Facilities Maintenance Lead -- Commercial Kitchens

Job Description

Job Description

Full-time | $35–$40 per hour | Monday–Friday | Fully onsite | Los Angeles

Amped Kitchens builds, owns, and operates large-scale commercial kitchen properties in Los Angeles and Chicago. Our facilities are home to some of L.A.'s most exciting food companies--from emerging CPG brands to established restaurant groups, caterers, and meal-delivery businesses.

We're looking for a skilled maintenance professional with strong mechanical troubleshooting abilities, ideally including commercial HVAC and refrigeration, to help lead maintenance at one of our Los Angeles facilities.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys working with their hands, solving difficult problems, and taking ownership of the equipment and systems they maintain. Rather than traveling from customer to customer, you'll get to know a facility in depth, work with a small team, and help make the building more reliable over time.

You'll work on a variety of commercial systems, including plumbing, hot water, ventilation, refrigeration, and kitchen equipment. We don't expect you to be an expert in every trade. We do expect good diagnostic skills, sound judgment, and the ability to recognize when specialized help is needed.

The right person takes pride in fixing things correctly, enjoys helping other technicians improve, and wants to make a real difference in how a facility operates.

The Role

You'll help keep a busy commercial kitchen facility running safely, reliably, and efficiently. This is a hands-on position with meaningful responsibility for maintenance quality, team coordination, and equipment reliability.

Success means:

• Maintenance problems are diagnosed accurately and resolved promptly.
• Building systems and shared equipment operate reliably, with minimal disruption to our clients.
• Preventive maintenance gets done, and recurring problems are addressed at their source.
• Other technicians have clear priorities and the guidance they need to succeed.
• Repairs are handled in-house when practical, with qualified specialists brought in when appropriate.
• Work orders are accurate, up to date, and tracked through completion.
• Clients and coworkers can count on clear communication and commitments being met.

Core Responsibilities

Hands-On Maintenance and Troubleshooting

• Diagnose and repair plumbing, drains, valves, pumps, fixtures, doors, hardware, and other building systems.
• Maintain and troubleshoot commercial kitchen equipment, including dishwashers, ice machines, and water treatment systems.
• Inspect and troubleshoot hot water, HVAC, ventilation, and refrigeration systems, including fans, motors, controls, and related mechanical equipment.
• Perform repairs within your qualifications and authorized scope, coordinating qualified specialists when needed.
• Identify the causes of recurring problems and develop practical, lasting solutions.
• Respond to urgent maintenance issues and help restore operations safely and efficiently.

Team Leadership and Preventive Maintenance

• Help organize and prioritize daily work for the maintenance technicians at your facility.
• Provide hands-on technical guidance, training, and troubleshooting support.
• Check completed work for quality, safety, and proper operation.
• Perform and coordinate preventive maintenance, inspections, and equipment servicing.
• Identify equipment at risk of failure and recommend repairs or replacements.
• Help improve maintenance procedures, equipment reliability, and team performance.

Work Orders and Vendor Coordination

• Use AppFolio to manage maintenance work orders, document repairs, and track work through completion.
• Coordinate outside contractors for specialized work, including defining scopes, reviewing estimates, and verifying completed repairs.
• Help reduce unnecessary contractor visits and repeat repairs through effective troubleshooting and preventive maintenance.
• Maintain essential tools, parts, equipment records, and maintenance documentation.
• Communicate clearly with our Tenant Coordinator and management about repair status, priorities, and issues requiring escalation.

What We're Looking For

• Several years of hands-on experience in commercial or industrial maintenance, building engineering, HVAC, facilities maintenance, or a related trade.
• Strong mechanical troubleshooting skills and the ability to diagnose and solve problems independently.
• Practical experience with plumbing, pumps, motors, electrical troubleshooting, and general building repairs.
• Familiarity with commercial HVAC, ventilation, or refrigeration systems.
• Ability to read equipment manuals, wiring diagrams, and technical documentation.
• Experience helping train, guide, or coordinate other technicians, or a demonstrated interest in taking on that responsibility.
• Good judgment about what can be repaired in-house and when specialized help is needed.
• Clear communication, good organizational habits, and a practical, service-oriented attitude.

Especially helpful, but not required:

• Commercial HVAC/R experience and EPA Section 608 certification.
• Experience with commercial kitchens, food-production facilities, hotels, hospitals, or other equipment-intensive properties.
• Knowledge of commercial kitchen exhaust, makeup-air systems, walk-in refrigeration, and hot water equipment.
• Relevant trade certifications, manufacturer training, or OSHA safety training.
• Experience with AppFolio or another maintenance management system.

We value demonstrated technical ability, sound judgment, and a willingness to learn. You don't need to check every box to be considered.

The Right Person

You may be a strong fit if you:

• Enjoy figuring out why things aren't working—and fixing them correctly.
• Are someone other technicians turn to when a problem gets complicated.
• Take ownership of your work and follow through without needing to be reminded.
• Like sharing what you know and helping coworkers become better at their jobs.
• Can balance urgent problems with planned maintenance and longer-term improvements.
• Think about reliability, safety, and cost—not just getting equipment running again.
• Want to work somewhere you can get to know the equipment, improve how things operate, and see the results of your work.

Why Amped?

Unlike many field-service positions, this role is based primarily at one facility, with a regular weekday schedule and the opportunity to develop a thorough understanding of the systems you maintain.

You'll have a wide variety of equipment to work on, opportunities to solve interesting technical problems, and the support of outside specialists when a repair requires expertise beyond our in-house team.

We believe good maintenance professionals should be trusted to use their judgment, supported with the tools and information they need, and encouraged to keep developing their skills.

You'll also have the opportunity to help shape how our maintenance operation works—not just respond to the next work order.

Location and Schedule

This position is based at one of our two Los Angeles commercial kitchen facilities, with occasional work at the other location as needed.

Schedule: Full-time, generally Monday–Friday, with occasional emergency or after-hours coverage as needed.

Reliable onsite attendance is essential. Overtime and emergency call-outs are compensated in accordance with applicable law.

Compensation and Benefits

• $35–$40 per hour, depending on experience and technical capabilities.
• Full-time, nonexempt, and overtime eligible.
• Health, dental, 401(k), paid time off, and other standard company benefits.
• Opportunities for paid technical training, certification support, and professional development.
• Tools and equipment provided or reimbursed in accordance with company policy and applicable law.
• Mileage reimbursement for authorized travel between facilities using a personal vehicle.
• Opportunities to take on broader technical and maintenance leadership responsibilities as the company grows.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume or a brief summary of your relevant work experience. No cover letter is required.

We're particularly interested in people who enjoy hands-on troubleshooting and take pride in solving difficult maintenance problems.

Qualified candidates will be invited to a conversation about their experience and a practical, job-related technical assessment.