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What does a maintenance specialist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Del Ross
What does a maintenance specialist do

A maintenance specialist is responsible for maintaining the company's technology equipment and machinery, as well as computer and network systems, and other related instruments to support the business operational functions, ensuring the highest client service and satisfaction. Maintenance specialists conduct preventive and repair maintenance, inspect defective lines and components, and perform troubleshooting to maintain optimal performance and service delivery. A maintenance specialist must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, especially when assisting the end-users with their concerns and inquiries.

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Maintenance specialist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real maintenance specialist resumes:

  • 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.
  • Exercise technical proficiency in the use of ladders and scaffolding, brushes, rollers, and spray equipment.
  • Perform troubleshooting and preventative maintenance on pneumatic, electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, robotic and PLC driven equipment.
  • Work with quality control team to ensure, all food products are properly prepare to OSHA and plant standards.
  • Install complete electrical, plumping, watering and HVAC systems to ensure high efficiency, safety and performance of portable greenhouses.
  • Operate specialized equipment to maintain cleanliness of warehouse floor.
  • Contact customers regarding escalate issues regarding electrical and plumbing requests and provide appropriate solutions.
  • Operate boilers, maintain refrigeration system, maintain and repair production machinery, modify machinery to improve efficiency of production run.
  • Replace A/C filter and fan motor.
  • Light diagnostics, A/C repair and heating repair and tune-ups.

Maintenance specialist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Maintenance Specialists are proficient in Plumbing, Hand Tools, and HVAC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Dexterity, and Troubleshooting skills.

We break down the percentage of Maintenance Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Plumbing, 8%

    Performed plumbing and electrical installation and repairs* Installed and repaired drywall* Painted exterior and interior of units and building

  • Hand Tools, 6%

    Repaired, modified, and upgraded rail cars utilizing a variety of hand tools, welding equipment, and oxyacetylene cutting.

  • HVAC, 6%

    Performed installations, preventive maintenance and repairs on commercial and institutional HVAC systems.

  • General Maintenance, 4%

    Documented all detailed inspections, completed general maintenance record-keeping, and all other administrative duties related to assigned aircraft.

  • Preventive Maintenance, 4%

    Implemented and maintained preventive maintenance and calibration programs using Bigfoot, DataStream D7I, and MP2 Computerized maintenance management systems.

  • GRASS, 4%

    Mow grass in median areas and right of way using tractors or truck mounted mowers.

"plumbing," "hand tools," and "hvac" are among the most common skills that maintenance specialists use at work. You can find even more maintenance specialist responsibilities below, including:

Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a maintenance specialist to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "these workers interact with customers on a regular basis." Additionally, a maintenance specialist resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "help the organization to achieve cost-effective production with increased quality, efficiency and satisfy customer service. "

Dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling maintenance specialist duties is dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "many repair and maintenance tasks, such as repairing small devices, connecting or attaching components, and using hand tools, require a steady hand and good hand–eye coordination." According to a maintenance specialist resume, here's how maintenance specialists can utilize dexterity in their job responsibilities: "maintain forklift and battery preventive maintenance records. "

Troubleshooting skills. maintenance specialists are also known for troubleshooting skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to maintenance specialist responsibilities, because "workers find, diagnose, and repair problems." A maintenance specialist resume example shows how troubleshooting skills is used in the workplace: "incorporated skills of team work and leadership, while having a working knowledge of hydraulics, pneumatics, and electrical troubleshooting. "

See the full list of maintenance specialist skills

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Compare different maintenance specialists

Maintenance specialist vs. 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. Moreover, as an airport maintenance labour agent, it is essential to be proactive at dealing with issues and have an active communication line with co-workers for a smooth and efficient workflow.

The annual salary of airport maintenance labours is $10,792 lower than the average salary of maintenance specialists.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between maintenance specialists and airport maintenance labours are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like plumbing, hand tools, and hvac.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, maintenance specialist responsibilities require skills like "general maintenance," "work ethic," "maintenance procedures," and "patrol." Meanwhile a typical airport maintenance labour has skills in areas such as "hand trucks," "scaffolding," "manual labor," and "troubleshoot." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Airport maintenance labours really shine in the transportation industry with an average salary of $42,380. Comparatively, maintenance specialists tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $57,768.airport maintenance labours tend to reach similar levels of education than maintenance specialists. In fact, airport maintenance labours are 2.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Maintenance specialist vs. 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. They keep the facility operating. It is their job to conduct quality assessments, maintain inventory, and schedule repairs. Also, they see to it that machines are up and running at all times. They are expected to be equipped with skills in customer service, problem-solving, reading comprehension, business operation, and mechanical aptitude.

