Maintenance Technician III

Dr. Squatch•Brea, CA

9d•$30 - $40•Onsite

About The Position

Dr. Squatch is seeking an experienced Maintenance Technician III to support our high-volume manufacturing and packaging operation in Brea, California. This is not an entry-level maintenance position. We are looking for a highly skilled industrial maintenance technician who can independently troubleshoot complex manufacturing equipment, identify root causes of failures, safely perform electrical and mechanical repairs, and restore equipment to production with urgency and precision. The ideal candidate has strong hands-on manufacturing experience and is comfortable troubleshooting systems that include 480V/3-phase electrical power, motors, VFDs, sensors, controls, conveyors, pneumatic systems, pumps, process equipment, and automated packaging machinery. You will serve as one of the senior technical resources on the maintenance team, support less-experienced technicians, contribute to preventive and predictive maintenance programs, and help eliminate recurring equipment failures. Candidates should expect to complete a practical technical skills assessment as part of the selection process. This is a full-time, onsite role with company benefits based in Brea, CA. This role reports to the Maintenance Supervisor. The anticipated compensation range for this role is $30 - $40 per hour. Compensation will be commensurate with the candidate's experience and local market rates.

Requirements

5+ years of industrial maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment, or equivalent demonstrated technical capability.
Strong electrical troubleshooting experience on industrial manufacturing equipment.
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot 480V three-phase industrial electrical systems.
Strong understanding of electrical controls, motors, VFDs, relays, contactors, sensors, and safety circuits.
Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics and ladder diagrams.
Experience troubleshooting PLC-controlled manufacturing equipment.
Strong mechanical troubleshooting and repair capability.
Experience with pneumatic systems.
Experience troubleshooting automated manufacturing, processing, or packaging equipment.
Ability to safely use a digital multimeter and other electrical diagnostic equipment.
Strong understanding of Lockout/Tagout and industrial maintenance safety practices.
Ability to troubleshoot independently without step-by-step supervision.
Ability to communicate technical issues clearly to maintenance and operations leadership.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Nice To Haves

7+ years of industrial maintenance experience.
Experience in CPG, food, beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, chemical, or other high-volume manufacturing environments.
Experience maintaining automated packaging equipment.
Experience maintaining process equipment such as mixers, pumps, tanks, batching equipment, filling equipment, conveyors, cooling systems, or similar assets.
Experience with PLC platforms such as Allen-Bradley / Rockwell Automation, including using PLC software for troubleshooting.
Experience with HMIs, VFD configuration, industrial networking, and controls troubleshooting.
Experience with servo motors or motion-control systems.
Experience with industrial refrigeration, chillers, HVAC, or utilities.
Welding or fabrication experience.
Experience working within a formal CMMS program.
Familiarity with preventive and predictive maintenance principles.
Experience participating in equipment installation, commissioning, or capital projects.
Technical certification, industrial electrical training, mechatronics education, or equivalent technical schooling.

Responsibilities

Independently diagnose and repair complex electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and controls-related equipment failures.
Respond rapidly to production equipment downtime and systematically troubleshoot to identify the true root cause of failure.
Troubleshoot industrial electrical systems including 24VDC control circuits, 120VAC control systems, 208/240VAC equipment, and 480VAC three-phase systems.
Troubleshoot motors and motor starters, VFDs, relays and contactors, photoelectric and proximity sensors, limit switches, solenoids, power supplies, breakers and fuses, and safety circuits and interlocks.
Use digital multimeters and other diagnostic instruments safely and effectively.
Read and interpret electrical schematics, ladder diagrams, mechanical drawings, pneumatic diagrams, OEM manuals, and equipment documentation.
Troubleshoot automated manufacturing and packaging equipment involving conveyors, motors, gearboxes, bearings, chains, belts, sensors, actuators, pumps, and control systems.
Diagnose issues logically rather than relying solely on component replacement or trial-and-error.
Perform repairs that restore equipment safely while preventing repeat failures.
Troubleshoot equipment controlled by PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, sensors, and automated control systems.
Use PLC interfaces and diagnostic information to identify input/output, sensor, sequence, and equipment faults.
Understand PLC logic well enough to determine whether an issue originates from field devices, electrical circuits, mechanical systems, or control logic.
Troubleshoot failed sensors, switches, actuators, solenoids, relays, motors, drives, and control devices.
Assist Engineering and outside integrators with equipment modifications, controls improvements, and automation projects.
Support equipment commissioning, installation, startup, and validation activities.
Troubleshoot and repair bearings, gearboxes, motors, shafts, couplings, chains and sprockets, belts and pulleys, pumps, valves, conveyors, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic components, process equipment, and packaging equipment.
Perform equipment alignment, adjustment, tensioning, lubrication, replacement, and precision installation.
Identify abnormal conditions including excessive vibration, heat, noise, wear, misalignment, and improper operation.
Perform mechanical repairs using appropriate hand tools, power tools, precision measuring tools, and maintenance equipment.
Support fabrication, modification, welding, or equipment improvement activities when qualified.
Execute scheduled preventive maintenance thoroughly and on time.
Inspect equipment for signs of deterioration and identify issues before they result in unplanned downtime.
Provide detailed PM findings and recommend corrective actions.
Help improve PM procedures based on equipment failure history and actual machine condition.
Identify opportunities to move from reactive repair toward preventive and predictive maintenance.
Support lubrication, inspection, condition-monitoring, and equipment-life-extension programs.
Participate in critical spare-parts identification and provide recommendations based on failure history.
Support maintenance planning and backlog reduction.
Participate in and lead troubleshooting efforts for significant or recurring equipment failures.
Use structured problem-solving techniques including 5 Why, fault isolation, failure-mode analysis, and root-cause analysis.
Move beyond repairing symptoms to identify the underlying cause of recurring failures.
Recommend permanent corrective actions, including mechanical, electrical, controls, or process improvements.
Partner with Production, Engineering, Quality, and Safety to improve overall equipment reliability.
Identify equipment weaknesses and recommend improvements that increase reliability, throughput, safety, maintainability, equipment life, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
Respond to equipment breakdowns with appropriate urgency while maintaining safe work practices.
Clearly communicate equipment condition, troubleshooting findings, estimated repair requirements, and production impact to operations leadership.
Work closely with production operators and supervisors to understand equipment behavior and identify failure patterns.
Verify equipment operation after repairs before returning machinery to full production.
Perform effective shift handoffs documenting unresolved equipment issues, temporary repairs, and required follow-up work.
Support continuous manufacturing operations and show flexibility when equipment emergencies require additional troubleshooting support.
Demonstrate strong working knowledge of Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), electrical safe-work practices, machine guarding, stored-energy control, arc-flash awareness, pneumatic and hydraulic energy isolation, proper PPE use, safe use of ladders and lifts, hot-work requirements, confined-space awareness where applicable, and safe troubleshooting of energized equipment.
Never bypass, defeat, or improperly modify machine-safety systems.
Follow all company safety policies and maintenance procedures, and properly isolate hazardous energy before performing maintenance.
Identify unsafe equipment conditions and escalate risks immediately.
Maintain machine guarding, safety interlocks, emergency stops, and other safety systems in proper operating condition.
Participate in Job Safety Analyses, equipment risk assessments, and maintenance-related safety improvements.
Accurately document maintenance activities in the company's CMMS.
Complete work orders with clear descriptions of the equipment failure, root cause, corrective action, parts used, and follow-up requirements.
Record equipment downtime and repair activity accurately.
Maintain strong work-order discipline and close assigned work within established expectations.
Support the development and improvement of PM procedures and equipment maintenance standards.
Help maintain accurate equipment history so recurring failure trends can be identified and eliminated.
Serve as a technical resource during complex breakdowns.
Assist and coach Maintenance Technicians I and II on troubleshooting methodology and safe repair practices.
Share technical knowledge and troubleshooting techniques with the broader maintenance team.
Help establish strong maintenance workmanship standards and support continuous improvement of maintenance processes and technician capability.
Escalate appropriately when Engineering, OEM, controls-integrator, or specialized vendor support is required.