Maintenance Mechanic Technician (Spice Mill Mfg.)

U.S. Spice Mills•Glendale Heights, IL

12d•Onsite

About The Position

U.S. Spice Mills is hiring an experienced, certified, bilingual (Spanish and English) Maintenance Mechanic Technician for the first shift at its Glendale Heights, Illinois facility. The role oversees and performs installation, programming, repair, and preventive maintenance for processing machinery, automated packaging lines, quality inspection systems, electrical networks, control systems, and facility structures. The technician helps ensure continuous production, food safety compliance, and dust hazard control across equipment used for spice milling, conveying, packaging, sealing, labeling, and quality inspection. The position requires practical knowledge of PLCs, electrical troubleshooting, cause-and-effect programming, and I/O mapping. Work also includes maintaining dust collection systems and facility utilities, following GMP, HACCP, and SQF requirements, and observing workplace safety programs. The technician uses the plant CMMS to document maintenance activity and related information.

Requirements

Bilingual Spanish and English, with proficient speaking and writing skills in both languages.
High school diploma or GED.
Three to five years of industrial maintenance experience in manufacturing; food, ingredient, grain, or pharmaceutical processing experience is preferred.
Licensed or certified in at least one of the listed areas: Industrial Maintenance Mechanic/Millwright; Journeyman or Master Electrician; Certified Automation Professional or accredited PLC/automation certification; or Mechatronics.
Skill with precision measuring tools such as micrometers, calipers, and dial indicators, and with shaft alignment methods.
Basic computer skills for CMMS entries, email, and electronic SOPs.
Working knowledge of mechanical power transmission, pumps, bearings, gearboxes, and conveyors.
Working knowledge of pneumatic and hydraulic systems.
Basic welding and fabrication skills.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Industrial Maintenance.
Ability to safely troubleshoot 120–480V AC electrical circuits, motors, and controls.

Responsibilities

Install, program, repair, and perform preventive maintenance on processing machinery, automated packaging lines, quality inspection systems, electrical networks, control systems, and facility structures.
Read, modify, and troubleshoot PLC code, including ladder logic and function blocks, and assess how logic changes affect downstream inputs and outputs.
Trace, test, and calibrate discrete and analog inputs and outputs, including sensors, switches, solenoids, VFD speed references, and motor contactors.
Configure HMI screens and operating parameters, scale analog inputs, and adjust recipes and run parameters while preserving safety interlocks.
Configure and troubleshoot PLCs, VFDs, safety relays, and industrial network communications.
Maintain and repair mills, spice grinders, sifters, vibratory separators, screw conveyors, augers, hoppers, chains, gearboxes, pneumatic transfer components, and in-line flow magnets.
Troubleshoot, calibrate, and repair automated box formers, bag inserters, vacuum pick-and-place mechanisms, and box-folding sequences.
Service industrial heat sealers and automatic box and bag labeling equipment.
Maintain and overhaul dust collection systems, baghouses, ductwork, and explosion-venting systems.
Repair compressed air systems, air dryers, hydraulic dock levelers, facility plumbing, lighting, and general rooftop HVAC units.
Maintain compliance with GMP, HACCP, and SQF standards, and follow food-grade lubrication and post-repair cleanup protocols.
Enforce Lockout/Tagout, Confined Space Entry, and Hot Work permit safety programs.
Perform scheduled preventive maintenance through the plant CMMS and log repairs, PLC edits, spare-parts usage, and root-cause failure analyses.