Pilot Plant Maintenance Electrician

About the role

As an Electrical & Instrumentation Technician at the JFB Technical Center, you will provide comprehensive electrical, controls, instrumentation, and basic mechanical support for our food processing equipment. This role is crucial for ensuring human safety, food safety, and maintaining high equipment reliability standards within a dynamic R&D environment.

Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot, repair, and continuously improve electrical systems for process equipment across several pilot plants and lab spaces.
• Diagnose and perform diagnostic testing on motors, Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), and motor circuits.
• Troubleshoot and replace Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs).
• Read and interpret complex wiring diagrams and schematics to effectively troubleshoot circuits.
• Perform and improve electrical preventative and predictive maintenance procedures.
• Perform basic mechanical troubleshooting and repair of equipment.
• Execute planned corrective maintenance work orders and provide efficient reactive maintenance support to minimize downtime.
• Utilize Continuous Improvement methods, such as root cause analysis and breakdown elimination, to enhance system performance and reliability.
• Coach and train other maintenance and operations team members on best practices.
• Instrumentation & Calibration:
• Troubleshoot and calibrate a wide variety of process control instrumentation, including but not limited to pressure, flow, temperature, humidity, torque, current, and voltage elements.
• Safety & Compliance:
• Comply with all OSHA required electrical safety training and practices.
• Conduct daily safety risk assessments, equipment safety audits, and actively promote a safe work environment.
• Collaboration & Communication:
• Work effectively and collaboratively across teams to ensure expectations are met.
• Enable innovation work by partnering across multiple R&D teams.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with all levels of team members, including operators, managers, engineers, and R&D personnel across business units.
• Engage in strong partnership with R&D to drive innovative experiments.

Requirements

• A two-year trade school certificate in an accredited electrical program OR a minimum of two years of related work experience in industrial maintenance, reliability, or manufacturing.
• Proven experience installing and maintaining industrial electrical components.
• Strong understanding, practice, and promotion of electrical safety standards, including NFPA 70E and NEC.
• Experience in reading and interpreting complex electrical wiring diagrams and schematics.
• Understanding of PID closed-loop control.
• Ability to apply root cause analysis to resolve systemic or recurring electrical and control issues.
• Ability to coach, train, and develop others.
• Ability to manage and adjust to multiple priorities effectively in high-activity production environments.
• Effective communication skills with peers and customers.
• Must be able to lift and manipulate 55 pounds.
• Flexibility to work occasional overtime during the week and on weekends as needed.

Qualifications

• Minimum qualifications: A two-year trade school certificate in an accredited electrical program OR a minimum of two years of related work experience in industrial maintenance, reliability, or manufacturing.
• Preferred qualifications: State of Minnesota Journey Worker or Maintenance Electrician License, basic knowledge and experience working with mechanical drive components, fasteners, and lubrication.