Maintenance Technician job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$49,590

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Maintenance and Repair Workers, General (O*NET-SOC 49-9071.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions. importance 4.3 of 5
2. Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions. importance 4.0 of 5
3. Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges. importance 3.9 of 5
4. Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers. importance 3.8 of 5
5. Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary. importance 3.8 of 5
6. Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures. importance 3.8 of 5
7. Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment. importance 3.8 of 5
8. Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery. importance 3.7 of 5
9. Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures. importance 3.7 of 5
10. Align and balance new equipment after installation. importance 3.7 of 5
11. Record type and cost of maintenance or repair work. importance 3.7 of 5
12. Maintain or repair specialized equipment or machinery located in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, or factories. importance 3.7 of 5
13. Dismantle machines, equipment, or devices to access and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes, hand tools, or power tools. importance 3.7 of 5
14. Plan and lay out repair work, using diagrams, drawings, blueprints, maintenance manuals, or schematic diagrams. importance 3.6 of 5
15. Install equipment to improve the energy or operational efficiency of residential or commercial buildings. importance 3.5 of 5
16. Set up and operate machine tools to repair or fabricate machine parts, jigs, fixtures, or tools. importance 3.4 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment and Getting Information.

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.

• Perform routine maintenance on boilers, such as replacing burners or hoses, installing replacement parts, or reinforcing structural weaknesses to ensure optimal boiler efficiency.
• Provide groundskeeping services, such as landscaping or snow removal.
• Operate cutting torches or welding equipment to cut or join metal parts.
• Inspect used parts to determine changes in dimensional requirements, using rules, calipers, micrometers, or other measuring instruments.
• Assemble boilers at installation sites, using tools such as levels, plumb bobs, hammers, torches, or other hand tools.
• Position, attach, or blow insulating materials to prevent energy losses from buildings, pipes, or other structures or objects.

Knowledge areas: Mechanical, English Language, Building and Construction, Mathematics and Production and Processing.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Office software, Autodesk AutoCAD, Facebook, Apple macOS, Google Docs, Linux. 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 moderate-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 and see how to become a maintenance technician.

Most maintenance technicians surveyed by O*NET (63%) name a post-secondary certificate as the education the job requires.

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Maintenance Technician to perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
- Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
- Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.
- Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.
- Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.
- Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures.
- Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment.
- Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery.

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 equipment maintenance, repairing and troubleshooting
- Working knowledge of Mechanical and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Office software or Autodesk AutoCAD]
- [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.

The median annual wage was $49,590 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $23.84. BLS estimates about 1,529,700 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Maintenance and Repair Workers, General to grow 4.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 148,700 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full maintenance technician salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real maintenance technician posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or…”, 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 maintenance technician work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (equipment maintenance and repairing); maintenance technician interview questions turns them into practice questions.