JOB FILLED - Facilities and Maintenance Technician - Joe Produce | Produce Jobs, Produce Careers, Agriculture Jobs, Agriculture Careers

Job Description:

Upward Farms designs and operates complete ecosystems of plants and fish in vertical farms, supplying these organic products to local grocers. We are currently expanding and have recently opened a new cutting-edge, fully automated facility in Brooklyn. More and larger farms are in the works. Our mission is to heal the broken food system and reconnect eaters with flavorful and nutritious local food.

We are seeking a Facilities and Maintenance Technician who will support the maintenance of the facilities and equipment for this new headquarters, which houses commercial production, R&D, and business operations. You will report to the Facilities and Maintenance Manager and work with stakeholders across our Farm Operations and Engineering teams to ensure the functionality of our systems.

Location

This role will require you to be in-person at our HQ facility, located at 181 Lombardy Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222.

Success

Your objective is to detect, diagnose, solve, and then prevent recurrence of mechanical failures in our new facility. Success in this role enables the efficient ramp up of production activities. The ultimate responsibilities and contributions of this person will be shaped around the individual we hire and their background. There is tremendous room for growth at our company.

Responsibilities

Perform routine mechanical maintenance and build mechanical systems. Including but not limited to; modern and automated indoor agriculture, aquaculture (plant and fish growing systems), food processing equipment, and material handling equipment.
Respond to requests in an on-call manner in support of the operations teams during production days, diagnosing and solving mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or other building level issues.
Identify, diagnose, and recommend physical interventions, or changes to SOPs based on failure modes of equipment.
Contribute to optimizing efficiency and service life of equipment by identifying operational improvements through root-cause analysis.
Contribute to the continual improvement of processes, logistics, and operations of the facility.
Work cross-functionally to develop/build and maintain tools, automated and non-automated systems, and prototypes for Upward Farms facilities.
Liaise with Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) regarding Upward Farms facility design and construction.
Interface with Building Management Systems (BMS) and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), keeping records for preventative maintenance and responding to tickets.
Maintain and follow a lockout-tagout program for hazardous materials and equipment.
Manage logistics with parts suppliers and waste hauling companies.
Send and receive palletized deliveries at an ad hoc basis using a forklift.
Maintain and charge forklifts and scissor lifts.
Contribute to success in farming operations by performing a variety of support tasks as required for aquaculture and horticulture facilities and operations.
Maintain the highest standards of food safety and cleanliness in all work.
Perform duties in compliance with all city, county, state and federal agricultural/industrial, food and safety policies, guidelines and/or regulations, including obtaining/maintaining all required licensing, certification, or documentation.

Requirements

3+ years of experience as a maintenance technician, facilities technician, mechanic, or similar position.
Proficiency with modern Building Management Systems (BMS) and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS).
Excellent communication skills, flexibility, and empathy.
Computer literacy and competency.
Extensive knowledge of plumbing, electrical, carpentry, HVAC, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems.
Experience maintaining and repairing motors, actuators, or other machinery.
Live, breathe, and preach workplace safety.
Ability to read mechanical schematics, blueprints, and plans.
Lift, carry, push, or pull objects up to 50 pounds.
Be available off-hours (according to a predetermined coverage schedule) to respond to emergency situations at the facility and mitigate critical situations within 30 minutes.

Preferred Skills + Experience

High school diploma or GED
Relevant vocational or professional training, certifications, or degrees (trades, OSHA, etc.)
Experience with software for the management of issues / ticketing, assets, or preventative maintenance (aka CMMS software)
Experience with rigging, lifting, hoisting of machinery
Experience using and working around heavy machinery including forklifts, scissor lifts and related equipment
Expertise with general purpose hand and power tools
Driver’s license
OSHA-10 and/or 30 certification
Forklift safety certification
Fluency and expertise in forklift operation

Benefits

We offer a dynamic work environment and benefits that include:

Aetna Medical, Aetna and MetLife Dental, and Aetna Vision insurance; FSA/HSA plans; and HIPAA-compliant health advocates. Upward Farms contributes 80-95% of the premium for Medical benefits for employees and their families.
Up to 10 days paid sick leave. For extended illness, we offer disability leave.
Up to 20 days paid time off per year, depending on experience, in addition to paid holidays.
For new parents, an extension of New York State’s paid family leave for up to 18 weeks of fully paid parental leave. This leave is in addition to Disability leave available to pregnant and postpartum mothers.
401(k)
Commuter benefits, discounted bike shares, and other perks.
Fresh salad, and lots of it!

Working Here

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our needs are unique and varied so we value colleagues with diverse backgrounds. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and/or protected veteran status.

Please note we do not provide immigration sponsorship for this position; applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

In response to the December 13, 2021 Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the Workplace, employees of Upward Farms are required to have completed at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of their vaccination status prior to commencing employment, in the state of New York. Upward Farms will consider requests for reasonable accommodation in accordance with Upward Farms’ policy and applicable law.