Electrician Technician

About the role

Perform hands-on electrical, electronic, and controls troubleshooting, repair, and preventive maintenance on production and general plant equipment, working alongside the shift maintenance crew to keep the lines running.

Responsibilities

• Complete assigned work orders and preventive maintenance tasks issued by the Maintenance Manager, and document all work performed in the CMMS.
• Troubleshoot and repair electrical, electronic, controls, and automation faults on production equipment to restore operation as quickly as possible.
• Support and document Root Cause Analysis (RCA) on electrical and controls failures, and escalate recurring or major issues to the Maintenance Manager.
• Carry out the safe repair, replacement, wiring, installation, and startup of production equipment during the shift.
• Support on-site electrical and automation contractors during the shift, and report any work that does not meet safety or quality standards to the Maintenance Manager.
• Identify critical electrical spare parts and repair needs, and communicate them to the Maintenance Manager for ordering and vendor follow-up.
• Be a first responder to emergency electrical issues, equipment failures, facility-related incidents, and major breakdowns during the shift, and act promptly to resolve them.
• Use the CMMS system daily to receive, complete, and close work orders, and to log labor, parts, and equipment history accurately.
• Attend plant huddles and daily follow-ups with the crew, and work the floor to carry out repairs and scheduled preventive maintenance.
• Ensure a smooth shift-to-shift transition by communicating open issues, in-progress repairs, and equipment status to the incoming shift and the Maintenance Manager.
• Complete and submit end-of-shift reports daily upon completion of the shift.
• Share electrical knowledge with maintenance technicians and support their development on equipment operation, repair procedures, and safe electrical work practices.
• Ensure all maintenance work complies with food safety (GMP), sanitation, and applicable regulatory requirements, including the safe use of food-grade materials and lubricants.
• Follow safety procedures, including Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), NFPA 70E arc flash requirements, and the correct use of electrical PPE and insulated tools, and comply with OSHA and company safety standards.

Principal Equipment and Systems

• Standalone spiral freezers (Messer, Linde)
• Tunnel Freezers
• Depositors – Fillers
• Portioners
• Grinders
• Unifiller 400, Unifiller 1000, Unifiller 600, 601
• Multistation Handtmann 608, 808
• Vemag 520
• GEA Optiflour, GEA Multiformer, GEA Crumbmaster
• Rheon Rounder, Rheon Portioner
• Tromp Laminating Lines
• Dough Sheeting
• Urschel Grinder
• Mixers (Escher, AMFEC, Hobart, Handtmann, Tonelli)
• PD Pumps (Graco, UNIBLOC)
• Cooking Equipment: Tilt Skillets – Cleveland Kettles, Blentech Cooker, Chester Jensen Ovens (Middleby Marshall, Revent), Fryers (Heat and Control Mastermatic)
• Packaging Equipment: Flow Wrappers (Sleek 65, Weighpack), Cartoners (ADCO), X-Ray (Ishida, Novus, JBT), Metal Detectors, Tape Sealers
• Cleaning Equipment: Viking Sanitation Cars, Rackwashers (Somengil)
• Industrial Automation: ABB Robots, Fanuc Robots, Self-Motorized Pulleys (Interroll)

Core Competencies

• Power distribution and building electrical: 480V/240V/208V three-phase and single-phase systems, transformers, panelboards, disconnects, breakers, and branch circuits.
• Motor controls: across-the-line and reversing starters, contactors, overload relays, control transformers, VFDs, and servo drives including parameter setup, fault code diagnosis, and drive replacement.
• PLC and HMI systems: ability to go online with the controller, monitor ladder logic, force and trace I/O, and troubleshoot to the failed device (Allen-Bradley and Siemens platforms).
• Field devices and instrumentation: photo eyes, proximity and capacitive sensors, encoders, limit switches, RTDs and thermocouples, pressure, level and flow transmitters, load cells, and checkweigher/metal detector sensing.
• Machine safety circuits: E-stops, safety relays and safety PLCs, light curtains, interlocked guarding, and gate switches verified and restored to OEM design, never bypassed.
• Conduit and wiring: EMT and rigid conduit layout and bending, wire pulling, cable tray, terminations, wire labeling, and panel building to NEC standards.
• Reading, interpreting, and red-lining electrical schematics, ladder diagrams, wiring diagrams, and P&IDs, and keeping drawings current after modifications.
• Refrigeration and freezer control systems, oven and fryer temperature control, burner controls and flame safety devices, and coordination with OEM technical support when required.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required; completion of an electrical apprenticeship, trade program, or technical degree in Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, or Industrial Maintenance preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of hands-on industrial electrical maintenance experience; food or beverage manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot 480V three-phase systems, motor controls, VFDs, and PLC-controlled equipment independently.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, ladder logic, and equipment manuals in English.
• NFPA 70E arc flash training required; must be completed or obtained within 90 days of hire.
• New Jersey electrical license, journeyman card, or apprentice registration is a plus.
• Powered industrial truck, scissor lift, and aerial lift certification is a plus; must be able to obtain.
• Comfortable working in wet, cold (freezer), and hot (oven and fryer) environments, at heights, and in confined areas.
• Reliable attendance for the assigned shift, with availability for overtime and occasional weekend coverage.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.