Technical Planner

Department: Maintenance Reports To: Plant Manager / Maintenance Leadership

Location: Clinton, Iowa Classification: Full-Time, Hourly

Position Summary

MFT is seeking an experienced Industrial Controls & Electrical Technician to provide advanced electrical and controls support for our manufacturing equipment.

This is a hands-on maintenance position intended to strengthen our ability to diagnose and recover equipment internally. The successful candidate must be capable of independently connecting to PLC-controlled equipment, monitoring and interpreting machine logic, troubleshooting electrical and control-related failures, and making appropriate programming or configuration changes when required.

This role includes more than installing new automation or electrical systems. A key responsibility is supporting existing production equipment during breakdowns, identifying root causes, and helping maintenance safely and efficiently return equipment to production.

The expectation is to diagnose failure before replacing components whenever practical, rather than relying on trial-and-error parts replacement.

Primary Responsibilities

Troubleshoot electrical and controls-related failures on production equipment.

Connect directly to PLCs using manufacturer programming software to diagnose machine faults and sequence issues.

Read, interpret, troubleshoot, and modify PLC ladder logic as required.

Monitor PLC inputs, outputs, timers, counters, interlocks, permissives, and machine sequences to identify root causes of equipment failures.

Troubleshoot HMIs, VFDs, servo drives, motors, encoders, sensors, photoeyes, proximity switches, relays, contactors, safety circuits, remote I/O, and industrial communication networks.

Diagnose 24VDC and industrial AC electrical systems, including 120VAC, 240VAC, and 480VAC equipment.

Read and troubleshoot from electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, PLC documentation, and equipment manuals.

Work directly with maintenance technicians, production supervisors, engineering, and equipment manufacturers during equipment breakdowns.

Provide advanced technical support when normal maintenance troubleshooting has not identified the cause of a failure.

Make controlled PLC, HMI, drive, and controls changes when necessary and properly document those changes.

Maintain organized and current backups of PLC programs, HMI applications, drive parameters, servo configurations, and other machine control files.

Help ensure required programming software, licenses, communication cables, passwords, and equipment documentation remain available to the facility.

Assist with controls upgrades, equipment modifications, reliability improvements, and automation projects.

Identify recurring equipment failures and recommend corrective actions to improve reliability.

Support and mentor maintenance technicians in electrical and controls troubleshooting.

Coordinate with OEMs and outside technical resources when specialized support is required.

Participate in root-cause analysis following significant or recurring equipment failures.

Maintain safe electrical and controls troubleshooting practices in accordance with company policies and applicable standards.

Required Qualifications

Strong industrial electrical troubleshooting experience in a manufacturing environment.

Demonstrated hands-on experience troubleshooting PLC-controlled machinery.

Ability to independently connect to a PLC, go online with operating equipment, monitor logic, and determine why a machine sequence or function is not occurring.

Ability to read and understand ladder logic.

Experience troubleshooting industrial sensors, controls, VFDs, motors, relays, contactors, and safety systems.

Ability to read electrical schematics and machine documentation.

Strong systematic troubleshooting and root-cause-analysis skills.

Ability to work directly on the manufacturing floor and respond to equipment breakdowns.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience modifying and developing PLC logic.

Experience with Allen-Bradley/Rockwell Automation, Siemens, or other industrial PLC platforms used within the facility.

Experience with HMI programming and troubleshooting.

Experience with servo systems, motion control, VFD configuration, and industrial communication networks.

Experience with hydraulic and pneumatic machinery and their associated electrical controls.

Associate degree, technical degree, apprenticeship, or equivalent industrial electrical/controls experience.

Experience supporting high-volume manufacturing equipment.