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Building engineer vs senior maintenance technician

The differences between building engineers and senior maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a building engineer and a senior maintenance technician. Additionally, a building engineer has an average salary of $76,446, which is higher than the $51,970 average annual salary of a senior maintenance technician.

The top three skills for a building engineer include HVAC, ladders and plumbing. The most important skills for a senior maintenance technician are HVAC, plumbing, and customer service.

Building engineer vs senior maintenance technician overview

Building EngineerSenior Maintenance Technician
Yearly salary$76,446$51,970
Hourly rate$36.75$24.99
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs13,440137,443
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 32%Associate Degree, 42%
Average age4747
Years of experience44

What does a building engineer do?

The job of building engineers is to provide advice on design, installation, and maintenance of energy-efficient and cost-effective systems for all building services, including lighting, water, and air conditioning. These professionals are responsible for the distribution of water supply and electricity and resolving tenants' maintenance problems such as plumbing and electrical systems. Additional duties of the building engineers include conducting tests on systems, ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements, and liaising with construction professionals like surveyors and electricians.

What does a senior maintenance technician do?

A senior maintenance technician is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of an establishment or household's electrical and mechanical systems. Senior maintenance technicians handle the installation of ventilation systems, as well as the inspection of equipment and machinery, to ensure optimal performance and efficiency for business operations. They also monitor the adequacy of inventories needed to set up systems and other functionalities. A senior maintenance technician must have excellent organizational and mechanical skills and the ability to follow safety procedures and processes during operations.

Building engineer vs senior maintenance technician salary

Building engineers and senior maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Building EngineerSenior Maintenance Technician
Average salary$76,446$51,970
Salary rangeBetween $49,000 And $116,000Between $37,000 And $71,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASacramento, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaAlaska
Best paying companyAppleEssex Property Trust
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between building engineer and senior maintenance technician education

There are a few differences between a building engineer and a senior maintenance technician in terms of educational background:

Building EngineerSenior Maintenance Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 32%Associate Degree, 42%
Most common majorHeating And Air ConditioningElectrical Engineering
Most common college--

Building engineer vs senior maintenance technician demographics

Here are the differences between building engineers' and senior maintenance technicians' demographics:

Building EngineerSenior Maintenance Technician
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 94.6% Female, 5.4%Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 4.5% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 4.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage2%2%

Differences between building engineer and senior maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Building engineer example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate with team leads to determine needs and how best to implement JIRA within department.
  • Create python script to automate the deployment process which deploys the application and restarts the servers.
  • Manage service MEP vendor contracts (elevators, fire life support, annual test and inspections).
  • Manage and sustain manufacturing processes via monitoring, SPC, and data analysis to maintain overall process health and stability.
  • Contribute PowerShell functions to a PowerShell module used to automate software upgrades.
  • Provide property preventive maintenance, electrical repair, HVAC maintenance/troubleshooting, construction, plumbing, custom carpentry and renovations.
  • Show more

Senior maintenance technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage all hazardous materials generate by shop operations and ensure safety requirements are met in accordance to OSHA standards.
  • Upgrade and implement well-defined CMMS to better track preventative and predictive maintenance.
  • Climb vertical ladders, work at heights.
  • Experience with gaffs, safety harness, bucket truck, and ladders.
  • Assist in the creation of the PLC back-up program that is currently in use.
  • Subject matter expert responsible for PLC systems and furnace systems throughout a 4 plant campus.
  • Show more

Building engineer vs senior maintenance technician skills

Common building engineer skills
  • HVAC, 13%
  • Ladders, 12%
  • Plumbing, 12%
  • Preventive Maintenance, 10%
  • Emergency Situations, 9%
  • Roofing, 8%
Common senior maintenance technician skills
  • HVAC, 8%
  • Plumbing, 7%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Ladders, 6%
  • PLC, 6%
  • CMMS, 5%

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