Senior Maintenance Specialist, East TN AgResearch & Education Center: UTIA

The Senior Maintenance Specialist will lead agricultural research center staff and principal investigators in the design, fabrication, maintenance, and repair of equipment as well as infrastructure. This position will also design a program to keep detailed records of work performed and play a critical role in selecting equipment and infrastructure purchases and repairs to lead innovative agricultural research.

• Conduct highly specialized and emergency repairs to research equipment and custom-designed infrastructure critical to research center success.
• Design from scratch, install, and oversee repair and preventative maintenance programs for specialized research equipment/infrastructure.
• Keep accurate records regarding equipment/infrastructure repair and maintenance, then convey those reports to the unit manager as a key member of the site leadership team.
• Provide updates to leadership team on status of equipment/infrastructure repairs and budget costs associated with those repairs, and determine when to refer issues to specialist or outside contractor.
• Will design and lead efforts to train research staff on preventative maintenance and routine repairs, and will supervise junior staff regarding site maintenance issues.
• Operate heavy equipment to deliver feed and water to research herd.
• Operate equipment to plant and harvest agricultural crops to be used for research trials and animals.
• Operate specialized equipment for feeding, transporting, and milking dairy animals.
• Maintain roads, fences, stalls, and parlor areas to ensure research security and continuity.
• Work with principle investigators to design and fabricate specialized research equipment to promote cutting edge research at the research center.
• Communicate with leadership team and principle investigators on progress of projects and provide accurate budgets for costs involved.

Required Qualifications:

• Education:
  • High school diploma or GED
• Experience:
  • Minimum of 5 years relevant experience.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
  • Equipment troubleshooting ability
  • Advanced equipment repair skills
  • Ability to perform specialized maintenance of light and heavy equipment
  • Heavy equipment operation skills including tractors, backhoes, and skid steers
  • Knowledge of small engines, plumbing, and electrical systems

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education:
  • Vocational or Technical training (Equipment repair, automotive repair, agriculture)
• Experience:
  • Preferred experience of 10 years or more.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
  • Welding and fabrication skills
  • Ability to troubleshoot hydraulic and fluid management systems
  • Knowledge of agricultural production including planting, harvesting, animal care, irrigation, and fertility

Work Location:

• Walland, TN - Onsite

Compensation and Benefits:

• UT market range: MR08
• Anticipated hiring range: $18 - $20
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions:

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before 9/15/2025

• Resume
• Minimum 3 References

About The College/Department/Division:

One of ten AgResearch and Education Centers located throughout Tennessee, the East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center serves as a field laboratory providing experimental plots, lands, livestock, orchards, equipment, and other types of support for research programs developed by AgResearch scientists. The Center was established on land purchased by the university in 1869. Since that time, six units have been added, increasing the Center’s land to 1,968 acres.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices that attract and retain a diverse community and that support a culture where everyone matters and belongs.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!