Maintenance Controls Technician @ Thorne

At Thorne, we work to deliver high-quality, science-backed solutions to empower individuals to take a proactive approach to their well-being. Each day begins with a mission to help others discover and achieve their best health. We count on our team members to challenge and push the boundaries to make that happen. At Thorne, you’ll be joining a team of more than 750 passionate individuals committed to our cause of providing superior health solutions at every age and life stage.

The Maintenance Controls Technician serves as a senior technical resource within Thorne’s Maintenance Department, specializing in industrial controls, automation, electrical systems, and advanced equipment troubleshooting. This role provides hands-on technical expertise to resolve complex equipment issues, improve system reliability, reduce manufacturing downtime, and support the continued development of Thorne’s automated manufacturing operations. Working closely with Maintenance Technicians, Maintenance Tech Leads, Maintenance Supervisors, Engineering, and other cross-functional partners, the Maintenance Controls Technician leads advanced troubleshooting efforts, supports controls-related projects, and provides technical guidance to strengthen the maintenance team's capabilities.

This position plays a key role in maintaining and improving programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), variable-frequency drives (VFDs), servo systems, industrial networks, instrumentation, machine safety systems, and other automated manufacturing technologies. The ideal candidate is a highly experienced industrial controls and automation professional with exceptional electrical troubleshooting skills, strong technical judgment, and the ability to independently diagnose complex equipment failures.

This individual combines hands-on technical expertise with a proactive approach to equipment reliability, continuous improvement, and developing the technical capabilities of others. This is a senior technical individual contributor position. While the Maintenance Controls Technician provides technical direction and mentorship, responsibility for daily work assignments, shift management, attendance, performance management, and disciplinary matters remains with the Maintenance Supervisor.

Work Schedule This position follows a rotating 2-2-3 overnight schedule, working 12-hour shifts from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. The schedule alternates between two days on, two days off, and three days on, followed by two days off, two days on, and three days off. This rotation provides every other weekend off. Employees must be available to work their assigned schedule and provide additional support for critical equipment failures, planned shutdowns, startups, and projects as business needs require.

• Controls & Automation Serve as the primary Maintenance Department technical resource for PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, servo systems, motion controls, industrial networks, sensors, instrumentation, machine safety systems, and automated manufacturing equipment.
• Provide advanced technical support to Maintenance Technicians, Maintenance Tech Leads, and Maintenance Supervisors.
• Review PLC and HMI programs, machine sequences, alarms, interlocks, inputs, outputs, and safety circuits to identify equipment failure root causes.
• Connect to, monitor, and troubleshoot PLC, HMI, VFD, servo, and other control systems using approved software and procedures.
• Perform approved programming and parameter changes in accordance with Thorne's change control, Quality, Validation, IT, and documentation requirements.
• Maintain current and secure backups of PLC, HMI, VFD, servo, robotics, vision system, and other critical equipment programs and parameters.
• Support the configuration, installation, replacement, and commissioning of controls components, including PLC processors, I/O modules, HMIs, VFDs, sensors, encoders, servomotors, power supplies, safety relays, and communication devices.
• Troubleshoot industrial communication networks and protocols used throughout Thorne's manufacturing operations.
• Develop and maintain controls standards for hardware, software, programming, naming conventions, backups, system access, spare parts, and technical documentation.
• Identify obsolete controls hardware and software and recommend appropriate upgrades or migration strategies.
• Advanced Troubleshooting & Equipment Reliability Lead advanced troubleshooting efforts during significant, complex, or recurring equipment downtime.
• Apply systematic troubleshooting methodologies using equipment symptoms, alarms, machine sequences, electrical drawings, program logic, historical work orders, and previous corrective actions.
• Identify technical root causes rather than relying on repeated component replacement or temporary corrective measures.
• Partner with Maintenance leadership to determine when Engineering, IT, equipment manufacturers, system integrators, or other external resources should be engaged.
• Provide assigned after-hours or on-call technical support for critical equipment failures, shutdowns, startups, and projects.
• Ensure equipment is returned to service safely and in accordance with applicable Quality, Validation, Production, and cGMP requirements.
• Communicate significant equipment failures, controls risks, safety concerns, and extended downtime promptly to Maintenance leadership.

