Post job

How to hire an electrical maintenance engineer

Electrical maintenance engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring electrical maintenance engineers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire an electrical maintenance engineer is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new electrical maintenance engineer to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an electrical maintenance engineer, step by step

To hire an electrical maintenance engineer, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a electrical maintenance engineer:

Here's a step-by-step electrical maintenance engineer hiring guide:

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

What does an electrical maintenance engineer do?

As a part of the maintenance team, the electrical maintenance engineer is responsible for maintaining electrical fixtures used by establishments. They install electrical equipment such as switches and elevators, repair if the damage is present, and maintain their proper function. They are hired independently or contractually in industrial establishments to do their job. They must respond quickly if a malfunction is observed, ensuring safety along the way. They must have good communication skills to work with the team.

Learn more about the specifics of what an electrical maintenance engineer does
jobs
Post an electrical maintenance engineer job for free, promote it for a fee
  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your electrical maintenance engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an electrical maintenance engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    Hiring the perfect electrical maintenance engineer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

    Here's a comparison of electrical maintenance engineer salaries for various roles:

    Type of Electrical Maintenance EngineerDescriptionHourly rate
    Electrical Maintenance EngineerElectrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment. Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems—from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPSs).$26-50
    EngineerEngineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more$31-62
    Field EngineerA field engineer's role will vary on the industry or line of work involved. However, the primary responsibility will mostly revolve around handling equipment and machinery, ensuring that they function effectively and safely... Show more$24-47
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • PLC
    • Electrical Equipment
    • Control Systems
    • OSHA
    • Electrical Systems
    • Preventive Maintenance
    • Provide Technical
    • Technical Support
    • Transformers
    • HMI
    • NEC
    • NFPA
    • Electrical Maintenance
    • Electrical Components
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage load/unload operations for rail base raw material (HDPE and PPE feedstock) delivery.
    • Maintain facility NEC and OSHA compliance.
    • Maintain and support installed automation and electrical systems and PLC software.
    • Champion the mills NFPA 70E program to insure electrical safety compliance.
    • Programme Honeywell temperature controllers and PLC 's
    • Instrument design and development include analog and digital/microprocessor electronics and are completed and taken to production.
    More electrical maintenance engineer duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your electrical maintenance engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An electrical maintenance engineer salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, electrical maintenance engineers' average salary in montana is 36% less than in new jersey.
    • Seniority. Entry-level electrical maintenance engineers earn 47% less than senior-level electrical maintenance engineers.
    • Certifications. An electrical maintenance engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an electrical maintenance engineer's salary.

    Average electrical maintenance engineer salary

    $77,585yearly

    $37.30 hourly rate

    Entry-level electrical maintenance engineer salary
    $56,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 16, 2025

    Average electrical maintenance engineer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Texas$92,502$44
    2New York$92,023$44
    3Massachusetts$90,757$44
    4Alabama$81,452$39
    5Illinois$80,110$39
    6North Carolina$76,844$37
    7Virginia$76,582$37
    8Pennsylvania$71,892$35
    9Arkansas$71,360$34
    10South Carolina$71,160$34
    11Arizona$70,884$34

    Average electrical maintenance engineer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Chevron$114,931$55.264
    2Bayer$97,708$46.986
    3Celanese$91,274$43.883
    4Praxair$85,316$41.021
    5DuPont$83,781$40.2823
    6City Light & Power$82,590$39.7111
    7ArcelorMittal$82,577$39.701
    8FMC$81,150$39.01
    9Ashland$81,011$38.95
    10Innophos$79,465$38.201
    11Continental$78,945$37.959
    12Grant PUD$78,608$37.793
    13Cliffs$77,397$37.217
    14Allied Reliability$76,734$36.89
    15Monsanto$75,982$36.53
    16Randstad North America, Inc.$75,796$36.44
    17Primetals Technologies$75,488$36.29
    18CNJ Distributing Corporation$75,488$36.29
    19Freudenberg Medical$74,724$35.922
    20Hargrove Engineers + Constructors$74,622$35.8827
  4. Writing an electrical maintenance engineer job description

    An electrical maintenance engineer 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. Below, you can find an example of an electrical maintenance engineer job description:

    Electrical maintenance engineer job description example

    Maintenance & Electrical Engineer - (22000096) Description At SI Group, we aspire for all employees to live and work to their full potential. We foster a unique environment where each employee is empowered to create value for our business with a commitment to safety and compliance. We promote personal and professional success that aligns with productivity and extraordinary results. Become a Catalyst for Change and help ignite impossible.
    The Role:
    General Description
    The Maintenance & Electrical Engineer reports to the Sr. Maintenance Manager as a shared resource in the Maintenance, Logistics, and Production areas. You will help to develop plans, programs and procedures related to improving plant equipment reliability to meet the plant goals in such a manner as to promote the most effective use of maintenance personnel and equipment.
    How You Will Make an Impact:
    Key Responsibilities
    Plant Maintenance Support

    Provide technical repair expertise and troubleshooting focal point for plant equipment including: 12.47kV & 480v power distribution, PLCs, and instrumentation.
    Develop and direct repair plans for major equipment failures and plant outages.
    Site administration of the CMMS which includes providing training on the system and managing the database.
    Provide support to Reliability Engineering for PM processes and compliance.

    Plant and Equipment Reliability:

    Improve overall plant reliability by improved maintenance work processes and procedures
    Work with Reliability Engineer to Implement trigger criteria for, and drive, a failure analysis and Root Cause Analysis process for equipment downtime
    Act as focal point for supporting existing I&E equipment with support from vendors as needed.

    ISO Quality Responsibilities and Authority
    Implement and follow SIG's ISO-9002 programs, policies and procedures outlined by the ISO Standard. Cooperate with the department to meet the requirements of ISO-9002 programs, policies and procedures, and to ensure continued compliance through regular internal audits and team meetings.
    What We Value:
    We strive for all employees to nurture physical, mental and emotional health both personally and professionally. Our commitment to health and wellness centers around prevention, early detection and embracing a healthy lifestyle. Some offerings may vary by role or region, but may include:

    Physical Health benefits including competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision packages, company contribution to Health Savings Account, cash incentive for Annual Physical and reimbursement
    Financial Wellness opportunities including company paid life insurance and disability plans, 401(k) Retirement Plan with generous company match, and certified Financial Planning & Investment services
    Mental Health benefits including generous Paid Time Off and 10 Paid Holidays, Paid Parental Bonding Leave, and much more!

    Qualifications Creating Extraordinary Starts With:
    Qualifications
    Education and Experience

    Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering
    3+ years of experience in an Industrial Manufacturing environment
    Experience in Total Process Reliability (TPR), Mechanical Integrity and CMMS desirable
    Knowledgeable in risk-based inspection methodologies and how to use the methodologies

    Software:

    Proficient in SAP, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook, and CMMS

    Primary Location: US-TX-FreeportWork Locations: Freeport 702 FM 523 Freeport 77541Job: ManufacturingOrganization: NA Region (US) Schedule: RegularShift: StandardEmployee Status: Individual ContributorJob Type: Full-time Job Level: Day Job
  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right electrical maintenance engineer for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your electrical maintenance engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit electrical maintenance engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting electrical maintenance engineers 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    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 electrical maintenance engineer

    Once you've decided on a perfect electrical maintenance engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new electrical maintenance engineer. 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.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire an electrical maintenance engineer?

Recruiting electrical maintenance engineers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

The median annual salary for electrical maintenance engineers is $77,585 in the US. However, the cost of electrical maintenance engineer hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring an electrical maintenance engineer for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $26 and $50 an hour.

Find better electrical maintenance engineers in less time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring electrical maintenance engineers FAQs

Search for electrical maintenance engineer jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Browse architecture and engineering jobs