Instrumentation Technician – Food/Beverage Plants

The Senior Instrumentation Technician leads and executes complex instrumentation activities, including advanced calibration, troubleshooting, and integration tasks on process, utility, and packaging equipment in food and beverage production facilities. The role requires deep understanding of automated systems, regulatory compliance, and a strong ability to mentor junior technicians and support cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead calibration and maintenance of critical control instruments (temperature, pressure, flow, level, pH, conductivity, load cells).

• Troubleshoot advanced issues in PLC/DCS signal loops, including analog/digital I/Os, power supply faults, and sensor failures.

• Guide and supervise junior and mid-level technicians in their daily routines and PM schedules.

• Review and improve instrument maintenance SOPs, ensure adherence to GMP, ISO, HACCP, and internal quality standards.

• Manage instrumentation work during equipment upgrades, automation integration, and commissioning of new process lines.

• Interface with production, QA, validation, and automation teams during projects and audits.

• Maintain detailed records of all calibration and service work in CMMS (SAP/Maximo/In-house tools).

• Perform root cause analysis (RCA) for repetitive failures or deviations and propose preventive actions.

• Support regulatory inspections and internal audits with full documentation and technical clarifications.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Advanced Instrumentation & Control

   • Expert in:

     • Smart transmitters, HART & FOUNDATION Fieldbus devices

     • Sanitary sensors for temperature, level, flow, pressure, and analytical parameters

     • Integration with batching controllers, SCADA, and PLCs (Siemens, Allen-Bradley, etc.)

2. Process & Utility Systems

   • Instrumentation on:

     • Pasteurizers, UHT systems, mixers, blenders, homogenizers, CIP/SIP systems

     • Boilers, chillers, compressors, utility manifolds

3. Team Oversight & Mentorship

   • Guide:

     • Daily task assignment, PM/PdM planning, skill development of team members

     • Hands-on training on troubleshooting and safety practices

4. Compliance & Documentation

   • Ensure:

     • Calibration traceability (GMP/ISO 17025), GDP, audit readiness

     • Deviation handling, change control coordination for instrumentation

5. Troubleshooting & Optimization

   • Lead:

     • Investigations for process variability due to sensor drift, loop failure, or equipment malfunctions

     • Data analysis and continuous improvement initiatives in automation reliability

Qualifications:

• Education:

  • Diploma or Degree in Instrumentation, Electronics, Electrical, Mechatronics

• Experience:

  • 7–10+ years in instrumentation maintenance within food, beverage, or regulated process plants

• Technical Skills:

  • Proficiency in:

    • HART communicators, loop calibrators, multimeters, CMMS tools

    • P&IDs, loop diagrams, instrument datasheets

    • Fieldbus/Profibus networks, control loop tuning basics (a plus)

• Soft Skills:

  • Leadership, team coordination, problem-solving, strong documentation habits

  • Comfortable handling audit queries and supporting cross-functional initiatives