Maintenance Mechanic

Overview

Responsibilities

• Preventative maintenance – Each piece of factory equipment has a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual preventative maintenance plan that you’ll oversee so that we have minimal downtime and it’s easy for our chocolate makers to reach their goals and improve our chocolate quality each year. The preventative maintenance includes lubrication, cleaning filters, replacing parts, tuning the tension on belts, and ordering replacement parts as necessary. Complete the preventative maintenance plan according to the calendar and where the plan is out of date or doesn’t make sense, improve the plan so that our preventative maintenance program is a strategic part of our operations. Complete an end of the day report with notes for the Chocolate Production team so they understand how the machine was maintained. Leave each workspace sanitized and ready for the next day’s production. We will be tracking factory uptime as well as number of days between incidents and when preventative maintenance is at its best, we hope to see both of these metrics improve each year.
• Weights and calibration – Check and calibrate our temperature, scales, and sensors to ensure they are accurate and maintain a monthly log that will be reviewed in future FDA inspections.
• Machine maintenance -- Work with tried-and-true chocolate-making equipment as well as finicky Italian tempering machines, a restored vintage wrapping machine, and ad hoc R&D prototypes so our teams consistently beat their monthly production goals while being proud of their craft. Make tricky calls on the fly – when is a temporary fix necessary (though rarely ideal!) to meet important goals. When do we buy a new machine rather than continuously make repairs? When this role is going well, there are few surprises, and you help maintain a sense of calm, stability, and positivity across the factory floor.
• Parts management – You will be responsible for ordering new parts, making note of shipping expenses (e.g. don’t order distilled water from McMaster-Carr for $150 when you get it at Safeway for $2). When parts arrive, make sure that they are logged in MaintainX and any extras are easy to find for the future. In critical situations, call shops around San Francisco (Home Depot, Electrical Supply shop, etc) to see if we can find a part in a few hours rather than relying upon
• Safety and food safety -- Oversee lock out /tag out procedures and machine inspection lists, use a forklift safely (training will be provided), assist with SOPs, perform repairs with factory safety and sanitation in mind, and work on risk mitigation projects. Chocolate is extremely sensitive to dust, moisture, and fumes, so be hyper-aware of cleaning chemicals and potential allergens, avoid any maintenance procedure that might introduce water or excessive moisture into the chocolate batches, and help maintain our high bar for chocolate quality. If you see any potentially unsafe actions or environments in risk assessment, address or escalate the issues immediately until the situation is resolved.
• Workshop oversight -- Maintain a clean, organized, and inventoried workshop with tools and spare parts that are well-maintained while keeping any dangerous chemicals, potentially unsafe tools, or expensive equipment locked down so that the right tools are always in the right place for only properly trained technicians.
• Systems & processes -- When new machines come online, research them, oversee the installation, create new inspection checklists, assist with safety procedures, develop safeguarding equipment, and oversee a maintenance schedule and repair log so that the machines are dependable for years to come with zero injuries. Develop accessible, visible maintenance schedules to avoid production downtime. Oversee a maintenance log recording each machine’s history with reporting to understand each machine’s uptime and maintenance expense. Regularly meet with Production Director and exec team members to provide status updates and adjust maintenance priorities depending upon overall strategy.
• Long-term projects -- Develop a system for addressing longer-term projects that might not get attention otherwise so that approximately 15% of your day-to-day is working towards future-thinking projects. Those projects might include building a safety guard for a wrapping machine, reaching out to a gearbox manufacturer to see if a synthetic lubricant would require less maintenance, or simply working with a chocolate maker who you overheard ask, “Why aren’t the beans moving very fast today.” Our goal is that our factory is in better condition than it was the prior year.
• Vendors, manufacturers, and partnerships -- You’re the first to admit when a project is outside your area of expertise, and you have a network of trusted professionals (especially electrical!) to turn to for tricky issues. You oversee vendor work as necessary to ensure that the root issues are addressed and that the repair bills are kept in check. You are comfortable writing emails to manufacturers to ask about replacement pumps, ball bearings, or gaskets so that we order the right parts and minimize how long we have to run with temporary fixes.
• Team player -- Be sensitive about working in another team’s workspace, including cleaning up after projects and leaving notes when a temporary fix is necessary so that the team understands how to work around unfinished projects. Proactively follow up with team members to see if a safety guard or repair is working out for them. Be a welcoming presence in the factory that team members want to work with again and again.
• On-call -- While rare, be available on-call to assist with chocolate production emergencies. If after-hours work is necessary to avoid disrupting production, adjust working hours accordingly to avoid excessive overtime.
• Other tasks as necessary

