Boiler Operator job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

O*NET-SOC 51-8021.00

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$78,620

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators (O*NET-SOC 51-8021.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Boiler Operator” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Activate valves to maintain required amounts of water in boilers, to adjust supplies of combustion air, and to control the flow of fuel into burners. importance 4.4 of 5
2. Monitor boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels, and make adjustments to maintain required levels. importance 4.4 of 5
3. Analyze problems and take appropriate action to ensure continuous and reliable operation of equipment and systems. importance 4.3 of 5
4. Observe and interpret readings on gauges, meters, and charts registering various aspects of boiler operation to ensure that boilers are operating properly. importance 4.3 of 5
5. Maintain daily logs of operation, maintenance, and safety activities, including test results, instrument readings, and details of equipment malfunctions and maintenance work. importance 4.3 of 5
6. Test boiler water quality or arrange for testing and take necessary corrective action, such as adding chemicals to prevent corrosion and harmful deposits. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Switch from automatic to manual controls and isolate equipment mechanically and electrically to allow for safe inspection and repair work. importance 4.2 of 5
8. Perform or arrange for repairs, such as complete overhauls, replacement of defective valves, gaskets, or bearings, or fabrication of new parts. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Adjust controls and/or valves on equipment to provide power, and to regulate and set operations of system or industrial processes. importance 4.1 of 5
10. Clean and lubricate boilers and auxiliary equipment and make minor adjustments as needed, using hand tools. importance 4.1 of 5
11. Develop operation, safety, and maintenance procedures or assist in their development. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Test electrical systems to determine voltages, using voltage meters. importance 3.9 of 5
13. Contact equipment manufacturers or appropriate specialists when necessary to resolve equipment problems. importance 3.9 of 5
14. Weigh, measure, and record fuel used. importance 3.9 of 5
15. Receive instructions from steam engineers regarding steam plant and air compressor operations. importance 3.8 of 5
16. Install burners and auxiliary equipment, using hand tools. importance 3.8 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Controlling Machines and Processes and Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Fire coal furnaces by hand or with stokers and gas- or oil-fed boilers, using automatic gas feeds or oil pumps.
• Supervise the work of assistant stationary engineers, turbine operators, boiler tenders, or air conditioning and refrigeration operators and mechanics.
• Investigate and report on accidents.
• Operate mechanical hoppers and provide assistance in their adjustment and repair.
• Ignite fuel in burners, using torches or flames.

Knowledge areas: Mechanical, Chemistry, Public Safety and Security, Physics and Engineering and Technology.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists long-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among boiler operators surveyed by O*NET is a post-secondary certificate (47%).

Job title: Boiler Operator
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Boiler Operator to operate or maintain stationary engines, boilers, or other mechanical equipment to provide utilities for buildings or industrial processes.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Activate valves to maintain required amounts of water in boilers, to adjust supplies of combustion air, and to control the flow of fuel into burners.
- Monitor boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels, and make adjustments to maintain required levels.
- Analyze problems and take appropriate action to ensure continuous and reliable operation of equipment and systems.
- Observe and interpret readings on gauges, meters, and charts registering various aspects of boiler operation to ensure that boilers are operating properly.
- Maintain daily logs of operation, maintenance, and safety activities, including test results, instrument readings, and details of equipment malfunctions and maintenance work.
- Test boiler water quality or arrange for testing and take necessary corrective action, such as adding chemicals to prevent corrosion and harmful deposits.
- Switch from automatic to manual controls and isolate equipment mechanically and electrically to allow for safe inspection and repair work.
- Perform or arrange for repairs, such as complete overhauls, replacement of defective valves, gaskets, or bearings, or fabrication of new parts.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in operations monitoring, operation and control and equipment maintenance
- Working knowledge of Mechanical and Chemistry
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, the median annual wage was $78,620 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $37.80. BLS estimates about 28,250 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators to grow 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,200 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real boiler operator posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Activate valves to maintain required amounts of water in boilers, to…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only boiler operator work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (operations monitoring and operation and control): a real situation, what you did and what changed.