How To Become A Chief Maintenance Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chief maintenance engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Libby Toping

The average chief maintenance engineer salary is $61,998. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a chief maintenance engineer. Chief maintenance engineers with a EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a chief maintenance engineer?

Libby Toping

Engineer intern, Crafton Tull

It has definitely been a unique time to start my first job. COVID-19 has caused many of my peers to struggle to find a job, so I think it has caused me to recognize how thankful I am to have a job that I enjoy working and that allows me to improve my community, even in the midst of a pandemic. There are certainly struggles with virtual meetings and mask-wearing, but learning to be flexible and adaptable are skills that I think will make me a better engineer in the long run!

ScoreChief Maintenance EngineerUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,998

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.3

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 2.10%

Black or African American 8.19%

Hispanic or Latino 15.66%

Unknown 4.50%

White 68.30%

Gender

female 3.61%

male 96.39%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chief maintenance engineer

Explore chief maintenance engineer education requirements

Most common chief maintenance engineer degrees

Bachelor's

32.4 %

Associate

25.0 %

High School Diploma

23.5 %

Start to develop specific chief maintenance engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
HVAC	11.70%
Plumbing	11.06%
Life Safety	10.14%
Preventive Maintenance	8.43%
Kitchen Equipment	3.77%

Complete relevant chief maintenance engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chief maintenance engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a chief maintenance engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chief maintenance engineer resumes.

Research chief maintenance engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage department and maintain property by repairing electrical, plumbing, water systems, cable/phone systems, drywall installation and repair.
Initiate and manage several CMMS programs for productivity and inventory control programs.
Provide services in plumbing, carpentry, electrical, unit punch-out, flooring and HVAC as needed.
Install A/C units and repair as needed.

Get chief maintenance engineer experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a chief maintenance engineer. The most common roles before becoming a chief maintenance engineer include maintenance engineer, maintenance technician team lead and maintenance supervisor.

Prepare your chief maintenance engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chief maintenance engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a chief maintenance engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable chief maintenance engineer resume templates

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