How to hire an operations technician

How to hire an operations technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step operations technician hiring guide:

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

What does an operations technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your operations technician job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an operations technician for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 operations 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of operations technicians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Operations Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Operations Technician		$14-26
   Manufacturing Technician	A manufacturing technician, or often called a manufacturing production technician, is a professional who is responsible for setting and testing manufacturing machinery or equipment. To set up the machines, manufacturing technicians will use electronic, electrical, mechanical, or computer technologies... Show more	$12-25
   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
   • Hand Tools
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • Ladders
   • Safety Procedures
   • Patients
   • Math
   • Windows
   • Work Ethic
   • Minor Maintenance
   • Basic Math
   • PPE
   • Technical Support
   • Process Equipment

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage safety program to ensure compliance with company, OSHA, NFPA-70E and industry regulations, policies and procedures.
   • Perform machining, including but not limit to components using mills, lathes and surface grinders to accomplish repairs.
   • Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
   • Participate in troubleshoot of control systems and complex equipment associate with gasoline / crude oil operations.
   • Follow production ISO and ESD standards.
   • Provide UNIX training and support to development and operations staff.

   More operations technician duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, operations technicians' average salary in maine is 34% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level operations technicians 45% less than senior-level operations technicians.
   • Certifications. An operations 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 an operations technician's salary.

   Average operations technician salary

   $40,899yearly

   $19.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level operations technician salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average operations technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$49,174	$24
   2	Arizona	$46,234	$22
   3	Oregon	$45,812	$22
   4	Washington	$45,463	$22
   5	Texas	$42,605	$20
   6	Colorado	$42,412	$20
   7	Minnesota	$41,042	$20
   8	Nebraska	$40,898	$20
   9	Oklahoma	$40,532	$19
   10	Michigan	$40,246	$19
   11	Illinois	$40,230	$19
   12	Missouri	$40,228	$19
   13	Louisiana	$39,767	$19
   14	Pennsylvania	$39,700	$19
   15	New Jersey	$39,667	$19
   16	New York	$39,653	$19
   17	Indiana	$39,616	$19
   18	Tennessee	$39,204	$19
   19	Ohio	$39,195	$19
   20	Georgia	$38,015	$18

   Average operations technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory	$64,991	$31.25
   2	Cleveland Institute of Music	$60,659	$29.16
   3	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$59,756	$28.73
   4	Gilead Sciences	$58,592	$28.17
   5	Merck	$58,470	$28.11	85
   6	McKinsey & Company Inc	$56,535	$27.18	6
   7	BP America Inc	$56,163	$27.00	12
   8	Deloitte	$55,884	$26.87	87
   9	Reckitt Benckiser	$55,731	$26.79	4
   10	The Williams Companies	$55,506	$26.69	47
   11	OMNOVA Solutions	$54,787	$26.34
   12	NOVA Chemicals	$54,484	$26.19
   13	Calpine	$54,050	$25.99	13
   14	Google	$54,015	$25.97	73
   15	Oracle	$53,162	$25.56	432
   16	Novo Nordisk	$53,044	$25.50	4
   17	DCP Midstream	$52,987	$25.47
   18	Cummins	$52,623	$25.30	174
   19	Johnson & Johnson	$52,567	$25.27	22
   20	Marathon Petroleum	$52,525	$25.25	81

4. Writing an operations technician job description

   An operations technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an operations technician job description:

   Operations technician job description example

   NGEN is the largest IT services program for the Navy. Under the Service Management, Integration, and Transport (SMIT) portion of NGEN, the Leidos team will deliver the core backbone of the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet, including cybersecurity services, network operations, service desk, and data transport. Ultimately, Leidos will support the Navy in unifying its shore-based networks and data management to improve capability and service while also saving significant dollars by focusing efforts under one enterprise network.
   
   At Leidos, we know the most talented and diverse IT and Engineering professionals will always have a multitude of career choices; your time at Leidos will be a wise investment in your career and in yourself.
   
   Leidos is seeking a Senior-level Desktop Support Technician to support a government site in Camp H M Smith, HI as one of the key members of the Field Services Maritime Operations Center (MOC) support team. The candidate will be directly responsible for 50 specifically identified functional account users to include direct desk-side support to the customer, troubleshooting and repairing IT devices.
   This is a 12 hour shift work position, 4 on \ 3 off, 3 on \ 4 off.
   Day shift 0600-1800, Night shift 1800-0600.
   Depending on position, may be night shift.
   
   Primary Responsibilities
   Assist junior technicians in resolving complex issues Manage the resolution of customer tickets according to established Service Level Requirements (SLRs)
   
   Basic Qualifications
   US CitizenDoD Secret ClearanceHS diploma with 5+ years of prior relevant experience Valid DoD 8570 IAT Level II: Security+ or higher Certification Must demonstrated expertise in IT Enterprise OperationsExperience with Microsoft Windows OS, version 10Experience with HP Service Manager, Remedy, or similar Service/Help Desk ticket management software Basic network troubleshooting skills Excellent customer service skills Excellent oral and written communication skills
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   Organized and detail-oriented Strong leadership skills Self-motivated/ self-directing Strong collaboration, prioritization, and adaptability skills required. Relationship building Ability to manage and prioritize own work, and that of their team Independent decision making Analytical thinking; thinking out of the box Ability to effectively communicate with all organizational levels (SME to Senior Management)
   Ability to analyze problems at various levels (e.g. detail level, overall organizational impact, etc.)
   
   Pay Range:
   Pay Range - -
   
   The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with operations technician 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 operations technician

   Once you've found the operations technician 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new operations 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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How much does it cost to hire an operations technician?