Maintenance Technician – Egg Processing / Diamond 8300

Department: Maintenance / Egg Processing

Reports To: Maintenance Manager / Processing Manager

Job Type: Full-Time

Position Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Maintenance Technician to support its egg processing operation in Colorado. This position will have a primary focus on the Diamond 8300 egg grading and packing system, along with conveyors and other supporting processing equipment.

The Maintenance Technician is responsible for preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, repairs, adjustments, and equipment improvements that keep the processing operation running safely and efficiently.

This is a strong opportunity for someone who enjoys being on the floor, solving mechanical problems, and working directly with production to reduce downtime and keep eggs moving through the plant.

Essential Job Functions

• Perform preventive and corrective maintenance on the Diamond 8300 egg grader/packer and associated processing equipment.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, conveyor, sensor, motor, drive, and control-related equipment issues.
• Diagnose equipment failures and make timely repairs to minimize production downtime.
• Inspect, adjust, repair, and replace components including belts, chains, bearings, rollers, sprockets, motors, gearboxes, sensors, switches, solenoids, conveyors and related components.
• Perform routine lubrication, alignment, tensioning, adjustments, and equipment inspections.
• Troubleshoot egg flow issues through loading, washing, grading, transfer, packing, and conveying areas.
• Assist with setup, calibration, adjustment, and testing of grading and packing equipment.
• Identify recurring equipment failures and work toward root-cause solutions rather than repeated temporary repairs.
• Partner closely with processing operators and supervisors to identify equipment issues before they result in significant downtime.
• Coordinate planned maintenance around production schedules.
• Maintain accurate records of PMs, repairs, equipment inspections, parts replaced, and recurring equipment issues.
• Assist with maintaining critical spare-parts inventory for the Diamond 8300 and related processing equipment.
• Support equipment installations, modifications, fabrication, and continuous-improvement projects.
• Follow all Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), PPE, food safety, sanitation, and company safety procedures.
• Maintain equipment in a manner that supports food safety, product quality, and sanitation requirements.
• Assist production employees with basic equipment troubleshooting and proper equipment operation.
• Respond to equipment breakdowns with a sense of urgency while maintaining safe work practices.

Hickman’s current maintenance postings similarly emphasize troubleshooting mechanical/electrical problems, calibration, belts, motors, sensors, conveyors, preventive maintenance, maintenance records, and minimizing downtime.

Qualifications

Required

• 2+ years of industrial maintenance, manufacturing maintenance, equipment service, or similar mechanical experience preferred.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting ability.
• Experience working with conveyors, motors, bearings, chains, belts, gearboxes, sensors, pneumatic components, or similar industrial equipment.
• Ability to read and understand equipment manuals, schematics, diagrams, and maintenance instructions.
• Comfortable using hand tools, power tools, meters, and standard maintenance equipment.
• Ability to work independently and make sound troubleshooting decisions during production.
• Willingness to work around food-processing equipment in a fast-paced production environment.
• Strong commitment to safety and Lockout/Tagout procedures.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including occasional weekends, overtime, or off-shift coverage based on production needs.

Highly Preferred

• Direct Diamond 8300 experience
• Previous egg grading/packing equipment experience
• Egg processing or poultry industry experience
• Conveyor maintenance experience
• Electrical troubleshooting
• Pneumatic troubleshooting
• Motors, drives and sensors
• Welding/fabrication
• Preventive maintenance/CMMS experience
• Experience troubleshooting automated production equipment
• Spanish/English bilingual ability

What Would Make Someone Especially Strong

The ideal candidate does not necessarily have to come from the egg industry.

Someone coming from food manufacturing, packaging, automated manufacturing, distribution/conveyor systems, dairy, meat processing, beverage, automotive, or other high-speed production environments could transfer well if they have strong mechanical troubleshooting experience.

However, someone who has actually worked on a Diamond 8300—or another commercial egg grader such as MOBA or SANOVO—would be especially attractive because they could bring immediate familiarity with egg flow, grading, conveying, sensors, packing, and the unique downtime issues associated with egg processing.

Work Environment

This is a hands-on maintenance position in an active egg processing/agricultural environment. The technician must be comfortable working around moving production equipment, conveyors, wet-processing/sanitation areas, noise, varying temperatures, and food-production conditions.

The position requires frequent standing, walking, bending, reaching, climbing, and accessing equipment from above, below, and within production areas. Our maintenance descriptions also call for technicians who can work around noise, dust and varying temperatures and physically access equipment for repairs