Maintain accurate troubleshooting, repair, modification, and preventive maintenance records within eMaint. Support effective shift transitions by documenting equipment conditions, troubleshooting completed, corrective actions, and outstanding follow-up requirements. Technical Leadership & Team Development Serve as a technical mentor and resource for Maintenance Technicians, Maintenance Tech Leads, and Maintenance Supervisors. Provide technical direction during controls-related troubleshooting and repair activities.

Help develop the team's capabilities in electrical troubleshooting, controls systems, equipment operation, root cause analysis, and safe diagnostic practices. Support Maintenance Supervisors in evaluating repair complexity, technical requirements, safety risks, resources, and estimated repair durations. Assist Maintenance leadership in assessing technician controls and electrical troubleshooting capabilities and recommending development opportunities. Promote consistent troubleshooting, repair, and documentation standards across maintenance shifts.

Share technical lessons learned and best practices to improve team effectiveness. Provide recommendations to the Maintenance Manager regarding equipment risks, controls obsolescence, critical spare parts, and improvement priorities. Reliability & Continuous Improvement Lead or support root cause analysis for major and recurring equipment failures. Develop lessons learned and apply structured problem-solving methodologies, including 5 Whys, to identify and address recurring equipment issues.

Analyze downtime data, CMMS history, PLC information, alarms, equipment trends, and technician observations to identify improvement opportunities. Support reliability initiatives, equipment criticality assessments, failure mode analysis, and preventive maintenance optimization. Partner with Production, Engineering, Quality, Validation, IT, EHS, and other stakeholders on equipment reliability and continuous improvement initiatives. Improve controls-related preventive and predictive maintenance activities to strengthen equipment safety, reliability, maintainability, availability, and operational performance.

Support improvements in preventive maintenance completion, mean time between failures (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTTR), equipment availability, and planned and unplanned downtime. Preventive Maintenance & Technical Documentation Review and verify preventive maintenance procedures for electrical, instrumentation, and controls systems. Create and maintain troubleshooting guides, technical work instructions, inspection checklists, standard equipment settings, and controls documentation.

Maintain accurate electrical drawings, control panel drawings, I/O lists, network diagrams, manuals, program backups, and related technical records. Document work performed, time spent, materials used, failure symptoms, troubleshooting steps, root causes, corrective actions, equipment settings, and follow-up recommendations. Partner with Maintenance Supervisors and storeroom personnel to maintain appropriate controls-related spare parts inventory. Evaluate spare parts requirements based on equipment criticality, failure history, obsolescence, cost, and lead time.

Equipment Projects & Commissioning Support new equipment installations, controls upgrades, system integrations, equipment relocations, and capital projects. Participate in project design reviews and provide technical recommendations regarding controls standards, component selection, maintainability, equipment access, safety, documentation, and spare parts. Participate in Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, startup, qualification, and performance verification as required.

Review vendor controls designs and verify receipt of required programs, backups, passwords, software licenses, electrical drawings, manuals, parameter lists, and technical documentation. Maintain required programming software, communication cables, test equipment, licenses, and controls troubleshooting tools. Verify that controls modifications are appropriately reviewed, risk-assessed, tested, approved, backed up, and documented before implementation. Provide technical support during planned shutdowns and equipment improvement projects.

Safety, Quality & Compliance Perform all work in accordance with Thorne's safety policies, Lockout/Tagout procedures, electrical safety requirements, and applicable OSHA and NFPA 70E standards. Ensure machine safety circuits, guards, emergency stops, safety interlocks, and protective devices remain operational and are not bypassed without an approved, documented process. Identify and promptly report safety incidents, near misses, unsafe conditions, and equipment hazards. Follow applicable SOPs, cGMP requirements, change control procedures, and documentation standards when working in production and controlled environments.

Ensure contractors performing controls or electrical work comply with applicable safety, Quality, documentation, and technical requirements. Maintain controls work areas, maintenance tools, programming equipment, and control panels in accordance with cleanliness and 5S standards. Support continuous improvement in workplace safety, environmental practices, equipment reliability, operational processes, and waste reduction.