Senior Maintenance Mechanic / PLC Technician

About the Role

An established, family-owned food manufacturing company is seeking an experienced Senior Maintenance Mechanic / PLC Technician to support operations at its high-volume production facility in Queens County, NY. This role is ideal for a hands-on maintenance professional who enjoys solving complex mechanical and electrical problems, troubleshooting automated equipment, and working with a mix of modern technology and specialized machinery.

Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot, repair, and maintain production equipment including: chocolate molding machines, foil wrapping and handling equipment, packaging and cartoning machines, conveyors, pumps, gearboxes, motors, and pneumatic/hydraulic systems.
• Diagnose electrical and control system issues on PLC-controlled machinery.
• Perform preventative and predictive maintenance to maximize equipment uptime.
• Troubleshoot sensors, photo eyes, VFDs, relays, motor starters, and control circuits.
• Read and interpret electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and mechanical drawings.
• Assist with PLC troubleshooting (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or similar) to identify faults and support production.
• Support machine changeovers and equipment setup.
• Work on both newer automated equipment and older European production machinery.
• Coordinate with production and engineering teams to minimize downtime.
• Maintain accurate maintenance records and spare parts inventory.
• Ensure all work is performed safely while complying with food safety, GMP, OSHA, and company standards.

Qualifications

• Industrial maintenance experience in food, beverage, confectionery, pharmaceutical, or consumer packaged goods manufacturing.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with experience repairing complex production equipment.
• Working knowledge of PLC troubleshooting (ability to diagnose faults).
• Experience with electrical systems up to 480V.
• Ability to troubleshoot motors, VFDs, sensors, solenoids, pneumatics, hydraulics, and servo-driven equipment (preferred).
• Experience maintaining packaging equipment, wrappers, conveyors, or automated production machinery.
• Comfortable working on legacy European manufacturing equipment where replacement parts may require custom fabrication or creative troubleshooting.
• Food manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• PLC programming experience is a plus.

Preferred Experience

• Chocolate, candy, bakery, snack food, or other food manufacturing.
• High-speed equipment.
• Molding, wrapping, and cartoning equipment.
• European OEM equipment.
• GMP, HACCP, and food safety standards.

What They're Looking For

The ideal candidate is mechanically strong, comfortable with electrical troubleshooting and PLC diagnostics, and has a passion for maintaining equipment in a food manufacturing environment. This role is perfect for someone who enjoys solving difficult mechanical problems and working on a unique combination of modern automation and legacy European machinery.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations.