How to hire a maintenance specialist

How to hire a maintenance specialist, step by step

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

What does a maintenance specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the maintenance specialist you need to hire. Certain maintenance specialist 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a maintenance specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a maintenance specialist that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Maintenance Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Maintenance Specialist	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.	$13-28
   Airport Maintenance Labour	An airport maintenance labour worker is primarily responsible for performing various maintenance and repair tasks. Their responsibilities usually include inspecting malfunctioning equipment, troubleshooting issues, fixing electrical and plumbing systems, replacing fixtures such as light bulbs, monitoring and restocking supplies, and submitting reports to managers as necessary... Show more	$11-19
   Preventive Maintenance Technician	A preventive maintenance technician performs routine facility maintenance to prevent possible mechanical failure. The technicians change worn out machine parts before they can cause mechanical damage... Show more	$14-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Plumbing
   • Hand Tools
   • HVAC
   • General Maintenance
   • Preventive Maintenance
   • GRASS
   • Building Maintenance
   • Customer Service
   • Ladders
   • Safety Procedures
   • Work Ethic
   • Maintenance Tasks
   • Mechanical Equipment
   • Maintenance Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and maintain clients' lawns through mowing, weed eating, and trimming bushes.
   • Conduct general maintenance preventative maintenance duties in the areas of plumbing and electrical.
   • Perform installations, preventive maintenance and repairs on commercial and institutional HVAC systems.
   • Reassemble machinery in new location and troubleshoot to bring up to standards.
   • Work on dorm rooftops climbing ladders and utilizing power tools such as drills, sanders and saws.
   • Trouble shooting conveyor system parts which include pneumatic devices, electronic devices, motors and PLC's.

   More maintenance specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the maintenance specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A maintenance specialist 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 specialist in Nebraska may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level maintenance specialist. Additionally, a maintenance specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average maintenance specialist salary

   $41,690yearly

   $20.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level maintenance specialist salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average maintenance specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Pennsylvania	$51,540	$25
   2	California	$51,312	$25
   3	Minnesota	$47,934	$23
   4	Virginia	$45,637	$22
   5	Washington	$45,545	$22
   6	North Carolina	$45,417	$22
   7	Michigan	$44,725	$22
   8	New York	$44,392	$21
   9	Wisconsin	$44,327	$21
   10	Texas	$43,219	$21
   11	Arizona	$41,050	$20
   12	Georgia	$39,890	$19
   13	Colorado	$39,866	$19
   14	Oklahoma	$38,218	$18
   15	Missouri	$37,382	$18
   16	Oregon	$37,165	$18
   17	Florida	$36,904	$18
   18	Kansas	$36,883	$18
   19	Utah	$36,746	$18
   20	South Carolina	$36,540	$18

   Average maintenance specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Qorvo	$92,200	$44.33
   2	Texas Instruments	$85,820	$41.26	16
   3	SoCalGas	$81,226	$39.05
   4	Bloom Energy	$75,772	$36.43	7
   5	Pinnacle West Capital	$75,548	$36.32	1
   6	Plug Power	$73,472	$35.32
   7	Arizona Public Service	$70,485	$33.89
   8	Jacobs Engineering Group	$70,422	$33.86
   9	Merck	$70,008	$33.66	13
   10	AMETEK	$69,989	$33.65	5
   11	ABB	$69,050	$33.20	16
   12	Merchants Fleet	$68,132	$32.76
   13	Novo Nordisk	$67,894	$32.64	1
   14	Gilead Sciences	$67,623	$32.51
   15	Fujitsu	$66,934	$32.18
   16	Datadog	$66,875	$32.15
   17	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$66,129	$31.79	12
   18	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$65,230	$31.36
   19	Marathon Petroleum	$64,954	$31.23	1
   20	Johnson Controls	$64,920	$31.21	23

4. Writing a maintenance specialist job description

   A job description for a maintenance specialist 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 specialist job description:

   Maintenance specialist job description example

   At Wolfspeed, we do amazing things in a human way.We know that the achievements of our organization are due to the passion, hard work and creativity of our employees. We celebrate different perspectives to foster excellence across our organization, and our goal is to make diversity a foundation of what we do. We are proudly building an environment where you can bring your authentic self to work.
   
   Enjoy doing things that people say can't be done? Innovation is at the center of everything we do.Hate red tape? We remove roadblocks instead of creating them.Working parent? We provide childcare assistance and paid parental leave.Student? We offer continuing education assistance.Looking for community? There are many ways to get involved, from Employee Resource Groups to local outreach.
   Here's the Gist:
   Wolfspeed's Global Operations Team is seeking a Maintenance Specialist. This position provides support for the Global EPI, Wafer Fab, Crystal Growth and Materials departments from outside of the Fab areas. The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to work in a small group with minimum supervision and have excellent customer service skills.This position is for a 12-hour Front End Nights schedule.The Day-to-Day:
   Change Hazardous/ Non-Hazard waste totes and drums for the Wafer Fab, Materials and Global Epi areas Change Hazard/ Non-Hazard gas cylinders, complete chemical fills and all other chemical supply delivery systems Complete daily checks on all support equipment Complete chemical deliveries Rebuild and/or repair critical spare parts Leak check gas delivery systems Precious metals collections and support precious metals shipments Daily cleaning of the areas
   This Job is Right for You if You Have:
   Able to read and interpret blueprints, schematics, and maintenance manuals Understanding of high vacuum equipment, electronic circuitry and PLC controllers Must be willing to work overtime to support needs of business Must be able to be medically cleared to wear a respirator and clean shaven Must be TPI certified.Forklift certified.Must be able to regularly lift 65 lbs
   This role may require additional duties and/or assignments as designated by management.
   This role requires the lawful ability to access technical data, information, and areas controlled by United States export control laws and regulations.
   To put it legally - Wolfspeed is an equal opportunity employer.We recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote regardless of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation and other protected status as required by law.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find maintenance specialists 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 specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit maintenance specialist 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 specialists, 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.

   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 maintenance specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the maintenance specialist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   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.

   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 specialist?