Maintenance Technician - Roanoke, VA

WHO WE ARE

RDS is a recycling leader in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia, serving cities and businesses throughout those regions with industry-leading technology and amazing people. RDS seeks to sort, separate and then re-sell materials that still have value within the recycling stream – including items like cardboard, paper, glass, aluminum cans, water bottles, milk jugs and many other items that are commonly thrown away. Our company has built several materials recovery facilities ("MRFs") across the Southeast to prevent these items from going to the landfill – instead, helping ensure they are made into new boxes, new water bottles or even clothing!

JOB PURPOSE

The Maintenance Technician oversees all mechanical and electrical aspects of the facility and premises. Spanning responsibilities such as day-to-day equipment maintenance, preventive maintenance, parts inventory, vendor management and utility support, the Maintenance Technician will use its broad range of mechanical and electrical knowledge to guide the site to achieving its production and uptime goals.

A key aspect of this role is to ensure daily production goals are met. This will require a sense of urgency to accomplish all regularly scheduled tasks with the support of the Operations Manager and operations team, but will also require a keen understanding of what items may need attention outside of regular PMs. Expertise with heavy and light equipment such as loaders, forklifts, conveyors and balers is essential. Comfort and working knowledge of PLCs (programmable logic controllers) is also important as is a basic knowledge and capabilities of simple electrical repairs.

With a portfolio of MRFs that include some of the most innovative technologies in the recycling industry, this candidate will need to have an innate curiosity in all parts of the plant in order to identify opportunities for improvement for processes, procedures and operator training. A non-manager position, the Maintenance Technician is expected to utilize existing skills and build new ones in order to meet the needs of an ever-evolving facility.

The Maintenance Technician should have experience working within an industrial or warehouse environment and understand industrial safety programs and hazard prevention. Since the role will interact with the newest technologies in the industry and overlaps with many other roles within the organization, this is a great opportunity for someone seeking career growth while also helping be a good steward of the environment.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THIS JOB

• 60% - Equipment Maintenance: This role will oversee all maintenance programs, with the support of the Operations Manager, for the conveyor systems, sorting technologies, baler, forklifts and heavy equipment. This role will require expertise in mechanical and electrical systems with an expectation that most maintenance or repairs can be completed by this team member while this Maintenance Technician can oversee or learn from hired third parties as needed. With a professional maintenance program in place, the equipment should be available to help the operations team achieve all performance metrics.
• 25% - Special Projects: The equipment, sorting system and buildings on the premises will also require special projects to be undertaken from time to time. Spanning repairs to lighting systems, climate systems or welding repairs, this candidate should have demonstrated comfort around general plant and auxiliary equipment repairs.
• 15% - Parts Inventory and Vendor Management: Ensuring the maintenance shop has all required spare parts and tools is key to the success of this role. Working with the Operations Manager to ensure all suppliers are in stock is essential. Additionally, when third parties are needed for projects or equipment-specific repairs that are beyond the scope of this role, its expected that the Maintenance Technician is on hand to help hire, assist and learn from these vendors.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR THIS JOB

Required Skills:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience as mechanic and/or electrician within a manufacturing, warehouse or industrial facility, with 5 years preferred.
• Forklift certification preferred.
• ASE Certification is a plus.

• High school degree or GED equivalent for an accredited institution required.

• Strong team building and decision-making skills.
• Ability to absorb knowledge and standard operating procedures from teammates and leadership.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills – both for teammates and vendors.
• Highly organized and able to complete required paperwork at a high level.
• Ability to request help or call attention to issues as they arise – ranging from safety, production, property damage or quality issues.
• Friendly demeanor and helpful attitude to all coworkers and vendors.
• Adequate knowledge of parts purchasing and inventory.
• Willingness to assist in other areas as needs arise, such as the sorting line, baler area or warehouse floor.
• Ability to adhere to Company policies and rules set forth; promotes the Company's safety standards; does not take inappropriate risks.  
• Maintains a feeling of pride in work; strives to achieve all goals. 
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience as a mechanic (Ex: able to change tires on large equipment, replace drums & brakes, change conveyor belts, etc.).
• Ability to cross train for other positions.
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds at times.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS JOB:

Once trained, this role will be expected to perform the below tasks at a high level:

• Safe maintenance and inspection of equipment as outlined through training and site leadership guidance including safety protocols such as Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO), hot work, electrical work, ladder usage, confined space and personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Ensuring the compliance of all corporate policies and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules while conducting work functions.
• Responsibility for equipment and property of facility including shop support equipment, radios, tools, bins and site amenities such as break room and restrooms.
• Some degree of welding and fabrication (MIG).
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) experience or the ability to learn
• Ownership of required forms including but not limited to: Quotes, Purchase Order Requests, Inspection Paperwork, Maintenance Logs, etc.
• Assist MRF and operations team with equipment maintenance and cleaning programs.
• Ensure equipment operators are completing inspections and reporting any issues to Operations Manager.
• Earnest efforts to support the MRF sorting team and maintenance team if jams, clogs or other downtime events occur and require assistance.
• Extreme attention to detail in terms of cleanliness, tool maintenance and safety of shop and common areas of site, as well as when needed to support other areas of MRF.
• Monitor and stay up-to-date on industry news in order to implement innovative techniques or ideas.

Tomorrow RDS, LLC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws

Must successfully pass a drug/alcohol screening.