How to hire a maintenance foreman

How to hire a maintenance foreman, step by step

Here's a step-by-step maintenance foreman hiring guide:

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

What does a maintenance foreman do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The maintenance foreman hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A maintenance foreman's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, maintenance foremen 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.

   This list presents maintenance foreman salaries for various positions.

   Type of Maintenance Foreman	Description	Hourly rate
   Maintenance Foreman	General maintenance and repair workers fix and maintain machines, mechanical equipment, and buildings. They paint, repair flooring, and work on plumbing, electrical, and air-conditioning and heating systems.	$14-25
   Operations And Maintenance Technician	Operations and maintenance technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for conducting preventive maintenance of all equipment used in the operation of an organization. These technicians are required to ensure that their facilities are always operational by performing inspections and documenting the operating conditions of their equipment... Show more	$18-35
   Foreman	A foreman is a skilled worker in the construction industry, usually a tenured or experienced construction worker. The construction site's foremen act as the bridge between construction supervisors and construction workers... Show more	$19-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CDL
   • Plumbing
   • Maintenance Repairs
   • HVAC
   • Hand Tools
   • Safety Standards
   • General Maintenance
   • GRASS
   • Safety Procedures
   • Mowing
   • Building Maintenance
   • Grounds Maintenance
   • Maintenance Projects
   • Routine Maintenance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all contract work including snow removal, mowing, asphalt work, and signage.
   • Complete inspections of boiler, coolers & HVAC systems as well as building security.
   • Repair all MHE equipment from pallet trucks to 80 ton Terex cranes and container stackers.
   • Include running various power equipment, including walk-behind and riding mowers, skid steers, and a backhoe.
   • Repair and replace light switches, wall outlets, ballast, breakers and all components and relate hardware.
   • Assist in design and installation of new panels and switches, establishing existing circuits and running wire and conduit.

   More maintenance foreman duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, maintenance foremen' average salary in mississippi is 37% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level maintenance foremen 40% less than senior-level maintenance foremen.
   • Certifications. A maintenance foreman 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 maintenance foreman's salary.

   Average maintenance foreman salary

   $40,478yearly

   $19.46 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level maintenance foreman salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

   Average maintenance foreman salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$52,692	$25
   2	California	$48,678	$23
   3	Washington	$47,817	$23
   4	Massachusetts	$45,537	$22
   5	Maryland	$44,802	$22
   6	Connecticut	$44,362	$21
   7	Missouri	$43,847	$21
   8	Illinois	$43,204	$21
   9	Colorado	$42,443	$20
   10	Pennsylvania	$41,794	$20
   11	Georgia	$41,366	$20
   12	North Dakota	$41,242	$20
   13	New Hampshire	$41,149	$20
   14	North Carolina	$40,656	$20
   15	Ohio	$40,056	$19
   16	Michigan	$38,925	$19
   17	Indiana	$37,681	$18
   18	Idaho	$36,942	$18
   19	Texas	$35,962	$17
   20	Louisiana	$34,791	$17

   Average maintenance foreman salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Genesee & Wyoming	$49,429	$23.76	6
   2	Halliburton	$47,638	$22.90	9
   3	Exxon Mobil	$47,626	$22.90	4
   4	City of Detroit	$47,259	$22.72
   5	Arkansas Children's Hospital	$46,839	$22.52	2
   6	Marathon Petroleum	$46,805	$22.50
   7	Martin Marietta	$46,787	$22.49	15
   8	Cemex	$45,809	$22.02	13
   9	Yukon Kuskokwim Health	$45,325	$21.79
   10	Transdev Services, Inc.	$44,263	$21.28	37
   11	J.F. Shea Co	$43,764	$21.04	23
   12	Minnesota State Fair	$42,207	$20.29	7
   13	Rogers Group	$42,140	$20.26	13
   14	University of Georgia Small Business Development Center	$41,958	$20.17	4
   15	Rose Paving	$41,401	$19.90	2
   16	ICL	$41,125	$19.77	4
   17	Patterson-UTI Energy	$40,792	$19.61	5
   18	Holcim	$40,740	$19.59
   19	Jensen Precast	$40,711	$19.57	6
   20	The Pattie Group	$40,533	$19.49	2