Preventive maintenance technician positions earn lower pay than maintenance specialist roles. They earn a $755 lower salary than maintenance specialists per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Maintenance specialists and preventive maintenance technicians both require similar skills like "plumbing," "hand tools," and "hvac" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that maintenance specialist responsibilities requires skills like "preventive maintenance," "grass," "safety procedures," and "work ethic." But a preventive maintenance technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "water filters," "safety regulations," "oil changes," and "safety equipment."

Preventive maintenance technicians earn a lower average salary than maintenance specialists. But preventive maintenance technicians earn the highest pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $47,655. Additionally, maintenance specialists earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $57,768 annually.preventive maintenance technicians earn similar levels of education than maintenance specialists in general. They're 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for maintenance specialists in the next 3-5 years?

Del RossDel Ross LinkedIn profile

Chief Revenue Officer, Hotel Effectiveness

3-5 years is an eternity in technology. Even so, we should expect that tomorrow's technology will be much "smarter" than today's. This will show up mainly in tech's ability to predict future conditions and to anticipate scenarios, needs, opportunities, and challenges. We will continue to see significant changes in guest-facing technologies from how they shop and buy travel, how they pay for it, and how they consume it. Guests will assume that hoteliers will anticipate their needs and preferences and tailor the experience's delivery to reflect them - all without even being recognized for doing so.

On the operations side, smarter technology will replace old-school, "the way we have always done it" processes and programs in every area. Front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, F&B, back-office - every one of these areas will be directed and enabled by data-driven technology in ways that we could not have anticipated just a few years ago. This will make the workplace more efficient but may make individual jobs more complicated. Managers will have to be taught new ways to support and develop their associates to attract, retain, and deploy effective teams. "Simple" tasks such as weekly labor scheduling will use automated systems like Hotel Effectiveness to save time, improve productivity, and turn cost centers into profit drivers.

Maintenance specialist vs. Electrical maintenance technician

An electrical maintenance technician is primarily in charge of installing and repairing electrical systems. Their responsibilities often revolve around liaising with clients to identify their needs, examining electrical damages or defects on houses or establishments, troubleshooting, and performing fixes and replacements as needed. Aside from providing technical support, an electrical maintenance technician may also train junior technicians and monitor their progress. Furthermore, in a company setting, one must conduct regular maintenance checks on electrical systems to ensure a safe and efficient work environment.

On average scale, electrical maintenance technicians bring in higher salaries than maintenance specialists. In fact, they earn a $18,208 higher salary per year.maintenance specialists and electrical maintenance technicians both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "plumbing," "hand tools," and "general maintenance," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from maintenance specialist resumes include skills like "hvac," "grass," "customer service," and "safety procedures," whereas an electrical maintenance technician is more likely to list skills in "control systems," "ac," "dc," and "control circuits. "

Electrical maintenance technicians make a very good living in the hospitality industry with an average annual salary of $61,573. On the other hand, maintenance specialists are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $57,768.When it comes to education, electrical maintenance technicians tend to earn similar degree levels compared to maintenance specialists. In fact, they're 2.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Maintenance specialist vs. Building maintenance mechanic

A building maintenance mechanic is primarily in charge of maintaining mechanical systems and equipment in good condition. They conduct regular maintenance checks, performing repairs or replacements when necessary. They may also respond to issues and concerns, troubleshoot problems, install and upgrade systems, provide technical support and advice to staff, manage vehicles, monitor supply inventory, purchase supplies, and maintain records. Moreover, a building maintenance mechanic usually works in a team setting, which requires a clear communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Building maintenance mechanics average a lower salary than the annual salary of maintenance specialists. The difference is about $3,081 per year.While their salaries may vary, maintenance specialists and building maintenance mechanics both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "plumbing," "hand tools," and "hvac. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between maintenance specialists and building maintenance mechanics, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a maintenance specialist might have more use for skills like "general maintenance," "preventive maintenance," "grass," and "safety procedures." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of building maintenance mechanics require skills like "general upkeep," "boilers," "windows," and "kitchen equipment. "

In general, building maintenance mechanics earn the most working in the energy industry, with an average salary of $42,061. The highest-paying industry for a maintenance specialist is the technology industry.building maintenance mechanics reach similar levels of education compared to maintenance specialists, in general. The difference is that they're 2.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of maintenance specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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