Maintenance Automation Specialist

Founded in 2013, Home Chef is the leading meal solutions company with both a retail and online presence. Available online at homechef.com and in retail at more than 2,100 Kroger grocery stores, Home Chef is committed to inspiring and enabling more people to cook simple, delicious meals, no matter how busy they are.

Similar to our recipes, we recognize that variety is the spice of life, and therefore, our employees also bring their uniqueness and color to our fantastic team. We’re eager to work with humble team players and pragmatic next-level thinkers to innovate on Home Chef’s offerings.

As the COVID-19 situation evolves in the US and worldwide, we are taking all the necessary precautions, per the CDC guidelines, to keep our employees and customers safe.

Maintenance Automation Specialist is responsible for conducting all repairs and preventative maintenance on facility and production equipment. They are responsible for ensuring that the production team has no barriers with production equipment and that contractors are coordinated when completing scheduled service. They will install, maintain and replace automation systems. These responsibilities include troubleshooting component parts, motion sensors, control components, photo sensors, PLC’s and other automation-related equipment. 

Employee and Food Safety:

• Conducts all work in accordance with sound safety practices and proper work methods or procedures; wears all personal protective equipment (PPE) as required
• Complies with all environmental laws and regulations for chemicals and lubricants as well as disposal and storage
• Performs work in accordance with all quality systems requirements and understands what Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s) are and is willing and able to fully support these requirements 
• Conducts routine safety checks on the production equipment 

Equipment Maintenance:

• Services and maintains production-related equipment, which includes motors, conveyors, vibratory fillers, tub washer, flow wrapper, cookers, chillers, vertical and horizontal Form/Fill/Seal, modified atmosphere packaging equipment, etc.
• Installs new production equipment 
• Provides guidance and training to machine operators to increase efficiency and reduce downtime on production equipment 
• Reads and interprets equipment manuals to troubleshoot equipment and to assess functionality 
• Quickly learns how to properly maintain and repair any new equipment brought onsite 
• Executes preventative maintenance plans on all equipment as scheduled by the Maintenance Manager
• Maintains records of PMs and emergency work in the CMMS for equipment history 
• Identifies what spare parts are needed and communicates with the Maintenance Manager when they need to be ordered to maintain equipment uptime 

Facility Maintenance:

• Responsible for keeping the facility in good working order and in compliance with all safety requirements
• Coordinates work orders related to facility improvements and repairs such as dock door and dock leveler repairs, plumbing repairs, building access control, etc 
• Oversees contractors conducting facility repairs on the air compressor, hot water heater, and the fire suppression system 
• Documents work related to facility improvements and repairs in the Home Chef CMMS to maintain history 
• Maintains records of equipment related to compliance requirements such as pH probes, condenser water treatment, or ammonia sensors 

Maintenance Shop Organization

• Directly responsible for making the maintenance shop audit ready at all times, this includes but is not limited to properly storing flammable lubricants and maintaining records of critical safety equipment 
• Keeps the shop tools and spare parts well organized so that all shifts can conduct required maintenance 
• Communicates proactively with the Maintenance Manager when spare parts need to be ordered for specific equipment for the facility 

Time Management:

• Works under pressure when emergencies occur
• Works with a sense of urgency to minimize production downtime
• Prioritizes work orders to minimize impact to production and employees
• Accurately predicts time to complete work orders 
• Communicates progress and expected completion dates with management 

General Responsibilities:

• Follow the facility GMPs and help enforce them throughout the facility
• Support the efforts of the company to maintain our food safety system (SQF) and quality programs

This position requires 10% travel. 

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, ability and/or other characteristics needed for this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

• General high school degree, or equivalent, (e.g. GED).
• Minimum five years of industrial maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment, food manufacturing background preferred 
• At least 2 years of electrical or programming experience preferred
• Knowledge of pneumatic, hydraulic, PLC, servo systems and industrial electronics systems required
• Must be able to use a variety of hand and power tools and precision measuring
• Must have strong knowledge of electrical wiring repairs and installations, AC/DC controls and schematic diagrams
• PIT and scissor lift OSHA certification required 
• Solid computer skills with ability to input/export information into a CMMS

Salary Range: $68,000 - $75,000

Perks and benefits:

• Candidates can experience Home Chef as a customer - enter promo code PEOPLE30 for $30 off your first order!
• Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance available
• Paid holidays, sick time and vacation time
• 401k program
• Flexible spending accounts for qualified medical, dependent care, parking, or transit expenses

How We Work Together

We are humble team players.
We are warm and gracious with team members and customers. We seek feedback to improve ourselves - and respectfully listen to and accept input.

We are pragmatic next-level thinkers.
We come up with novel and unique ideas. We explore new strategies to avoid being constrained by conventional thinking.

We take ownership.
We approach ambiguous problems, prepared to dive in, get curious, and learn more. We are results-driven, always challenging ourselves to exceed goals.

Be at Home at Home Chef

We all show up authentically at Home Chef. Our team includes individuals with a variety of identities, backgrounds, and perspectives. You can trust that you’ll be able to bring your whole self to an inclusive and enjoyable workplace.

We welcome people of all races, colors, religions, national origin or ancestry, sex (including sexual identity), age, physical or mental disabilities, pregnancy, veteran or military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, order of protection status, citizenship status, arrest record or expunged/sealed convictions, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law.

Home Chef is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Home Chef will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact our People team at hr@homechef.com.

Home Chef is an equal opportunity employer.

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