
Maintenance Specialist
Unilever · Chicago, IL
- Level
- Specialist
- Team
- Reliability
- Industry
- Food & beverage
- Posted
- 2 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A specialist reliability role at Unilever (food & beverage) in Chicago, IL.
- Tools it names
- Root cause, PLC, Automation
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Reliability Engineer roles in Illinois: typical posted base $100k–$125k.
Median of the low and high ends of 7 live postings that list pay, out of 11 reliability engineer openings in Illinois, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Illinois plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 10 other live reliability postings in Illinois.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $100k–$125k, from 7 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 64%
- ✓ PLC 45%
- ✓ Automation 36%
- ✓ Team leadership 36%
- EHS / safety 27%
- Lean 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Reliability team at Unilever
We found 2 people at this company and state: 1 in this kind of role, 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Natasha → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Unilever in Chicago
3 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in reliability roles at Unilever.
- Controls & Automation Engineer · Controls
- Maintenance Mechanic/Team Lead Line Technician · Reliability · Technician
- Quality Manager · Quality · Manager
Full description from UnileverAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Key responsibilities
- ◆Communicate issues to other shift coordinators to ensure a consistent message and consistent application of all company policies, programs, rules and regulations.
- ◆Support maintenance team in troubleshooting, finding/procuring parts, or escalating issues as required.
- ◆Build preventative maintenance schedules and prioritize based on equipment criticality.
- ◆Responsible for working with on shift Production Supervisor to achieve performance and overall equipment effectiveness targets.
- ◆Ensure maintenance, quality and safety audits are carried out by the team to ensure compliance with internal requirements.
- ◆Work with the maintenance lead and reliability supervisor to determine root cause of breakdowns and develop countermeasures for repeat issues.
- ◆Review short and medium-term plans for equipment maintenance with the maintenance lead and operations team. Develop long term plans with input from the managers, supervisors and operations team and ensure execution of the plans.
- ◆Working as a team with Supervisors, Maintenance team members, and Operations to plan, procure and document activities for the enhancement of machines in the assigned area.
- ◆Contacting vendors and manufacturers as needed for support in resolving issues or deploying projects.
- ◆Participate in safety or quality reviews and ensure corrective actions are carried out.
Required qualifications
- ✓High School Diploma.
- ✓At least two (2) years of experience as a maintenance supervisor/coordinator in fast paced manufacturing environment within FMCG. Food manufacturing is strongly preferred.
- ✓Strong troubleshooting skills.
- ✓Excellent communication skills.
- ✓Experience leading a team of maintenance technicians toward a common goal.
- ✓Must be capable of working independently and in a team environment.
- ✓Experience making reliability/maintenance decisions to meet needs.
- ✓Proven track record of implementing improvement ideas.
Preferred qualifications
- ✓Experience using a CMMS system
- ✓Controls/Automation experience with a strong preference to Allen Bradley controls
The pay range for this position is 75,800.00 - 113,600.00 USD. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications,
qualifications
and education, and other business and organizational needs.
Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.
Long-Term Incentive (LTI) : This position is LTI eligible.
Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
- ✓-----------------------------------
At Unilever, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do . We welcome applicants from all walks of life and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive/succeed. All applicants will receive fair and respectful consideration, and we actively support the growth and development of every employee.
Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.
If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com . Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.
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Job purpose
Maintenance Specialist coordinates the team of maintenance technicians on their designated shift. Maintenance Specialist is responsible for ensuring completion of all maintenance tasks in their assigned area and making sure the lead and manager are aware if there are any gaps. The position ensures the correct resources are being applied to each problem and escalates to the manager and lead when additional help is needed.
You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet.
Because here, we don’t just hire for jobs. We invite you to be part of something bigger.
