Senior Maintenance Technician

Salary: $18.00 – $27.00 per hour (non-exempt, eligible for overtime)

The Maintenance Technician supports safe, reliable, and continuous plant operations within a high-volume agricultural manufacturing facility specializing in extracted humate products. This role is highly mechanical in nature and focuses on the inspection, repair, and preventive maintenance of spray drying systems, process pumps, valves, conveying systems, and associated production equipment.

The ideal candidate has direct experience maintaining spray dryers or similar thermal processing equipment and possesses strong mechanical troubleshooting skills across rotating equipment, fluid handling systems, and industrial utilities. This hands‑on position plays a critical role in minimizing downtime, maintaining production efficiency, and ensuring compliance with safety and quality standards.

• Perform preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance on spray drying equipment, including atomizers, rotary components, burners, cyclones, ducting, and associated airflow systems
• Troubleshoot and repair centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, seals, bearings, gearboxes, motors, and mechanical drive systems
• Inspect, maintain, and replace industrial valves (control valves, ball valves, gate valves, diaphragm valves) within process piping systems
• Diagnose and repair mechanical failures in mixers, conveyors, mills, compactors, and bulk material handling systems
• Support maintenance of utility systems including compressed air, steam, dust collection, and process water systems
• Perform alignment, vibration checks, lubrication, and mechanical adjustments to ensure optimal equipment performance
• Respond quickly to production downtime events and execute root cause troubleshooting
• Maintain detailed maintenance records including work orders, parts usage, and equipment history logs
• Assist in maintaining critical spare parts inventory for wear components such as seals, gaskets, bearings, and pump assemblies
• Follow manufacturer specifications and plant Engineering SOPs for maintenance and equipment operation
• Strictly adhere to safety protocols including lockout/tagout (LOTO), confined space entry, hot work permits, and PPE requirements
• Identify equipment reliability improvement opportunities and provide recommendations to Maintenance Supervisor and Engineering
• Assist with equipment upgrades, modifications, and process improvement initiatives
• Communicate clearly with Production and Engineering teams regarding equipment status and repair timelines

• High school diploma or equivalent required; technical training or associate degree in Industrial Maintenance, Mechanical Technology, or related field preferred
• 3+ years of hands‑on mechanical maintenance experience in industrial manufacturing, chemical processing, agricultural processing, or similar environments
• Direct experience maintaining spray dryers or comparable thermal processing systems strongly preferred
• Demonstrated expertise in pumps, valves, piping systems, and rotating equipment repair
• Proficiency in welding (MIG/TIG/Stick) and fabrication preferred
• Working knowledge of mechanical alignment, motor drives, gear reduction systems, and preventive maintenance best practices
• Experience with dust collection and bulk material handling systems preferred
• Strong troubleshooting mindset with ability to independently diagnose mechanical issues
• Safety-conscious with working knowledge of OSHA 1910 standards
• 401(k) contribution match
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance