Maintenance technician job description template

What a maintenance technician does

Maintenance technicians keep buildings, equipment, and production lines working. They're generalists who handle electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and mechanical repairs, often all in one day. The job looks very different in an apartment complex, a hospital, and a factory, so describe the setting, the systems, and the split between preventive maintenance and emergency calls. Mention on-call expectations up front, because they're a deal breaker for some candidates.

Maintenance technician job description template

Copy the description, replace everything in [brackets], and cut any line that isn't true for your job. The duties and requirements are a starting point written by HR practitioners, not a legal standard, so edit them to match the real work.

Maintenance technician

Details
- Department: [Department]
- Reports to: [Manager title]
- Location: [City, State, or remote]
- Employment type: [Full-time, part-time, or seasonal]
- FLSA status: Nonexempt
- Pay range: [$X to $Y per hour]

About [Company]
[Two or three sentences about what your company does, who it serves, and why people like working here.]

Job summary
We're hiring a maintenance technician to keep our [facility or equipment] safe, working, and in good repair through preventive maintenance and quick, reliable fixes.

What you'll do
- Perform preventive maintenance on buildings, equipment, and systems.
- Diagnose and repair electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and mechanical problems.
- Respond to work orders and emergency repair calls.
- Follow lockout/tagout and safety procedures.
- Paint, patch, and make minor carpentry repairs.
- Track work in the [CMMS or work order system].
- Coordinate with outside contractors and vendors.
- Keep tools, parts, and the maintenance shop organized.

What you'll need
- [Two] or more years of maintenance experience.
- Working knowledge of basic electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and mechanical systems.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and climb ladders.
- Valid driver's license and availability for on-call rotation.

Nice to have
- EPA 608 certification.
- Experience with [production equipment or building systems].
- Trade school or apprenticeship.

Skills
Troubleshooting, Preventive maintenance, Multi-trade skills, Safety, Work order management, Reliability.

Physical demands and work environment
Facility, shop, and outdoor areas. Requires climbing, crawling, lifting, and working in heat, cold, and confined spaces.

Pay and benefits
[$X to $Y per hour], based on experience and location. [List benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plan match, paid time off, and training.]

Equal opportunity
[Company] is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview, contact [name] at [email or phone].

How to customize it for your job

• Describe the facility and its systems.
• Explain on-call frequency and pay.
• List the split between preventive and reactive work.
• Say what tools you provide.

Then check it against the HRTally job description standard, our 10-point checklist, and run it through the inclusive language swap list. Both take about five minutes.

How much to pay a maintenance technician

Half of US maintenance and repair workers, general earned more than $23.84 an hour in May 2025, and half earned less, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That national figure is a starting point, not a pay range. Pay for the same job can differ by 30 percent or more between metro areas, so check the BLS occupation profile for state and metro data before you set your range.

For hourly roles, the legal floor matters as much as the market rate. Check the current rate where the job is based in our minimum wage by state table, and the state's overtime and break rules in our state labor law library.

To convert between hourly and annual pay, use our salary to hourly calculator. If you hire in a state or city with a pay transparency law, the range must appear in the posting itself. Our pay transparency laws guide lists where, and our guide to salary bands explains how to set ranges you can defend.

Exempt status, licenses, and legal notes

FLSA status: Nonexempt (overtime eligible). Job titles don't decide overtime eligibility. Duties and pay do. Our guide to exempt vs non-exempt employees walks through each test, and the overtime calculator shows what a nonexempt employee is owed.

Maintenance technicians are nonexempt. On-call time may be compensable if restrictions prevent technicians from using it for their own purposes, and response time and travel to the site on a call are generally paid. OSHA's lockout/tagout standard requires training and written energy control procedures. Technicians who handle refrigerants need EPA Section 608 certification, and some electrical or plumbing work may require a license depending on state rules.

This is general information for US employers, not legal advice. Laws change and vary by state and city, so confirm the current rules or talk to employment counsel before you rely on them.

Interview questions to ask

Ask every candidate the same core questions and score answers against the same criteria. Structured interviews are fairer and predict job performance better than open conversation.

1. Walk me through how you'd troubleshoot a machine that won't start.
2. How do you decide which work order to do first?
3. Tell me about a repair you're proud of.
4. How do you follow lockout/tagout on a piece of equipment you haven't worked on before?

When you're ready to schedule, use our interview invitation email template. For a full hiring process, read the recruitment process guide.

Frequently asked questions