Controls Specialist – Dairy Foods (UHT & Cheese Manufacturing)

Gossner Foods, Inc.•Logan, UT

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Controls Specialist supports and maintains automation and control systems across dairy processing operations, including UHT processing lines, cheese-making and cheese-cutting/packaging systems, and related utilities such as CIP, pasteurization, homogenization, and packaging equipment. The role requires strong Allen-Bradley PLC and HMI expertise, the ability to read PLC logic across multiple platforms, and experience upgrading legacy dairy processing equipment. It contributes to consistent product quality, food safety compliance, and minimal downtime across critical processing systems. The position also supports controls modernization, production-line troubleshooting, SCADA and data historian systems, documentation, and training for maintenance and production staff. Work takes place in a dairy processing environment and includes regular travel to support the Heyburn, Idaho facility, potentially with overnight assignments.

Requirements

Proven experience programming and troubleshooting Allen-Bradley PLCs and HMIs.
Ability to read and interpret PLC logic across multiple platforms or brands.
Experience upgrading, retrofitting, or modernizing legacy industrial control systems, ideally in food or dairy processing.
Strong understanding of electrical schematics, ladder logic, and industrial control principles.
Ability to troubleshoot temperature-critical and sanitation-critical control systems, such as pasteurization, sterilization, and CIP.
Comfort working in food or dairy manufacturing environments, including washdown areas and cold or hot processing zones.
Strong troubleshooting skills and ability to diagnose issues quickly to minimize downtime on continuous-run production lines.
Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, regulated production environment.
Ability to work in washdown areas, wet or humid conditions, cold storage, and high-temperature processing zones.
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs, climb ladders, and work in confined or elevated spaces as needed.
Availability for on-call support or off-shift work to address urgent equipment issues.
Compliance with food safety, GMP, and sanitation protocols required for entry into production areas.

Nice To Haves

Experience with UHT processing systems and aseptic packaging controls.
Experience with cheese-making equipment controls, including vats, presses, and brine systems.
Experience programming or troubleshooting industrial robots such as Fanuc, ABB, or KUKA used in palletizing or case packing.
Experience with SCADA systems, batch tracking, or data historian platforms.
Familiarity with food safety and regulatory standards, including HACCP, SQF, FDA, and PMO/Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance.
Familiarity with industrial networking protocols such as Ethernet/IP, DeviceNet, and Profibus.
Associate's degree or technical certification in Electrical, Industrial Automation, Controls, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience in dairy/food manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Program, troubleshoot, and maintain PLC and HMI systems, primarily Allen-Bradley ControlLogix, CompactLogix, and PanelView platforms, across UHT, cheese production, and packaging lines.
Read, interpret, and troubleshoot PLC logic across platforms such as Siemens, Omron, and GE.
Support and maintain controls for UHT processing systems, including aseptic filling, sterilization, homogenization, and heat exchanger controls.
Support and maintain controls for cheese manufacturing systems, including vats, presses, brining, cutting, and packaging equipment.
Troubleshoot and maintain CIP systems and automated sanitation controls to support food safety and sanitation compliance.
Support upgrades and modernization of legacy dairy processing equipment, including control panel retrofits, PLC/HMI migrations, and obsolescence management.
Diagnose and resolve electrical and controls issues to minimize downtime on high-throughput production lines.
Collaborate with Quality, Food Safety, Maintenance, and Production teams to ensure controls support HACCP, SQF, and other food safety and regulatory requirements.
Assist with integration and troubleshooting of robotic palletizing, case packing, or material handling systems as needed.
Support and maintain Ignition and other SCADA/data historian systems used for batch tracking, temperature logging, and traceability as needed.
Maintain electrical schematics, program backups, batch/recipe logic, and change logs.
Provide training and technical support to maintenance and production staff on control system operation.
Provide regular support at the Heyburn, Idaho facility, including travel and potentially overnight assignments.