How to hire a controls technician

How to hire a controls technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step controls technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a controls technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new controls technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a controls technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a controls technician, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A controls technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, controls technicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of controls technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Controls Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Controls Technician	Electro-mechanical technicians combine knowledge of mechanical technology with knowledge of electrical and electronic circuits. They operate, test, and maintain unmanned, automated, robotic, or electromechanical equipment.	$17-36
   Electrical Maintenance Technician	An electrical maintenance technician is primarily in charge of installing and repairing electrical systems. Their responsibilities often revolve around liaising with clients to identify their needs, examining electrical damages or defects on houses or establishments, troubleshooting, and performing fixes and replacements as needed... Show more	$22-36
   Controls Engineer	A Controls Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and supervising electrical control systems, machinery, and equipment. They oversee projects from initial concept to installation and commissioning.	$30-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PLC
   • Control Systems
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • HVAC
   • HMI
   • Hand Tools
   • Ladders
   • Customer Service
   • Automation Systems
   • Electrical Schematics
   • Technical Support
   • Production Equipment
   • OSHA
   • Ethernet

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Supervise and manage several environmental ECAS annual, monthly and weekly reports in cooperation with regional CEMS manager for federal compliance.
   • Establish communication links and prepare machines for bench-testing to attain UL certification.
   • Work with all electrical components, relays, sensors, ac and dc motors, drivers servo systems and pneumatics systems.
   • Perform PLC program creation and modifications and electronic modifications to production equipment.
   • Work with voltages ranging from 12 VAC to 600 VAC.
   • Conduct all professional activities within the policies of: Sandoz, EPA, OSHA, FDA and NFPA 70E.

   More controls technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your controls technician job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A controls technician can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, controls technicians' average salary in kansas is 35% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level controls technicians 51% less than senior-level controls technicians.
   • Certifications. A controls technician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a controls technician's salary.

   Average controls technician salary

   $53,345yearly

   $25.65 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level controls technician salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average controls technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Illinois	$63,416	$30
   2	New York	$59,213	$28
   3	California	$58,230	$28
   4	Nevada	$57,145	$27
   5	Massachusetts	$56,784	$27
   6	Indiana	$56,389	$27
   7	Georgia	$53,735	$26
   8	Oklahoma	$53,669	$26
   9	District of Columbia	$53,595	$26
   10	Virginia	$53,509	$26
   11	New Mexico	$53,242	$26
   12	North Carolina	$53,239	$26
   13	Maryland	$52,935	$25
   14	Michigan	$52,772	$25
   15	Wisconsin	$52,647	$25
   16	Utah	$52,214	$25
   17	Missouri	$51,683	$25
   18	Pennsylvania	$50,985	$25
   19	Ohio	$50,685	$24
   20	Colorado	$49,914	$24

   Average controls technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	BP America Inc	$83,843	$40.31	1
   2	Amazon	$78,475	$37.73	397
   3	Ernst & Young	$78,077	$37.54	22
   4	Jacobs Engineering Group	$76,517	$36.79
   5	LUFKIN Industries	$75,107	$36.11	4
   6	Hologic	$74,419	$35.78
   7	Regeneron	$73,545	$35.36	1
   8	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory	$73,397	$35.29	7
   9	Sandia National Labs	$73,165	$35.18	2
   10	Bayer	$73,115	$35.15	32
   11	Brookhaven National Laboratory	$72,892	$35.04
   12	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$72,757	$34.98	18
   13	Zoetis	$72,163	$34.69	11
   14	Merck	$72,159	$34.69	10
   15	GameStop	$72,027	$34.63
   16	Fluor Corporation	$70,977	$34.12	37
   17	Northern Trust	$70,956	$34.11
   18	Carrier	$69,927	$33.62	21
   19	AstraZeneca	$69,863	$33.59
   20	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$69,848	$33.58	67

4. Writing a controls technician job description

   A controls technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a controls technician job description:

   Controls technician job description example

   Our Intelligent Process Automation ("IPA") practice focuses on providing Robotic Process Automation, Smart Data Intake, Machine learning solutions and Analytics for mission critical business processes to major industries globally. It is one of the largest practice across the globe and also fastest growing practices in the company, and a key pillar of our digital offerings.
   
   In this role, the Program Manager/Engagement Lead will be responsible for project/program delivery and engagement management of Automation services in the assigned focus accounts. The position will manage our end-to-end automation delivery, account mining, customer engagement to excel the customer satisfaction, grow revenue and expand our stakeholder footprint within the accounts. The position will work with, and leverage, our consulting, advisory and solution delivery teams.
   Responsibilities:
   Successful delivery of automation project/program/engagement for our clients Expand automation penetration in assigned business units or new business units. Ensure flawless delivery, end to end program/engagement management by coordinating with business and IT teams across clients Act as a SPOC for clients as well as Cognizant vertical/DO teams for the automation program/engagement
   
   Required Skills and Qualifications:
   Strong PM skills, with a minimum 4+ years of experience of end-to-end program or engagement management in software development space Experience in architecting and designing automation solutions using Blue Prism Experience in Capturing Requirement and creating PDDs. A minimum of 5+ years of experience of working in a multi-geography and time-zone teams Must have 4+ years of Development experience with SQL, Net or Other programming language. Must have 3+ year of Blue Prism experience Awareness of the following aspects of at least one automation product is a major plus: High level architecture Licensing model Key features Experience in expanding or mining Automation services is a plus Awareness of basic financial management of projects Experience supporting account teams and building collaborative relationships with external and internal partners. Business acumen, communication, and drive for results. Strong leadership skills, particularly with highly diverse teams. Excellent communication and facilitation skills. Exceptional client management skills and experience. Ability to work collaboratively in a virtual and highly matrixed environment. Willing to relocate or travel to client location as per project/engagement requirement.
   Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position whom are legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring company sponsorship now or at any time in the future.
   
   Qualifications
   Technical Skills
   SNo Primary Skill Proficiency Level * Rqrd./Dsrd. 1 SQL PL1 Desired 2 Blue Prism PL1 Required
   
   Domain Skills
   SNo Primary Skill Proficiency Level * Rqrd./Dsrd. 1 Claims NA Desired
   
   * Proficiency Legends
   Proficiency Level Generic Reference PL1 The associate has basic awareness and comprehension of the skill and is in the process of acquiring this skill through various channels. PL2 The associate possesses working knowledge of the skill, and can actively and independently apply this skill in engagements and projects. PL3 The associate has comprehensive, in-depth and specialized knowledge of the skill. She / he has extensively demonstrated successful application of the skill in engagements or projects. PL4 The associate can function as a subject matter expert for this skill. The associate is capable of analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing solutions using the skill.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find controls technicians for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your controls technician job on Zippia to find and recruit controls technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting controls technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new controls technician

   Once you've found the controls technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new controls technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a controls technician?