How to hire a maintenance manager

How to hire a maintenance manager, step by step

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

What does a maintenance manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   The following list breaks down different types of maintenance managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Maintenance Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Maintenance Manager	A Maintenance Manager supervises all installation, repair, and upkeep operations of a company’s facilities. They coordinate maintenance worker efforts to ensure that the buildings and grounds meet all quality standards.	$22-52
   Section Chief	A section chief's job varies with the type of organization. In most cases, a section chief is the head of a given section in an organization that is tasked with performing certain duties... Show more	$17-78
   Technical Supervisor	A technical supervisor is a leader who offers hands-on leadership for the staff members. Technical supervisors oversee employee performance in a certain department of the organization... Show more	$30-60

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • OSHA
   • Customer Service
   • Plumbing
   • HVAC
   • Continuous Improvement
   • CMMS
   • Maintenance Procedures
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • Predictive Maintenance
   • Building Maintenance
   • Safety Training
   • Facility Maintenance
   • Project Management
   • Industrial Maintenance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Select, contract, and manage vendors for MRO supplies or specialize maintenance services.
   • Maintain OEE on all equipment to achieve run performance goals and to produce 500MM pounds of finish product a year.
   • Arrange and schedule preventative and predictive maintenance activities to ensure maximum plant operational effectiveness using the CMMS system.
   • Reduce conversion expenses for plant maintenance by developing and implementing cost control strategies and the implementation CMMS base preventive maintenance program.
   • Implement vending machines plant wide for small electronic switches and cables.
   • Head of the maintenance department for a busy plastics sheeting extrusion plant.

   More maintenance manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the maintenance manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A maintenance manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a maintenance manager in Nebraska may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level maintenance manager. Additionally, a maintenance manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average maintenance manager salary

   $72,269yearly

   $34.74 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level maintenance manager salary

   $47,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average maintenance manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$99,187	$48
   2	Washington	$88,457	$43
   3	New York	$83,567	$40
   4	Michigan	$81,258	$39
   5	Illinois	$80,889	$39
   6	Louisiana	$80,521	$39
   7	Ohio	$79,232	$38
   8	Nevada	$78,798	$38
   9	Maryland	$78,247	$38
   10	Missouri	$77,945	$37
   11	District of Columbia	$77,061	$37
   12	Maine	$75,049	$36
   13	Pennsylvania	$74,987	$36
   14	Indiana	$74,860	$36
   15	Wisconsin	$74,726	$36
   16	Oregon	$74,113	$36
   17	Kansas	$74,076	$36
   18	Minnesota	$73,807	$35
   19	Virginia	$73,330	$35
   20	Georgia	$72,526	$35

   Average maintenance manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	BP America Inc	$147,828	$71.07
   2	Apple	$140,217	$67.41	1
   3	Tesoro	$138,488	$66.58	2
   4	Cepheid	$137,516	$66.11
   5	ENERGY RECOVERY, INC.	$130,814	$62.89
   6	Koch Industries	$129,482	$62.25	2
   7	Calpine	$128,215	$61.64	4
   8	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$123,933	$59.58	1
   9	Koppers	$123,432	$59.34	2
   10	Southern California Edison	$122,289	$58.79	6
   11	Aviation Technology Group	$122,254	$58.78
   12	Pacifi	$117,725	$56.60	1
   13	SMUD	$116,447	$55.98
   14	Erickson	$114,702	$55.15
   15	Cargill	$113,836	$54.73	36
   16	Amazon	$113,820	$54.72	114
   17	Amphenol	$112,740	$54.20	1
   18	Lands' End	$112,604	$54.14
   19	Amgen	$110,459	$53.11	1
   20	Merck	$106,629	$51.26	4

4. Writing a maintenance manager job description

   A job description for a maintenance manager 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 manager job description:

   Maintenance manager job description example

   The manager of the Bosch Lincolnton maintenance department has the primary responsibilities of building an effective plant Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) structure and a high competence level within the maintenance team. Through documented, comprehensive workplace skills and a focus on associate development, the manager ensures technical support staffing is well-prepared to perform at a high standard. The manager has a continuous improvement mindset and uses data to select, prioritize, and eliminate the largest issues impacting OEE, machine technical availability, MTBF, and MTTR.
   
   The manager is a strong communicator with direct associates, value stream managers, and executives. He/she leads with a servant leadership mindset and actively takes action to maintain a positive, appreciative, accountable culture. This leadership constantly promotes a professional, high-performing, service-oriented maintenance organization.
   Job Responsibilities:
   
   Implements a highly mature TPM structure with heavy focus on continuous improvement, planned maintenance, and competence development
   
   Leads the team in critical KPI target attainment - OEE %, technical availability, MTBF, and MTTR
   
   Under minimal supervision, develops and deploys improvement strategies
   
   Builds a highly effective planned maintenance program with high on-time completion rates and documented PM work standards
   
   Participates in business planning cycles and target setting
   
   Follows BPS (Lean Production) guidelines and improves BPS maturity levels
   
   Strongly supports new product launches in areas that improve performance after SOP - spare parts setup, PM documentation and setup, technical documentation and standards
   
   Builds competence of technical resources through thorough tracking and documentation of necessary skills and deliberate development measures
   
   Works and communicates well with technician direct reports, value stream managers, plant management, direct operators, and executives
   
   Implements organizational initiatives with minimal guidance
   
   Leads meetings to build team spirit and communicate company updates
   
   Works closely with local colleges to build a strong technical apprentice program
   
   Has a 5S mindset and instills this in the team
   
   Coaches and develops associates to reach their full potential and achieve their career goals
   
   Manages a spare parts crib team to ensure high spare part inventory accuracy levels and low stock-out associated downtime
   
   Independently develops and deploys cost reduction strategies in maintenance and spare parts crib activities
   
   Actively supports Industry 4.0 roadmap and ongoing measures for improved data transparency

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with maintenance manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 maintenance manager

   Once you've selected the best maintenance manager 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been 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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How much does it cost to hire a maintenance manager?