Industrial Refrigeration and Utilities Maintenance Technician - General Mills

General Mills, Inc. manufactures some of the most beloved foods in the world, including Cheerios and Lucky Charms, Nature Valley granola bars, Totino's pizza rolls, and Yoplait yogurt. Blue Buffalo became part of General Mills in 2018, so even your pets love us too. Our Geneva, IL Plant is the newest addition to our North America plant network. To increase capacity and keep pace with the growing consumer demand for the products, General Mills is making a significant investment to expand capacity for our beloved Fruit brands (Gusher and Fruit by the Foot).  We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day.  We look for people who want to bring their best - bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one another and grow together.

Check out why General Mills Manufacturing is the place to grow a career:

Industrial Refrigeration and Utilities Maintenance Technician

As a part of our manufacturing group, you will be responsible for performing specific preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, mechanical and electrical repair, and other tasks and techniques to keep refrigeration systems, utility plant machinery and equipment, including electrical, condensate/steam, fire protection, potable/domestic water and sewer in operational conditions to meet production, refrigeration, storage, and shipping needs.

Key Information:

• We're building a new facility and building our team! Apply now for a position on our Start Up Team producing Gushers and Fruit by the Foot - What a Sweet Adventure!

Shift hours:

• We prioritize work life balance, health and wellness, and equal access to resources for development opportunities and advancement. Our Fruit system will have:
  • 12-hour shifts (rotating - see Shift Schedule below - work times may change while training)
    • Day shift: 5:30 am to 6:00 pm
    • Night shift: 5:30 pm to 6:00 am
  • Shift Schedule:
    • 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off rotating schedule
    • Each work block rotates from days to nights
  • Schedule Perks
    • 182 Scheduled Days Off Per Year
    • Every other weekend is a 3-day weekend
• Ability and willingness to work overtime, any shift, including days, nights, weekends, holidays and emergency events
• Plant operation is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Work Rotation Schedule Example:

Pay:

• $3,000 Hiring Bonus!
  
  • Hiring Bonus paid after successful completion of 90 day new hire onboarding period
• $35.19 per hour up to $39.63 per hour depending upon skillset and experience
  • Tech I: $35.19 per hour
  • Tech II: $39.63 per hour
  • Tech III: $44.66 per hour (Internal Advancement Opportunity)
  • Rates include $1.00 per hour for rotation shift differential

Benefits:

• 120 hours of vacation annually and 11 paid company holidays
• 48 hours paid sick and emergency time
• Great paid time off benefits
• 401(k) - company match, annual company contribution and more
• Health Insurance that includes medical, dental, vision and life
• AND much more!

About our Location:

Our Geneva General Mills facility is located on the western side of the Chicago, Illinois suburbs in Kane County. Geneva is our most recent North America plant network expansion, joining the GMI network in 2024 as they make Betty Crocker desserts and will soon start producing our iconic Gushers and Fruit snacks. Driven by being humble, hungry, and smart, the team is already making an impact and #StandingforGood in their local Chicago suburb community.

General Mills encourages growth for our employees. If you want to be part of a team that will learn and grow, develop leadership skills, drive results quickly, work within a safety-first mindset, and expand your technical capabilities, then GMI is a great place to start!

What your day will look like:

• Creating high quality foods that are eaten EVERYDAY, WORLDWIDE
• Using TECHNOLOGY in a newly built, industry-leading facility
• Working with HIGH-LEVEL operating teammates in a plant with a learning mindset culture
• CHALLENGING yourself to get the JOB DONE RIGHT and gain skills to take with you to your next opportunity
  • Manage, operate and maintain all building, utilities and support equipment including but not limited to ammonia refrigeration system, boilers and steam system, air compressors, fire system and fire suppression systems, building plumbing, building electrical, and HPHW system
  • Perform duties to ensure operational efficiency of plant and building equipment by scheduling routine preventative maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairing equipment as needed
  • Performing daily rounds/checks of ammonia system
  • Providing technical support and plant leadership for equipment troubleshooting and modification
  • Learning, following, and engaging in Process Safety Management (PSM)
  • Performing both uptime and downtime preventative maintenance
  • Assist maintenance technicians as needed
  • Understanding, initiating, and participating in Root Cause Analysis (Why, Why)
  • Participate in Continuous Improvement initiatives to increase platform performance
  • Assist in training new employees

What you have to offer:

• Minimum of a high school diploma or GED
• Proficient in English
• 1 year (minimum) experience of industrial ammonia refrigeration system
• 1 year (minimum) experience with boilers and low-pressure steam
• Experience with Mechanical Utilities Systems (Compressed Air, Vacuum, Hydraulics) 
• Experience with process water distribution; wastewater handling and treatment
• Working knowledge of industrial, mechanical and electrical technologies
• Experience with State and Federal EPA permits/compliance and/or PSM/ARM program compliance
• Project management experience including construction management
• Operator (CARO/CIRO) certification preferred
• Incident command and/or HAZWOPPER program experience preferred
• Experience in a manufacturing/production environment preferred

Physical requirements:

• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs
• Must be able to perform physical tasks for extended periods of time including standing, walking, climbing, bending, pushing, pulling and twisting over surfaces
• Ability to climb and/or work at heights while utilizing stairs, ladders, personnel lifts, or platforms
• Ability to wear protective clothing and equipment such as safety shoes, face masks, safety glasses, hearing protection, a hard hat, a hair/beard net and gloves when required
• Willing and able to adhere to all grooming requirements necessary for a food manufacturing environment
• Ability to work in hot, cold, noisy, dusty, wet environmental working conditions
• Willing to work around industrial high-speed moving machinery
• Ability to work with allergens that might be present in a food environment