Senior Automation Maintenance Specialist

Step into a place where industrial craftsmanship meets cutting-edge automation. At Neopal’s Houston campus, you’ll support one of the nation’s most advanced industrial wood-product operations—an energy‑efficient, purpose-built, and impeccably organized site that houses custom-built machinery, robotics, and computerized controls. Our facility is the only known LEED® Silver certified pallet manufacturing facility in the world, and our maintenance team plays a central role in keeping this high-performance environment running at its best.

A Day in the Life

You begin by reviewing CMMS schedules and overnight OEE insights, then prioritize preventive tasks across lumber remanufacturing, high-speed assembly, and automated material handling. A sensor fault on a PLC-controlled system prompts rapid electrical diagnostics; you isolate the issue at a VFD, adjust parameters, and restore throughput. Later, you fabricate a bracket to eliminate a recurring jam on a conveyor line, document the fix in the CMMS, and propose a condition-based monitoring tweak to prevent future downtime. By shift end, you’ve completed LOTO-verified inspections, updated parts usage, and collaborated with Operations and Engineering on the next automation upgrade.

What You’ll Own

• Fast, hands-on troubleshooting of electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and automation issues across highly automated production lines.
• Building and refining preventive and predictive maintenance routines that maximize uptime, reliability, and performance.
• Full CMMS utilization: work orders, PMs, parts, history, and documentation that informs better decisions.
• Electrical and controls diagnostics: motors and motor controls, VFDs, sensors, relays, PLC-driven systems, and plant power at 120/208/240/480 VAC.
• Root-cause analysis that replaces recurring failures with durable, engineered solutions.
• Design, fabrication, installation, and commissioning of improvements that elevate safety, quality, and throughput.
• Welding, machining, and metal fabrication to create fixtures and practical upgrades when needed.
• Advancing condition-based strategies through performance monitoring and new tools/technologies.
• Driving OEE gains via disciplined maintenance, performance tracking, and continuous improvement.
• Stewardship of an exceptionally clean, organized shop and critical spares program.
• Close partnership with Operations and Engineering, while upholding rigorous standards for safety, documentation, and workmanship.

What You Bring

• Proven strength in both industrial electrical and mechanical diagnostics and repair.
• Background with high-speed automated equipment, conveyors, material-handling systems, and robotics.
• Hands-on knowledge of pneumatics, hydraulics, bearings, power transmission, and compressed air/filtration.
• Comfort troubleshooting PLCs, VFDs, motors, sensors, and control circuits with test/diagnostic instruments.
• Ability to interpret electrical schematics, mechanical drawings, and OEM documentation.
• Experience with preventive/predictive maintenance, CMMS, equipment performance monitoring, and precise recordkeeping.
• Valued skills: welding, fabrication, machining, CNC, basic fixture/equipment design, and thoughtful machine modifications.
• Helpful: forklift and other industrial mobile-equipment service experience.
• Inventive, resourceful problem-solver with excellent organization and priority management in a dynamic plant setting.
• Computer-literate (Microsoft Office and maintenance software); bilingual English/Spanish is highly desirable.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer competitive pay designed for top industrial maintenance talent—base compensation plus the opportunity to earn additional performance-based pay aligned to defined operational goals.

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage; a 401(k) with company match; paid vacation and personal time; performance-based bonus opportunities; and ongoing technical and professional development.

At Neopal, maintenance is a strategic function. You’ll solve meaningful challenges, influence reliability, and see your ideas make a visible impact across the operation.

Ready to Make an Impact?

If you thrive on sophisticated machinery, love diagnosing issues, and enjoy making equipment better every week than it was the week before, we’d like to talk.

Neopal is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace.