How to hire a lead mechanical technician

How to hire a lead mechanical technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead mechanical 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 lead mechanical technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new lead mechanical technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the lead mechanical technician you need to hire. Certain lead mechanical technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect lead mechanical technician 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 lead mechanical technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Lead Mechanical Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Mechanical Technician	Mechanical engineering technicians help mechanical engineers design, develop, test, and manufacture mechanical devices, including tools, engines, and machines. They may make sketches and rough layouts, record and analyze data, make calculations and estimates, and report their findings.	$26-61
   Maintenance Technician Supervisor	A maintenance technician supervisor is responsible for monitoring the facilities within the company premises, including office equipment and machinery, ensuring performance efficiency for smooth daily operations. Maintenance technician supervisors may perform troubleshooting for defective equipment, call for repairs, or replace the items as needed... Show more	$14-25
   Technician	Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with... Show more	$11-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Electrical Systems
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • Safety Procedures
   • Hand Tools
   • OSHA
   • Maintenance Procedures
   • HVAC
   • Mechanical Systems
   • Trouble Shoot
   • PLC
   • Technical Support
   • CNC
   • Hydraulic Pumps

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Dispatch work accordingly, manage and assist team members with more complex repairs and diagnosis.
   • Lead electro/mechanical technician on PLC, CNC, robotics on night shift.
   • Start off as CNC machine operator.
   • Perform cost studies for industrial HVAC systems.
   • Train maintenance techs on troubleshooting and PLC programing.
   • Maintain a safe working environment according to OSHA standards.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, lead mechanical technicians' average salary in kentucky is 56% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead mechanical technicians 57% less than senior-level lead mechanical technicians.
   • Certifications. A lead mechanical 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 lead mechanical technician's salary.

   Average lead mechanical technician salary

   $84,323yearly

   $40.54 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead mechanical technician salary

   $55,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

4. Writing a lead mechanical technician job description

   A good lead mechanical technician job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a lead mechanical technician job description:

   Lead mechanical technician job description example

   Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc (HATCI) is looking for an Mechanical Technical Lead for our New Horizons Studio:
   
   As a Mechanical Design Technical Lead at New Horizons Studio, you will work in a small team of talented engineers to make our vehicles move fluidly and intuitively, transforming design requirements for vehicles with up to 24 degrees of freedom into components that allow our vehicle to walk and drive over extreme terrain.
   
   You'll join a passionate team and have high individual ownership of pieces of this challenge. You will play a critical role in identifying vehicle and component requirements, developing component and vehicle design and analysis workflows and collaborating with Controls Software, Mechatronics, and Manufacturing Engineering.
   
   This role requires excellent technical communication skills with team members in manufacturing, product management, industrial design, electrical engineering, and controls and mechatronics as well as external partners.
   
   This role is based in either the San Francisco Bay Area / Silicon Valley or in Bozeman, MT and reports to the Section Head of Mechanical Hardware.
   Responsibilities Own the design of components and subsystems for an ultimate mobility vehicle (UMV) from requirement through fabrication and initial testing. Model components and subsystems in CAD software (SolidWorks) Support the development of vehicle and subsystem requirements Define the requirements and specifications for robotic actuators and drives Model robotic actuators Design and perform actuator tests Communicate design decisions to the rest of the team Work in a team environment providing guidance and mentorship for less senior staff What we offer: Zero dollar employee premiums on Medical, Dental, and Vision for you and your family 100% employer-paid disability and life insurance Generous paid time off including vacation, sick and abundant holidays A global environment that fosters diversity Competitive salaries Retirement savings and planning benefits Flexible work hours, and hybrid work schedule options Access to health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts
   
   Required Qualifications BS in mechanical engineering, robotics, or a related field 5+ years of experience in robotics or mechanical hardware design engineering 1+ years of experience in a technical leadership role Proven experience analyzing, specifying, and testing robotic actuators Cross-disciplinary collaboration Preferred Qualifications Quadruped robot experience Ground vehicle design experience Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) control software development Hands on prototyping and testing DFx - manufacturing, service, test, etc. 3+ years of Solidworks experience ANSI and ASME drafting standards
   
   #LI-PM1 #LI-Hybrid

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right lead mechanical technician 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 lead mechanical technician job on Zippia to find and recruit lead mechanical technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting lead mechanical 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 lead mechanical technician

   Once you've selected the best lead mechanical technician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

   To prepare for the new lead mechanical technician first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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