Job opening: MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN

Full-time & Permanent role in Victoria, BC

Who We Are

Driftwood Brewery has established itself as a recognized leader in quality, consistency, innovation, and independence within the craft beer industry. Our ongoing success stems from our team’s unwavering commitment to the high standards we uphold in all aspects of our work. We are dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation at every stage of our process – ensuring our beer moves seamlessly from grain to glass – while never losing sight of the principles that brought us to this point.

The Job (Why this role matters)

We’re a hands-on brewery with a lot of valuable, heavily-used equipment, and we need someone who’s mechanical to the bone to keep it going. This position reports to our Maintenance Manager and works very closely with all our production teams.

• You’ll be the go-to pair of hands on the floor, executing PMs and repairs, jumping on breakdowns, and keeping the beer moving.
• No trade ticket required. Experience as a mechanic, fabricator, millwright-in-training, an auto or heavy-duty tech, or a machinist would be ideal for the needs of this position.
• You’ll have real ownership and grit. Our ideal candidate is someone who wants to make this place run better than they found it.

Equipment You’ll Work On:

• Brewing: mills, mash/lauter, kettle/whirlpool, heat exchanger, pumps, valves, controls
• Cellar: fermenters/brite tanks, glycol, CIP, filtration
• Packaging: canning/bottling line (as applicable), conveyors, labeler, packer
• Utilities/facility: compressors, HVAC, electrical distribution, water systems, building systems
• Controls/automation: PLC/HMI basics, sensors, instrumentation troubleshooting coordination

What You’ll Do

1. Keep the brewery running

• Execute preventative maintenance, corrective repairs, and breakdown response across brewing, cellar, packaging, and utilities.
• Troubleshoot mechanical and basic electrical/control issues; escalate when a specialized hand is needed.
• Reduce repeat failures by spotting patterns and fixing the root cause.

2. Bring your hands and your instincts

• Diagnose machines by sound, feel, and a methodical head – pumps, valves, motors, conveyors, packaging gear.
• Run rebuilds and improvements: alignment, bearings, seals, belts, custom brackets, the odd weld or fabrication.
• Make it better than you found it – that’s the standard.

3. Leave a clear trail

• Log work and parts in our CMMS with useful notes (we’ll show you the system) so nothing gets lost and forecasts improve

4. Keep the shop ready

• Keep tools accounted for and common parts stocked so breakdowns don’t become delays.

5. Protect safety, product, and facility

• Work safely and cleanly, including proper lockout/tagout, hygiene and contamination control, and flag risk before it bites.

What We’re Looking For (No ticket required)

• Minimum of 5 years of hands-on wrenching: industrial, automotive, heavy-duty, fabrication, etc.
• Comfortable doing common mechanical work on your own: alignment basics, bearings, pumps, gearboxes, pneumatics, sanitary connections.
• Comfortable with hand and power tools, and happy to work from checklists and note your work clearly.
• Strong safety habits and no qualms about holding the line on safe work.

A real plus (but not a must)

• A trade ticket, or an active apprenticeship toward one (Millwright, Machinist, Welder, Technologist).
• Experience with compressed air, glycol/chilling systems, or basic instrumentation.
• Fabrication or welding chops
• Experience in a food & beverage or manufacturing environment.

Success Factors (What “great” looks like here)

Your first 30-90 days

• You learn the equipment, become a reliable first responder, and build trust with the production team.
• Preventative work is done on time, and you flag gaps with plain-language recommendations.

Working Conditions

Work takes place across our production facility, packaging areas, taproom, and outdoor site/parking areas in a live operating environment. You should be comfortable working around noise, wet floors, temperature changes, moving equipment, chemicals used in sanitation/CIP (per SOP), and vehicle/forklift traffic, with appropriate PPE and strong safety habits (including LOTO). The schedule is generally aligned to production needs, with occasional off-shift or weekend work for shutdowns, contractor coordination, or urgent repairs, and periodic outdoor work in all weather.

Why Join Us?

• A tight, good-natured team that shares your passion for craft
• Real ownership: your fixes matter here, and they get noticed
• Room to learn and grow as we keep expanding. Good technicians/mechanics are hard to find and we intend to keep ours.

Salary & Benefits

• $35-40 per hour, with the final offer dependent on the candidate’s demonstrated experience, skills, certifications, and overall qualifications.
• We provide a robust benefits package with health, dental, and retirement plans, plus additional industry perks.

Ready to Dive In?

If you’re excited to take on this role and contribute to our Driftwood team, send us your resume and a quick note about what attracts you to this opportunity. Get in touch with our Cheersleader of People & Culture, Tierra at tierra@driftwoodbeer.com.