Meraki

Compensation: $70,000–$80,000/year equivalent, depending on experience

We are looking for a hands-on, self-directed Facilities Maintenance Lead to take ownership of preventative maintenance, repairs, equipment performance and facility improvement projects at our indoor cultivation facility.

This is not primarily a desk or project-coordinator position. We are looking for someone who likes working with equipment, diagnosing problems and completing projects themselves. Outside contractors and additional labor are used when needed, but the Facilities Maintenance Lead is expected to be hands-on and personally involved in the work.

Just as importantly, this position requires someone who can structure their own day and week. We do not want to provide a daily task list. When there is not an emergency or active repair, there is preventative maintenance, equipment testing, project preparation, inventory, repairs and future work to complete.

Facility & Equipment

Our facility includes approximately:

• 570 commercial LED grow lights
• 65 commercial dehumidifiers
• Approximately 100 circulation fans
• Environmentally controlled cultivation rooms
• Commercial HVAC systems
• Five irrigation/fertigation systems utilizing pumps and injectors
• Dry-room equipment
• Pumps, plumbing, drains and associated electrical/control equipment
• Warehouse, packaging and office facilities

The facility operates year-round, so reliability and preventative maintenance are extremely important.

Responsibilities

This position will be responsible for:

• Creating and maintaining a preventative-maintenance schedule
• Performing regular inspections and performance checks on facility equipment
• Diagnosing equipment that is operating but not performing correctly
• Repairing or replacing lights, fans, pumps and other facility equipment
• Monitoring and maintaining commercial dehumidification equipment
• Identifying declining equipment performance before it affects production
• Troubleshooting HVAC, airflow and environmental-control issues
• Maintaining pumps, irrigation equipment systems
• Performing general plumbing, mechanical and building maintenance
• Maintaining equipment and repair records
• Maintaining critical spare-parts inventory
• Ordering parts and coordinating vendors as needed
• Working with HVAC contractors, electricians, engineers and other specialists
• Preparing areas and equipment in advance of installation projects
• Personally assisting with demolition, assembly and installation work
• Managing larger projects from planning through completion
• Supporting harvest operations approximately 3–5 days per month
• Responding to occasional facility emergencies

Preventative Maintenance

Preventative maintenance is a major part of this position.

We are looking for someone who does not simply verify that equipment turns on. The successful candidate should be interested in determining whether equipment is actually performing the way it should.

For example, commercial dehumidifiers should be individually tracked and periodically evaluated for performance rather than simply checked for alarms.

When the numbers say a mechanical system should be working but actual room conditions say otherwise, we expect this person to systematically determine why.

That may include checking:

• Airflow
• Filters and coils
• Condensate production
• Temperature and humidity changes across equipment
• Pumps and motors
• Sensors and controls
• Electrical/current performance where appropriate
• Obstructions or poor equipment placement
• Individual equipment performance versus baseline

We value someone who measures and troubleshoots rather than guesses.

Current Projects

We also have several significant facility improvement projects underway, including:

• Upgrading of cultivation tables
• Airflow improvements
• LED lighting upgrades
• Electrical modifications
• Lighting installation
• HVAC and dehumidification capacity evaluation

This position will be heavily involved in these projects.

That means planning and coordinating the work, but also physically unpacking equipment, confirming inventory, preassembling components, preparing rooms, removing old equipment and assisting with installation.

Additional labor and contractors are brought in when needed to meet tight production schedules.

What We're Looking For

The right person is:

• Mechanically inclined
• Organized
• Dependable
• Comfortable working independently
• Naturally proactive
• Able to create their own daily and weekly priorities
• Comfortable using tools and working hands-on
• Good at troubleshooting
• Willing to learn unfamiliar equipment
• Able to read equipment manuals and specifications
• Comfortable collecting and comparing basic performance data
• Able to communicate clearly when a problem needs outside expertise

Experience with some combination of the following is preferred:

• Commercial or industrial facilities maintenance
• HVAC and dehumidification
• Pumps and plumbing
• Electrical troubleshooting
• Motors and fans
• Irrigation systems
• Manufacturing equipment
• Building maintenance
• Controlled-environment agriculture
• Greenhouses
• Food or beverage production
• Warehouses or industrial facilities

Cannabis experience is not required.

We would rather hire an excellent facilities/maintenance person and teach them our cultivation operation than hire someone with cannabis experience who lacks strong maintenance and troubleshooting skills.

What Success Looks Like

A successful person in this role will make the facility increasingly predictable.

Equipment failures are caught early.

Preventative maintenance happens without someone having to remind you.

If a dehumidifier, fan, pump or light starts failing, we find it before it causes a larger production problem.

Projects are prepared before installation day.

Parts and tools are organized.

Contractors are called when their expertise is actually required.

Management does not need to continually ask what you are working on or whether something was completed.

You own whether the facility works.