Qualifications & Experience

• ■ Schedule – Our Production team makes chocolate in one shift Monday through Friday. The team has two huddles at 8am and 3pm each day. We’ve found that it’s convenient to have hours either earlier or later than the team though some overlap is helpful to talk with the Chocolate Maker 1-1. While the schedule is flexible, we ask that you attend one of the
• huddles each day (either morning or afternoon) so you can get a firsthand report of how the
• factory is running.
• ■ Machine know-how -- You can diagnose electrical issues with a multimeter, know how to read a machine spec, and . Extraordinary technical background with technical certification and prior experience working with machines and shop equipment. You have a generalist
• background that includes gears, pumps, motors, electrical, belts, and general machinery,
• ideally in an industrial or professional shop setting where efficient troubleshooting is
• essential to meet production schedules. While we do not require electrical certification, some of our equipment is 480 volts and you should observe all safety practices.
• ■ Critical thinking -- Extraordinary problem-solving skills. You componentize problems to
• address issues more readily and use rigorous logic methods to challenge your initial instincts and hypotheses.
• ■ Physical strength -- This role requires lifting 50 lbs or more to service equipment using
• appropriate PPE and forklifts when necessary. Some repairs may require maintaining an
• awkward position for prolonged periods or using 8-12 foot ladders.
• ■ Communication -- Strong communication skills. You can break down a complex issue into
• plainspoken English that can be easily understood by anyone in the organization.
• ■ Tech skills -- Your office skills will require Google Spreadsheets, Google Docs, and MaintainX to maintain maintenance logs, review blueprints & schematics, send emails to vendors, and to keep documents easily accessible and up-to-date. Your documentation will require taking pictures and uploading them into Google Docs or MaintainX for logging. Each Chocolate Maker has a start-of-day and end-of-day checklist by machine and you have the tech skills to make modifications to the checklists and SOPs. As necessary, pick up new software tools as necessary for the business.
• ■ Food-safe Factory experience -- Previous experience working in a production line or in an
• industrial food setting is a huge plus.
• The hourly rate for this position is $46/hour DOE. This range is a good-faith estimate based on factors such as relevant skills, experience, education, training, geographic location and other considerations permitted by law. An employee’s pay history will not be a contributing factor where prohibited by local law. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis unless a deadline is otherwise stated.
• In addition to monetary compensation, we offer a competitive benefits package which includes 401k, medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, short-term disability, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity. More information can be found by visiting flimp.live/TrueBlueAssociates. Other compensations include referral bonuses opportunities. Learn more at https:/skilled.peopleready.com/referral/.
• PeopleReady Skilled Trades is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religious affiliation, color, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by law. We will get to know you and connect you with jobs that match your skills, experience and preferences. We work hard every single day to find jobs so each employee has opportunity and variety in their work.
• TrueBlue, Inc. and its brands welcome and encourage applications from candidates with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in the selection process. If you require disability-related accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact your Recruiter or Employee Relations at HR-Advice@trueblue.com or 1.800.610.8920. TrueBlue, Inc. and its brands will consult with all applicants who request disability-related accommodation during the recruitment process to ensure that the accommodation provided takes into account the applicant's individual accessibility needs.