Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods
Reliability and Electromechanical Team Lead
9 days ago
Elmwood Park
Job Description Uptime champion sought: Are you ready to lead from the front? Imagine joining a food company started by two heart surgeons who believed better eating should be simple. That’s been our trajectory since 1994 at Dr. Praeger’s—keeping ingredients straightforward, flavors craveable, and prep effortless. Our heritage still guides us. Read the story at drpraegers.com. Picture this challenge A conveyor hiccups. A PLC input flickers. Production is watching the clock. You triage, reassign the crew, dive into diagnostics, adjust a VFD parameter, and coach a tech through sensor calibration—all while lining up parts with the Maintenance Coordinator and scheduling a PM for the next window. You’re the translator between mechanics and supervisors, turning complexity into clarity and results. Your mission • Technical excellence: Troubleshoot and repair motors, pneumatics, conveyors, and production machinery; use precision instruments to diagnose mechanical, electrical, and control issues; program/tune PLCs, VFDs, and HMIs; perform high-voltage work safely; fabricate components when needed; keep your skills sharp through ongoing training., • People leadership: Lead a team of mechanics; assign and follow up on work; provide hands-on guidance for complex challenges; onboard and develop new hires; collaborate on schedules to align maintenance with production; model accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement; communicate priorities to Production and leadership., • Operational rigor: Build and run maintenance procedures and schedules; manage tools/parts inventory and procurement with the Maintenance Coordinator; uphold food safety, quality, SOP, and GMP standards; conduct safety inspections and support accident investigations with corrective actions; document logs, reports, and updates in the CMMS. What makes you effective here, • 5+ years of relevant hands-on maintenance experience (mechanical + electrical)., • Technical or university degree preferred; equivalent experience accepted., • Leadership that teaches, motivates, and elevates others., • Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish to connect with a diverse team., • Expertise in PLC hardware/troubleshooting and programming, control circuits, and high-voltage systems., • Bonus familiarity: plumbing, HVAC, and refrigeration., • Proficiency with Microsoft Office and maintenance management software., • Safety-first mindset and dedication to quality. Physical reality of the work, • Frequent plant walk-throughs to assess equipment health., • Hands-on maintenance with lifting up to 50 lbs., • Extended time on the production floor in a fast-moving environment. Career ladder clarity, • Mechanic: Specialist in execution of maintenance tasks and repairs., • Team Lead: Hybrid role—expert technician plus team leadership and coordination. *Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate based on actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.