4. Writing a maintenance foreman job description

   A job description for a maintenance foreman role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a maintenance foreman job description:

   Maintenance foreman job description example

   SCOPE:
   
   The Maintenance Foreman is responsible for development, implementation, and continuous improvement of proactive maintenance systems for all operations at the Sigurd Plant, consistent with the guidelines of the USG Reliability Performance Model and industry best practices. The primary accountability of this position is to safely maximize equipment reliability and uptime.
   
   DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES:
   
   The Maintenance Foreman incorporates safety into all aspects of the maintenance operation, including maintenance of existing equipment and installation of new equipment with a minimum of mechanical downtime.
   
   Daily oversight is provided for the plant maintenance, electrical, and RPM planning functions. This includes the direct supervision of 3 employees.
   
   This position collaborates plant-wide with managers, PMC's, maintenance supervisors, production Foreman/supervisors, project engineers, production operators and craftsmen to efficiently coordinate needed preventive, routine, and break-in maintenance activities.
   
   The Maintenance Foreman oversees all aspects of plant's Asset Reliability Program, coordinating team problem-solving groups, implementation of maintenance standards, optimization of PPM schedules, applying Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) and all necessary reporting of reliability metrics. This includes presenting solution plans and future planning around machine modifications, capital investment needs, operating procedure changes, etc.
   
   This position is responsible for implementing an effective safety program for assigned Reliability personnel. This also includes ensuring housekeeping and 5S areas are in compliance with all requirements.
   
   This position must ensure that assigned employees receive proper training, coaching, and guidance to execute their duties safely and effectively, cultivate ongoing learning and skills development, and promote retention. Maximizing employee engagement must be a strong part of this strategy. Succession planning and assisting in establishing industrial maintenance training program for employee base with local college must be a priority.
   
   The Maintenance Foreman shall champion continuous improvement initiatives, including using lean principles to provide craftsmen with proper tools, parts, supplies, job plans, engineering documents, predictive and preventive maintenance practices, Key Performance Indicators (KPI's), and SOP/VWIs to maximize 'wrench time.'
   
   This position facilitates the execution of purchasing and receiving procedures per established accounting procedures. This includes accurately managing storeroom inventories to ensure accuracy and availability of repair parts -- on hand, order points, criticality status, and obsolete status.
   
   The Maintenance Foreman collaborates with the Reliability Manager to identify and recommend non-routine, infrastructure, and capital investments to support improved equipment reliability and modernization for a multi-year horizon.
   
   This position will interface with equipment suppliers and contractors as opportunities are identified to optimize overall equipment reliability.
   
   QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   1. Completed high school degree or equivalent is required. A college degree or vocational education program certification (Industrial Maintenance) is a plus.
   
   2. Previous experience as an Engineer or Foreman is strongly preferred.
   
   3. Demonstrated knowledge of plant equipment and systems.
   
   4. Effective planning and organization skills.
   
   5. Well-developed verbal and written communication skills to collaborate with all levels of plant personnel.
   
   6. Demonstrated leadership potential, teaching/coaching skills, and ability to influence those within and outside of direct reporting structure.
   
   7. Proficient with MP2, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, with aptitude to develop additional computer literacy.
   
   Since 1902, Chicago-based USG has been a leader in producing innovative, award-winning products and systems to build everything from major commercial developments and residential housing to home improvements. USG's employees are committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and quality in everything we do. Our steadfast commitment to the company's core business values - innovation, quality, integrity, service, diversity, efficiency and safety - have helped us become the company we are today.
   
   EOE including disability/veteran

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find maintenance foremen 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 maintenance foreman job on Zippia to find and recruit maintenance foreman candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit maintenance foremen, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 maintenance foreman

   Once you've found the maintenance foreman 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 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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