1st Shift Senior Technical Lead at Urban Farmer LLC – Manteno, Illinois

Job Summary:

The Senior Technical Lead at Urban Farmer is responsible for leading and supporting technical systems, infrastructure, and digital solutions that enable efficient, safe, and compliant food manufacturing operations. This role provides technical leadership across manufacturing, quality, maintenance, and business systems, ensuring technology solutions align with Urban Farmer’s operational goals, food safety standards, and continuous improvement initiatives. The Senior Technical Lead serves as a hands-on technical expert and mentor, partnering closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and Leadership teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and secure technical solutions that support plant performance and business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Systems Oversight

• Lead the design, implementation, and support of scalable and reliable technical solutions across manufacturing and enterprise systems.
• Serve as the primary technical authority for system architecture, integrations, and troubleshooting across production, quality, and operational platforms.
• Establish and enforce technical standards, best practices, and documentation for system configuration, development, testing, and deployment.
• Support and maintain critical plant systems to ensure uptime, performance, and data integrity in a manufacturing environment.

Manufacturing & Operations Support

• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, and Quality teams to support technology that enables production efficiency, food safety, traceability, and compliance.
• Assist with technical support for manufacturing systems, equipment interfaces, data collection, and reporting tools.
• Identify opportunities to improve system reliability, automation, and data visibility across bakery, toppings, warehouse, and logistics functions.

Project Execution & Delivery

• Collaborate with project managers and cross-functional leaders to define technical scope, requirements, timelines, and resource needs for plant and corporate initiatives.
• Translate business and operational requirements into practical, well-designed technical solutions.
• Manage technical risks, dependencies, and change impacts to ensure projects are delivered on time and within scope.

Team Leadership, Collaboration & Mentorship

• Lead, mentor, and support technical team members, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and problem-solving.
• Provide hands-on guidance, coaching, and feedback to improve technical skills, documentation, and execution.
• Facilitate technical reviews, knowledge sharing, and post-project evaluations to drive continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Act as a key liaison between technical teams and Operations, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Leadership.
• Clearly communicate technical concepts, system impacts, risks, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Support leadership decision-making by providing clear technical insight and data-driven recommendations.

Innovation, Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, tools, and systems that support operational efficiency, scalability, and cost control.
• Lead initiatives to modernize legacy systems and optimize existing platforms to improve performance, reliability, and user experience.
• Support Urban Farmer’s continuous improvement mindset through technology-enabled process enhancements.

Quality, Security & Compliance

• Ensure systems support food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements (GMPs, SQF, traceability, and audit readiness).
• Implement appropriate testing, monitoring, and security measures to protect systems and data.
• Support incident response, root cause analysis, and corrective actions related to system failures or performance issues.

Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

Technical Skills:

Leadership Skills:

Soft Skills:

Physical Demands

• Frequent Movement: Regularly required to move around the facility to inspect equipment, supervise maintenance activities, and monitor the work environment. This includes walking, standing, and occasionally climbing ladders or stairs.
• Manual Dexterity: Frequently required to use hands and fingers to handle, operate, or feel tools and equipment. This may include tasks such as turning screws, operating machinery, and manipulating small components.
• Lifting and Carrying: Occasionally required to lift, move, and carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds, including tools, equipment parts, and materials necessary for maintenance tasks.
• Environmental Conditions: Willingness to work in various environmental conditions, including exposure to high noise levels, hot and cold temperatures, wet or humid conditions, and occasional exposure to fumes, dust, or airborne particles. May also involve working in confined spaces or at heights.
• Safety Awareness: Constant vigilance to maintain personal safety and the safety of the team. This includes wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and adhering to all safety protocols and guidelines.