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Lead Maintenance Technician

Department: Maintenance / Operations    Reports to: Director of Operations    Type: Full-Time

The Lead Maintenance Technician is the senior hands-on maintenance expert for the entire facility, responsible for keeping our roasters, grinding and packaging equipment, and plant systems running reliably. This role leads the maintenance function day to day — performing and directing repairs, building and executing the preventive maintenance program, managing spare parts, and supervising maintenance staff. The ideal candidate is a strong mechanical and electrical troubleshooter who has maintained production equipment in a food manufacturing environment and can take true ownership of plant reliability.

Key Responsibilities

Equipment Maintenance & Repair

•       Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair six Probat roasters and supporting systems — burners and gas trains, drums, airflow and exhaust, cooling, destoners, afterburners, and controls

•       Maintain and repair grinding, bagging, form-fill-seal, and single-serve (K-cup) filling and lidding equipment, including high-speed automated packaging lines

•       Diagnose and resolve mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and controls issues quickly to minimize production downtime

•       Maintain plant support systems including air compressors, dust collection, conveyors, material handling, and building systems

•       Support installation, commissioning, and startup of new equipment and capital projects

Preventive Maintenance & Reliability

•       Build, document, and execute a preventive maintenance program covering all production equipment and facility systems

•       Establish and manage a spare parts inventory and vendor relationships for critical components

•       Track downtime and recurring failures; drive root-cause fixes rather than repeat repairs

•       Coordinate with OEM technical support (Probat, packaging equipment manufacturers) and outside contractors on major repairs and overhauls

Leadership & Compliance

•       Lead, schedule, and develop maintenance technicians; set priorities and standards for workmanship

•       Maintain accurate maintenance records, equipment histories, and PM documentation

•       Ensure all work meets food safety (GMP, HACCP, SQF or similar), OSHA, lockout/tagout, and environmental requirements, including afterburner and air-quality compliance

•       Communicate daily with production and management on equipment status, planned downtime, and repair priorities

Qualifications

Required

•       7+ years of industrial maintenance experience in manufacturing, with at least 2 years in a lead or supervisory role

•       Strong mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills — motors, drives, gearboxes, bearings, pneumatics, sensors, and 480V 3-phase systems

•       Hands-on experience maintaining automated production or packaging equipment (food/beverage manufacturing strongly preferred)

•       Experience with combustion equipment and gas-fired systems (burners, gas trains, thermal oxidizers/afterburners) or demonstrated ability to learn them quickly

•       Working knowledge of PLCs and machine controls (Allen-Bradley/Siemens) for troubleshooting purposes

•       Experience building or running a preventive maintenance program, including parts inventory and documentation

•       Familiarity with GMP, HACCP, OSHA, and lockout/tagout requirements in a food plant

•       Ability to work flexible hours and respond to off-hours equipment emergencies as needed

Preferred

•       Direct experience with coffee roasting equipment (Probat preferred) or similar thermal process equipment

•       Experience with high-speed single-serve filling equipment (Rychiger or similar)

•       Welding and fabrication skills

•       Experience with CMMS (computerized maintenance management systems)

•       Electrical license, PLC certification, or relevant technical degree/trade certification

•       Bilingual English/Spanish

Physical Requirements

•       Ability to work in a hot production environment around industrial equipment

•       Ability to lift up to 50 lbs, work from ladders, lifts, and elevated platforms, and access confined spaces

•       Ability to stand, walk, kneel, and work hands-on for extended periods

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive salary commensurate with experience, plus health benefits, paid time off, and 401(k).

FreshBrew Group is an equal opportunity employer.

FreshBrew Group is one of the fastest-growing coffee manufacturing companies in North America, providing private-label and branded coffee, tea, and beverage solutions to some of the largest retailers, convenience store chains, foodservice operators, airlines, and hospitality organizations in the world.

Operating from our SQF-certified manufacturing facilities, FreshBrew specializes in coffee roasting, single-serve cups, bagged coffee, tea packaging, liquid coffee extraction, and custom beverage development. As we continue our rapid growth, acquisitions, and expansion into new product categories, we are investing heavily in world-class operations, supply chain management, and customer service.

We are looking for driven professionals who thrive in a fast-paced environment and want to help build the future of a high-growth manufacturing company.