Maintenance Technician

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.