Maintenance Lead Jobs

PORTA is an authentic Italian manufacturer of artisanal, ready-to-cook frozen meals. We produce restaurant-quality dishes using only the finest Italian and locally-sourced ingredients, traditional recipes and a very simple cooking process that takes less than 15-minutes. We want to make every home cook feel like a chef and we do that by making it easier to access, order and cook the best that Italy has to offer right in your home. PORTA currently offers a range of frozen pizzas, pasta kits, raviolis, desserts, pastries and risotto. We distribute Direct-to-Consumer in more than 50 cities through a meal subscription at http://www.eatporta.com and are also available in almost 100 specialty and grocery stores. PORTA is a venture-backed food-tech company that is led by a team of experienced entrepreneurs, culinary geniuses, and brand builders.

The Role

PORTA is looking for a technically minded and hands-on Maintenance Lead to join our team. Reporting to the VP, Operations, you will ensure facility and equipment are available to achieve production schedule in a manner that fully complies with all regulatory agencies and PORTA’s business needs. Producing artisanal, ready-to-cook frozen meals requires that all aspects of our maintenance program support our Quality and Food Safety programs, and uphold requirements established by Ministry of Labour, Employment Standards Act, OHSA, & Ministry of Environment. PORTA is looking for a Maintenance Lead who can build and execute our maintenance program.

In this role, you will need to have the ability to take ownership for facility assets, production, process & packaging assets, give direction & work effectively with 3rd party technical contractors, suppliers, & the landlord. This role will have direct reports in future as asset base grows and operations expands to multiple shifts. The successful candidate will be an effective people leader, possess technical capability and the ability to coach / teach both production employees & future maintenance team members.

Requirements

• Sanitation – Identifies potential / likely ways in which sanitation practices can cause damage. Takes steps, makes minor modifications to prevent this.
• Ensure Facility & Central Utilities Operate Effectively – First contact person for facility issues – including refrigeration, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, dock doors, site security, etc. Knows when to perform a repair themselves and when to bring in 3rd party licensed contractors.
• Develop & Grow Relationships with key suppliers, establish service level agreements for field support, & learn the technical fundamentals across a broad range of equipment,
• Maintenance Consumables – Ensures consumables such as filters, lubricants, & coolants are available and fully comply with Quality system requirements
• Develop & Record a Preventive Maintenance (PM) Plan for every asset, including scheduling 3rd party contractors to perform scheduled PM work
• Work Order Ownership - maintains detailed records of all work orders whether using internal or external resources
• Ensure Equipment Works at Standard Level of Performance – The majority of equipment at this facility is brand new. Be familiar with all equipment manuals, read them and use for troubleshooting, create asset specific preventive maintenance plans, own the calibration records, respond to downtime events & equipment malfunctions, maintain strategic spare parts on site,
• Safety - Strong bias to people safety & protection of assets. Owns the Lock Out Tag Out Program

About You

• Strong work ethic with meticulous attention to detail and a “can do” attitude
• Organized, critical thinker with excellent communication ability
• Sees humility as strength – knows when limits of knowledge have been reached and when it’s time to call in experts. Doesn’t allow ego to affect performance
• Technically competent across a wide range of equipment & systems. Can quickly grasp the mechanical and electrical fundamentals of all the equipment on site. (Equipment ranges from blast freezers, to ovens, mixers, conveyors, compressed air, with more added as the business grows.)
• Schedule flexibility – able to be on call as needed for emergency situations
• Proactive and conscientious – able to identify and anticipate problems and recommend creative and practical solutions
• Must thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic company environment – PORTA is installing new equipment, finishing an major building renovation, and establishing business processes all at the same time
• Ability to collaborate with various cross-functional partners (production, customer service teams)
• Respects Standards. Is an effective record keeper with knowledge of HACCP, GMP and food regulations (Safe Food for Canadians Act & SQF Standards)

Skills

• Ability to network and build high trust relationships with a wide variety of trades & technical support personnel from equipment suppliers
• Experience in either facility or equipment maintenance preferred
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Quickly grasp the fundamentals across a wide range of mechanical and electrical systems
• Strong organization skills and attention to detailed documentation
• Post-secondary education or equivalent – mechanical or electrical field of study

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Benefits
• Free Italian food!
• Bonus plan