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What does a building maintenance engineer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

A building maintenance engineer is primarily in charge of maintaining building facilities in good condition. Their job entails conducting regular maintenance checks on an establishment's electrical, plumbing, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, performing repairs and replacements when necessary. They may also install or upgrade systems, execute adjustments, provide technical support to staff, and maintain extensive records. Moreover, as a building maintenance engineer, it is essential to lead maintenance teams to reach goals, all while implementing safety standards and regulations for a smooth and efficient workflow.

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Building maintenance engineer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real building maintenance engineer resumes:

  • Create python script to automate the deployment process which deploys the application and restarts the servers.
  • Perform preventive maintenance and repair electrical equipment, plumbing, air-condition and refrigeration.
  • Create a plan maintenance system to stay on top of HVAC, energy management and mechanical systems and component repairs.
  • Complete engineering & life-safety systems and procedures training and certifications to ensure adherence to OSHA and other compliance and quality standards.
  • Attend numerous OSHA classes and receive numerous certifications.
  • Restart steam boilers and equipment after unplan emergency shutdowns.
  • Perform troubleshooting of all electrical and plumbing problems throughout building.
  • Perform ongoing operation, management and maintenance of steam boilers to meet adequate steaming needs of energy-efficient operations.
  • Implement computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) for scheduling and execution of preventative and predictive maintenance to improve equipment reliability.
  • Water all plants, flowers and grass on property by hand, sprinkler or other methods as needed.
  • Maintain equipment and perform some repair with MIG.
  • Work with PLC and low voltage systems.
  • Implement computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) for scheduling and execution of preventative and predictive maintenance to improve equipment reliability.

Building maintenance engineer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 12% of Building Maintenance Engineers are proficient in HVAC, Plumbing, and Preventive Maintenance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Dexterity, and Troubleshooting skills.

We break down the percentage of Building Maintenance Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • HVAC, 12%

    Created a planned maintenance system to stay on top of HVAC, energy management and mechanical systems and component repairs.

  • Plumbing, 12%

    Performed preventive maintenance and repair electrical equipment, plumbing, air-condition and refrigeration.

  • Preventive Maintenance, 10%

    Conducted periodic preventive maintenance inspections in each assigned building and followed management system requirements, including documentation of work performed.

  • Ladders, 9%

    Used various tools, including but not limited to: drills, saws, hammers, screwdrivers, sanders and ladders.

  • Snow Removal, 8%

    Maintain the building grounds, commercial Mowing, Weed Whacking Landscaping, snow removal,

  • Emergency Situations, 5%

    Identify and be able to immediately recognize system faults and respond to operational and emergency situations related to building environment.

Common skills that a building maintenance engineer uses to do their job include "hvac," "plumbing," and "preventive maintenance." You can find details on the most important building maintenance engineer responsibilities below.

Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a building maintenance engineer to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "these workers interact with customers on a regular basis." Building maintenance engineers often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "handled emergency situations and customer concerns. "

Dexterity. Many building maintenance engineer duties rely on dexterity. "many repair and maintenance tasks, such as repairing small devices, connecting or attaching components, and using hand tools, require a steady hand and good hand–eye coordination.," so a building maintenance engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways building maintenance engineer responsibilities rely on dexterity: "demonstrated mechanical aptitude and manual dexterity in all areas of building maintenance. "

Troubleshooting skills. This is an important skill for building maintenance engineers to perform their duties. For an example of how building maintenance engineer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "workers find, diagnose, and repair problems." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a building maintenance engineer: "diagnosed unresponsive ems (electronic monitoring systems) through troubleshooting damper systems, vav and controls. ".

All building maintenance engineer skills

The three companies that hire the most building maintenance engineers are:

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Compare different building maintenance engineers

Building maintenance engineer vs. Maintenance specialist

A maintenance specialist is responsible for maintaining the company's technology equipment and machinery, as well as computer and network systems, and other related instruments to support the business operational functions, ensuring the highest client service and satisfaction. Maintenance specialists conduct preventive and repair maintenance, inspect defective lines and components, and perform troubleshooting to maintain optimal performance and service delivery. A maintenance specialist must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, especially when assisting the end-users with their concerns and inquiries.

