Automation Maintenance Lead – Allen-Bradley / Siemens PLCs & VFDs
Up to $38.00/hr + Shift Differentials & Bonuses • Greater Milwaukee, WI • All Shifts Available • Direct-Hire
- Pay & Incentives: Baseline starting pay up to $38.00/hour (scaling directly with technical depth) + competitive shift differentials, multiple corporate performance bonuses throughout the year, profit sharing, and full corporate benefits package.
- Work Pattern/Schedule: Choice of traditional shifts (Monday – Friday): 1st Shift (7:00 AM – 3:00 PM), 2nd Shift (3:00 PM – 11:00 PM), or 3rd Shift (11:00 PM – 7:00 AM).
- Environment & Company Profile: Direct-hire seat with an established market leader in Greater Milwaukee; high-tech, collaborative facility featuring a high-autonomy, non-micromanaged shop floor culture, exceptional employee appreciation, and a zero-layoff history.
- Core Functional Scope: Real-time mechanical/electrical/pneumatic diagnostics, Allen-Bradley or Siemens PLC fault-tracing, robotics, AC/DC electrical up to 480V, VFDs, pneumatics, and schematic/ladder logic tracing.
- Strict Requirements & Authorization: Requires 3+ years of hands-on industrial equipment maintenance, US work authorization (U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder), and a local commute within 45 minutes of Greater Milwaukee, WI.
If you are an industrial maintenance professional looking for a stable, high-autonomy career home where your trade skills are respected and micromanagement is left at the door, this is your ideal destination. Operating out of a premier manufacturing facility in the Greater Milwaukee area, this market leader has built a reputation for being genuinely employee-friendly, collaborative, and financially rock-solid.
This role provides a rare opportunity to secure the exact work schedule that fits your life, with openings actively available across all three traditional Monday-through-Friday shifts. You won't just be swapping parts; you will take true technical ownership of complex automation lines, advanced robotic cells, and high-speed processing machinery. Backed by regular profit sharing, performance bonuses, and a history of zero layoffs, this is an environment where technicians regularly plant roots and stay for decades.
What You Will Be Doing (Daily Responsibilities)
- Diagnose Automated Production Lines: Execute real-time mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic diagnostics to keep automated machinery, processing lines, and robotic cells running at peak efficiency.
- Navigate PLC Logic & Controls: Interface directly with Allen-Bradley or Siemens PLCs to trace input/output faults, isolate software/hardware errors, and clear production line stoppages.
- Trace Schematics & Drawings: Utilize complex electrical blueprints, ladder logic, and mechanical drawings to perform emergency breakdown repairs and structured preventative maintenance sequences.
- Maintain Fluid Power Systems: Service, rebuild, and optimize heavy-duty pneumatic valves, cylinders, regulators, and distribution lines.
- Service AC/DC Drives & Power Distribution: Work safely with industrial power systems up to 480V, electric motors, variable frequency drives (VFDs), sensors, and low-voltage control circuits.
- Execute Machinery Fabrication: Perform light structural welding, torching, and metal fabrication to adapt, modify, or repair production equipment components.
What We Are Looking For (Requirements & Qualifications)
- 3+ Years Industrial Maintenance Depth: Verifiable hands-on track record servicing and repairing high-speed production machinery, custom automation, or heavy industrial equipment.
- Automation & PLC Diagnostic Skills: Demonstrated familiarity working around automated equipment, including basic navigation, I/O monitoring, and error tracing in PLC environments.
- Schematic & Electrical Literacy: Proficiency reading electrical schematics, mechanical blueprints, and hydraulic/pneumatic fluid power diagrams without hand-holding.
- Proven Tenure & Reliability: Solid, stable work history showing strong daily attendance, safety dedication, and long-term commitment with previous employers.
- Local Commute: Residence within a comfortable 45-minute daily drive of the Greater Milwaukee, WI area.
- Compliance & Legal Authorization: Must be a United States Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder).
Preferred Technical Assets (Bonus Skills)
- Industrial Robotics: Hands-on experience with FANUC, ABB, or Yaskawa robotic arms, teach pendants, or end-of-arm tooling (EOAT).
- Fabrication & Welding: Welding certifications or strong proficiency in MIG/TIG welding for shop equipment modifications.
- Predictive Maintenance: Exposure to thermal imaging, vibration analysis, or computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS).
