Maintenance Technician (3rd Shift) - Kentwood, MI
DISHER is partnering with a fast-growing snack food manufacturer to add a Maintenance Technician to their team in Kentwood, MI. This company — known as "The House of Snacks" — is the North American headquarters and manufacturing operation of a global snack maker, producing gluten- and nut-free baked crackers and baked and fried salty snacks with wholesome, on-trend ingredients for national brands and major retailers. With rapidly increasing demand and a recent $30M facility expansion, they're growing like crazy. In this role, you'll keep production equipment running safely and efficiently across ovens, fryers, mixers, and packaging lines, balancing preventive maintenance with hands-on troubleshooting in a climate-controlled, food-grade environment.
What it's like to work here:
This is a tight-knit, diverse maintenance team that takes pride in their work and in each other. The shop has a great attitude — people who seek out problems rather than wait for them, interact well with the production floor, and are willing to pitch in beyond a single job title. The environment is clean, climate-controlled, and held to high GMP and food safety standards (BRC, Food Defense, Food Quality), with well-maintained machines and processes. The company invests in its people through an apprenticeship program, ongoing training (including PLC and controls), and a path toward shift leadership for those who want to grow. Honesty and a strong work record matter here.
What you'll get to do:
- Perform preventive maintenance, inspections, and repairs on food manufacturing equipment — mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems — to minimize downtime and keep lines running.
- Troubleshoot emergency breakdowns and respond to production floor requests, prioritizing between scheduled PMs and reactive work orders.
- Follow and support GMP, Food Safety, Food Defense, BRC, and Food Quality policies, and assist in enforcing safety and GMP standards across the facility.
- Read and interpret electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic drawings, blueprints, schematics, and manufacturers' specifications to facilitate repairs and equipment installations.
- Perform equipment setup, start-up, adjustment, changeovers, and proper shutdowns per company standards, including start-of-shift walk-throughs and line start-up check sheets.
- Support Allen Bradley PLC troubleshooting and assist with equipment upgrades, installations, and project work as assigned.
- Train, mentor, and assist other maintenance techs and operators, and act as a contact point for contractors working in the facility.
- Coordinate with operators and maintenance/production leadership to keep lines running through breaks and communicate maintenance activities that impact line efficiency and product quality.
What will make you successful:
- Food manufacturing maintenance experience is strongly preferred — familiarity with GMPs, ovens, fryers, mixers, and food facility equipment.
- Strong mechanical aptitude (mechanical mindset valued over fabrication/shop tool experience); electrical, controls, or PLC exposure is a big plus.
- High school diploma or GED required; an associate's degree in industrial maintenance technology (or similar) is a plus, but demonstrated ability matters more than years — they care about how quickly you pick things up.
- A willingness to wear multiple hats and do more than one thing in a non-union environment.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and handle the physical demands of a production floor (standing, climbing, kneeling, working at heights).
- Computer literacy, excellent interpersonal skills, strong attendance, and above all — honesty.