We looked at the average building maintenance engineer salary and compared it with the wages of a maintenance specialist. Generally speaking, maintenance specialists are paid $5,760 lower than building maintenance engineers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between building maintenance engineers and maintenance specialists are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like hvac, plumbing, and preventive maintenance.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, building maintenance engineer responsibilities require skills like "emergency situations," "roofing," "troubleshoot," and "life safety systems." Meanwhile a typical maintenance specialist has skills in areas such as "general maintenance," "grass," "customer service," and "safety procedures." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Maintenance specialists earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $57,768. On the other hand, building maintenance engineers are paid more in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $48,819.On average, maintenance specialists reach similar levels of education than building maintenance engineers. Maintenance specialists are 1.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Building maintenance engineer vs. Maintenance lead technician

A maintenance lead technician oversees the daily maintenance operations of a department or establishment. Their duties revolve around conducting inspections and regular maintenance checks on facilities and equipment, performing repairs as necessary. They are also responsible for troubleshooting issues, fixing and replacing components, cleaning different areas, installing fixtures, and providing technical support to employees. Additionally, a maintenance lead technician guides and trains junior technicians while implementing the company's policies and safety standards for a smooth and efficient workflow.

On average, maintenance lead technicians earn a $3,212 higher salary than building maintenance engineers a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both building maintenance engineers and maintenance lead technicians have skills such as "hvac," "plumbing," and "ladders. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that building maintenance engineer responsibilities requires skills like "preventive maintenance," "emergency situations," "roofing," and "troubleshoot." But a maintenance lead technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "preventative maintenance," "customer service," "safety procedures," and "plc."

On average, maintenance lead technicians earn a higher salary than building maintenance engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, maintenance lead technicians earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $54,994. Whereas building maintenance engineers have higher pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $48,819.In general, maintenance lead technicians achieve similar levels of education than building maintenance engineers. They're 0.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Building maintenance engineer vs. Maintenance foreman

If an office has a human resource specialist that monitors the employees, maintenance workers have what you call a foreman. They are the ones responsible for overseeing and supervising the maintenance work. This includes monitoring, facilitating, and repairing types of machinery and other equipment. A foreman may supervise the laborers, maintenance workers, helpers, and others.

On average scale, maintenance foremen bring in lower salaries than building maintenance engineers. In fact, they earn a $6,972 lower salary per year.building maintenance engineers and maintenance foremen both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "hvac," "plumbing," and "snow removal," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from building maintenance engineer resumes include skills like "preventive maintenance," "ladders," "emergency situations," and "roofing," whereas a maintenance foreman is more likely to list skills in "cdl," "maintenance repairs," "safety standards," and "general maintenance. "

Maintenance foremen earn the best pay in the energy industry, where they command an average salary of $46,117. Building maintenance engineers earn the highest pay from the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $48,819.When it comes to education, maintenance foremen tend to earn similar degree levels compared to building maintenance engineers. In fact, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Building maintenance engineer vs. Maintenance supervisor

A maintenance supervisor is responsible for directing and managing the overall maintenance department, inspecting the safety of operation equipment, and ensuring that everyone follows the standards and regulatory procedures to keep the production area safe and efficient. Maintenance supervisor duties also include delegating tasks to the maintenance personnel, evaluating the site condition regularly, reviewing inventory, and requesting stocks as necessary. They must also keep track of incident reports and connect with the operations management for any concerns and recommendations.

Maintenance supervisors typically earn higher pay than building maintenance engineers. On average, maintenance supervisors earn a $10,224 higher salary per year.While their salaries may vary, building maintenance engineers and maintenance supervisors both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "hvac," "plumbing," and "ladders. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between building maintenance engineers and maintenance supervisors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a building maintenance engineer might have more use for skills like "preventive maintenance," "emergency situations," "roofing," and "troubleshoot." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of maintenance supervisors require skills like "customer service," "general maintenance," "safety standards," and "cleanliness. "

In general, maintenance supervisors earn the most working in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $73,337. The highest-paying industry for a building maintenance engineer is the hospitality industry.In general, maintenance supervisors hold similar degree levels compared to building maintenance engineers. Maintenance supervisors are 1.1% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of building maintenance engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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