicating any food safety incident, observation, or opportunity to your leadership team or teammates.
• Participate in food safety and sanitation root cause analysis and improvement activities when required.
• Prioritize safety above all other job duties by always having a safety-first approach.
• Report any safety issues, observations, opportunities to your teams and follow up.
• Participate in departmental safety teams.
• Promote Company Culture
• Achieve common business goals through cooperative alignment with all departments.
• Be able to read and understand Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID's).
• Follow OSHA guidelines for the use of an Air Purifying Respirator (APR) and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).

What You Will Need

• English skills must be proficient to understand, read, write, and speak English
• 1-year industrial maintenance experience
• Ammonia Refrigeration Systems Experience -Ability to obtain RETA CARO or CIRO certification (obtain within 18 months of employment)
• Be able to pass a Pulmonary Function Test and Fit Test for respirator use.
• Remain clean-shaven at all times.
• Must be able to work weekends, holidays, and rotating shifts (day/swing/graveyard)
• Ability to acquire TCEQ water operator license (Texas)
• Ability to acquire CA D1 and T1 license (California)
• Ability to lift up to 60 lbs.
• Potable wastewater systems experience- individual's responsibility to acquire certification within 18 months in position
• Remain on-call status for emergency response and operational system needs
• Some understanding of Building Maintenance including but not limited to: (Construction, Plumbing, Basic Electric, Painting, House Keeping.)
• Mathematically inclined

What Will Put You Ahead

• High School diploma or GED from an accredited institution
• Dairy industry experience
• Experience working with Microsoft Office Software such as Word, Excel, and Outlook
• SAP knowledge
• Ammonia Refrigeration Maintenance and Troubleshooting.
• Previous HAZ-MAT Technician Level Training.
• Boiler Operation and Maintenance and Troubleshooting.
• Air Compressor and Pneumatic Maintenance and Troubleshooting.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to:

• Stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel and reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl and talk or hear.
• Stand and walk almost the entire workday.
• Employees must be physically capable of working in any of the job tasks within the cheese plant.
• Required to work at heights and in fairly small areas.
• Pushing, pulling, reaching, bending, stooping, squatting, kneeling, handling and grasping, twisting/turning, repetitive bending.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to the following:

• Exposure to dust, fumes, smoke, gases, or other irritating substances.
• Exposure to solvents or chemicals.
• Exposure to slippery walking surfaces: water.
• Exposure to marked changes in temperature and humidity depending on time of year.

Working surface is primarily concrete. Where standing is required, there are rubber mats which are one-half inch thick.

Safety and Food Safety is a companywide responsibility and each employee must know their role in the manufacturing and distribution of safe, wholesome, and high-quality products and expected safe behavior in our work environment.


This description is a general statement of the role, is subject to change, and does not include other duties as assigned.

Food safety is a companywide responsibility and each employee must know their role in the manufacture and distribution of safe, wholesome, and high quality products.

This description is a general statement and does not include other duties as assigned


Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer/EEO. We participate in E-Verify.

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