Job Information
Calbee North America Maintenance Mechanic Lead in Byhalia, Mississippi
Position Summary:
The
Lead Maintenance Mechanic is a hands-on working lead responsible for coordinating day-to-day maintenance activities and performing advanced troubleshooting and repair of production and facility equipment to ensure safe, efficient, and uninterrupted operations. This role sets daily priorities, assigns work to mechanics/technicians, drives preventive and predictive maintenance compliance, and partners with Production and Quality to minimize downtime. Strong diagnostic skills across mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic systems---plus the ability to coach others---are essential in our fast-paced food manufacturing environment.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership & Work Direction
- Lead the maintenance shift team: assign and balance daily work orders, set priorities, and ensure timely completion.
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``` - Coach, mentor, and upskill junior mechanics and technicians; provide on-the-job training and feedback.
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``` - Serve as the first point of contact for breakdown escalations; coordinate rapid response and communication to stakeholders.
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``` - Participate in weekly planning with Maintenance/Production to align resources, PMs, and line changeovers.
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``` - Support onboarding and competency verification for new team members; recommend training plans.
Maintenance Execution
- Perform and oversee preventive, corrective, and predictive maintenance on production and facility equipment.
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``` - Diagnose and resolve mechanical, electrical (up to 480VAC), pneumatic, and hydraulic issues; perform PLC/VFD troubleshooting (basic program navigation/monitoring, parameter adjustments, fault tracing).
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``` - Operate and maintain tools and machinery (e.g., welders, lathes, drill presses); perform light fabrication and stainless welding as needed.
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``` - Support equipment installations, startups, and modifications; coordinate vendors and contractors on-site.
Reliability, Planning & Inventory
- Drive PM completion, precision repairs, and root cause analysis (RCA) to improve MTBF and reduce MTTR.
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``` - Partner with the Maintenance Planner (or act in that capacity) to scope jobs, identify parts/kits, and schedule work with minimal impact to production.
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``` - Help manage critical spare parts and consumables; provide reorder recommendations to prevent stockouts.
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``` - Recommend improvements to PM/PdM strategies and maintenance SOPs based on failure data and trends.
Compliance, Food Safety & EHS
- Ensure compliance with GMPs, SOPs, HACCP, SQF, OSHA, and all regulatory requirements relevant to food manufacturing.
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``` - Champion safety practices, including Arc Flash Program, LOTO, machine guarding, hot-work, confined space, and fall protection.
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``` - Lead/participate in audits, corrective actions, and safety/food safety incident investigations.
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``` - Act as a training resource for forklifts, boom/scissor lifts, and pallet jacks.
Documentation & Systems
- Maintain accurate records of work orders, PMs, parts usage, and inspections in the CMMS.
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``` - Update equipment history, drawings, schematics, and SOPs as changes occur.
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``` - Track and report team metrics (e.g., PM compliance, downtime, MTTR/MTBF) and propose countermeasures.
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``` - Utilize, implement, and coach others on 6S (5S + Safety) where needed.
Collaboration & Communication
- Communicate equipment status, risks, and ETAs to Production, Quality, and leadership in real time.
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``` - Coordinate cross-functional support during changeovers, trials, sanitation, and line startups.
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``` - Provide clear shift handoffs and participate in daily tier meetings.
Qualifications:
- 7+ years of industrial maintenance experience (food manufacturing preferred), including 1--3 years in a lead, senior, or mentor capacity.
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``` - Proficient in troubleshooting mechanical, electrical (up to 480VAC), pneumatic, and hydraulic systems.
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``` - Working knowledge of PLCs and VFDs (fault diagnostics, I/O checks, parameter adjustments; programming experience a plus).
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``` - Experience with MIG/TIG welding, light fabrication, and basic plumbing/carpentry.
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``` - Able to read and interpret technical manuals, drawings, and electrical schematics.
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``` - CMMS experience and familiarity with reliability concepts (RCA, PM optimization, MTTR/MTBF).
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``` - Strong communication, prioritization, and teamwork skills; calm under pressure.
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``` - Professional and courteous etiquette with others