Facilities Maintenance Lead

Meraki•Portland, OR

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Facilities Maintenance Lead owns preventative maintenance, repairs, equipment performance, and facility improvement projects at a year-round indoor cultivation facility. This is a hands-on role focused on working with equipment, diagnosing problems, and personally completing maintenance and project work. Contractors and additional labor are used when needed, but the Lead is expected to be directly involved in the work and to independently organize daily and weekly priorities without a provided task list. The facility includes approximately 570 commercial LED grow lights, 65 commercial dehumidifiers, approximately 100 circulation fans, environmentally controlled cultivation rooms, commercial HVAC systems, five irrigation/fertigation systems using pumps and injectors, dry-room equipment, pumps, plumbing, drains, associated electrical and control equipment, and warehouse, packaging, and office facilities. Reliability and preventative maintenance are important because the facility operates year-round. The role is responsible for establishing and maintaining preventative maintenance, inspecting and evaluating equipment performance, troubleshooting mechanical and environmental issues, maintaining equipment and repair records, managing spare-parts inventory, and coordinating parts and vendors. The Lead will also help plan and execute facility improvement projects, including physically preparing areas and equipment, unpacking and assembling components, removing old equipment, and assisting with installation. The role supports harvest operations approximately 3–5 days per month and responds to occasional facility emergencies. Preventative maintenance involves evaluating whether equipment performs as expected, not merely confirming that it turns on or has no alarms. The Lead is expected to measure and troubleshoot systematically, including assessing airflow, filters and coils, condensate, temperature and humidity changes, pumps and motors, sensors and controls, electrical/current performance where appropriate, obstructions, equipment placement, and performance against baseline. Current facility projects include cultivation-table upgrades, airflow improvements, LED lighting upgrades, electrical modifications, lighting installation, and evaluation of HVAC and dehumidification capacity. The desired candidate is mechanically inclined, organized, dependable, proactive, comfortable working independently and hands-on, and able to troubleshoot, learn unfamiliar equipment, read manuals and specifications, collect and compare basic performance data, and communicate when outside expertise is needed. Relevant experience in facilities maintenance, HVAC, plumbing, electrical troubleshooting, motors and fans, irrigation, manufacturing, building maintenance, controlled-environment agriculture, greenhouses, food or beverage production, warehouses, or industrial facilities is preferred. Cannabis experience is not required; the employer is willing to teach the cultivation operation to a strong maintenance candidate. Success means making facility operations increasingly predictable: identifying failures early, completing preventative maintenance without reminders, preparing projects before installation, organizing parts and tools, bringing in contractors when their expertise is needed, and taking ownership of facility functionality.

Requirements

Mechanically inclined, organized, dependable, and naturally proactive.
Comfortable working independently and creating daily and weekly priorities.
Comfortable using tools and working hands-on.
Good troubleshooting skills and willingness to learn unfamiliar equipment.
Able to read equipment manuals and specifications.
Comfortable collecting and comparing basic performance data.
Able to communicate clearly when a problem requires outside expertise.
Personally involved in maintenance, repairs, and installation work.

Nice To Haves

Experience in commercial or industrial facilities maintenance.
Experience with HVAC and dehumidification.
Experience with pumps and plumbing.
Experience with electrical troubleshooting.
Experience with motors and fans.
Experience with irrigation systems.
Experience with manufacturing equipment.
Experience with building maintenance.
Experience in controlled-environment agriculture or greenhouses.
Experience in food or beverage production, warehouses, or industrial facilities.
Cannabis experience is not required.

Responsibilities

Create and maintain a preventative-maintenance schedule.
Perform regular inspections and performance checks on facility equipment.
Diagnose equipment that is operating but not performing correctly.
Repair or replace lights, fans, pumps, and other facility equipment.
Monitor and maintain commercial dehumidification equipment.
Identify declining equipment performance before it affects production.
Troubleshoot HVAC, airflow, and environmental-control issues.
Maintain pumps and irrigation equipment systems.
Perform general plumbing, mechanical, and building maintenance.
Maintain equipment and repair records.
Maintain critical spare-parts inventory.
Order parts and coordinate vendors as needed.
Work with HVAC contractors, electricians, engineers, and other specialists.
Prepare areas and equipment in advance of installation projects.
Personally assist with demolition, assembly, and installation work.
Manage larger projects from planning through completion.
Support harvest operations approximately 3–5 days per month.
Respond to occasional facility emergencies.
Evaluate equipment performance using measurements and systematic troubleshooting rather than relying on alarms or guesswork.
Participate in facility improvement projects, including cultivation-table upgrades, airflow improvements, LED lighting upgrades, electrical modifications, lighting installation, and HVAC and dehumidification capacity evaluation.
Independently structure daily and weekly priorities and ensure maintenance and project work is completed.