How To Become A Chiller Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chiller operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a chiller operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.51 an hour? That's $36,415 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 1,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreChiller OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $36,415

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 7.94%

Black or African American 14.73%

Hispanic or Latino 19.85%

Unknown 4.10%

White 52.51%

Gender

female 20.16%

male 79.84%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chiller operator

Explore chiller operator education requirements

Most common chiller operator degrees

High School Diploma

60.3 %

Associate

19.0 %

Bachelor's

8.6 %

Start to develop specific chiller operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Safety	20.32%
Safety Policies	17.80%
HACCP	16.22%
Hand Tools	12.89%
Cooling Towers	12.77%

Complete relevant chiller operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chiller operators 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 chiller operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chiller operator resumes.

Research chiller operator duties and responsibilities

Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Operate, maintain and repair HVAC and boiler systems.
Reset and operate PLC programs, for operation of motors, valves and other equipment.
Operate or tend auxiliary equipment such as pumps, compressors, VFD's, cooling tower fans, and sand filters.

Prepare your chiller operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chiller operator 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 chiller operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable chiller operator resume templates

Build a professional chiller operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your chiller operator resume.