Industrial Maintenance Technician (Millwright) - Job Description

Company Overview

Ancient Crunch Inc. is the fastest-growing healthy snack brand in the U.S. Our flagship product, MASA Chips, is the #1 selling tallow-fried tortilla chips in premium retailers like Sprouts and Whole Foods. We manufacture all MASA in-house at our Hackettstown facility using real ingredients—no seed oils, artificial flavors, or preservatives. All operations adhere to strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and food safety standards.

Reports To: Maintenance Supervisor
Location: Hackettstown, NJ

Salary: $35 - $50/hr, based on experience

Schedule: Full time but timing varies, mostly weekday hours

Position Summary

In this job, you will be responsible (along with the rest of the maintenance team) for the install, commissioning, upgrade, maintenance, and repair of $12M+ (and growing) of industrial food production equipment and support systems.

Our equipment drives high-volume production, and downtime is highly costly. There is a high degree of responsibility required, you will act with urgency and accuracy to fix things that are broken.

The responsibilities listed below are not exhaustive. As Ancient Crunch scales, the requirements of this position will expand and adapt to reflect the changing realities of our production equipment.

Key Responsibilities

Equipment Maintenance & Repair

• Maintain and repair industrial food manufacturing equipment including fryers, ovens, packaging machines, thermal oil burners, conveyor belts, air compressors, boilers, and control systems
• Maintain hydraulic loading dock plates, forklifts, and pallet jacks
• Execute and document Preventive Maintenance (PM) plans, and respond promptly to emergency maintenance needs
• Consult equipment manuals and technical resources to diagnose and resolve issues efficiently
• Partner with approved third-party vendors when specialized expertise is required

Installations & Modifications

• Lead or support installation and “hooking up” of new equipment
• Implement modifications or upgrades to existing equipment

Management, Organization, and Compliance

• Organize and track tools and materials (e.g., spare parts) used, maintain them in clean and orderly fashion, and ensure full inventory of parts and tools
• Work closely with Production and QA teams to minimize workflow interruptions
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives related to product safety and quality
• Manage relationships with approved vendor partners for specialized maintenance tasks
• Follow all plant safety, USDA, SQF, and GMP guidelines

Required Skills & Competencies

Technical Disciplines

The ideal candidate brings experience across as many of the following as possible:

• Welding
• Machining
• Metal fabrication
• Electrical work
• Millwright
• Plumbing
• HVAC
• Compressed air systems
• PLC programming and debugging
• Carpentry
• Forklift operation/rigging

Skills

• Operate with integrity, accuracy, and sound judgment in all activities.

  • There is a lot of expensive and dangerous equipment around. A sober mind and keen awareness for the safety and financial consequences of mistakes is required at all times

• 5+ years of relevant technical experience (see preferred backgrounds below)

• High attention to detail and a strong “mechanical intuition” for how equipment, tools, and systems work

  • Many problems that occur won't have solutions in the manual. You'll have to figure out the right way to solve the problem on the fly

• Deep familiarity with a broad range of tools and machine systems (e.g. when do you use a drill vs. an impact driver, what torque settings do you use for what bolts, etc.)

• Ability and concern for the safe operation tools, machines, and equipment

  • Lockout/tag out, PPE, etc.

• Strong communication skills; able to collaborate quickly and effectively across teams and with vendors

• Computer literacy: emails, word docs, excel, etc.

Preferred Backgrounds

• Several years of experience in an industrial food manufacturing facility or similar manufacturing environment (pharmaceutical, cosmetics, power generation, etc.)
• Strong relevant skillset from an adjacent field — auto mechanic, electrician, HVAC technician, welder, machinist, millwright, etc.
• Graduate of a vocational or technical trade program
• Fluent in verbal and written English
• Authorized to work in the U.S. and able to commute to Hackettstown, NJ

Nice to Have

• Electronics and control systems knowledge related to industrial equipment
• Bilingual in Spanish and English
• A degree is not required; graduation from a trade program is preferred
• Interest in healthy food, fitness, food science, or food quality

Physical Requirements (Onsite)

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods
• Ability to lift, push, pull, and carry materials throughout the shift
• Ability to use stairs and ladders throughout the shift
• Ability to work in hot, humid, wet, and industrial production environments
• Ability to wear required PPE, including respirators, gloves, hearing protection, face shields, and protective clothing

What We Offer

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• A health and wellness-focused culture
• All the chips you can eat!

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) & Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Statement

Ancient Crunch Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

All employment decisions at Ancient Crunch Inc.—including hiring, promotion, discipline, or discharge—are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

In accordance with the ADA, we provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the job, unless doing so creates an undue hardship for the company. Applicants requiring accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact the HR Department.