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Operations technician vs maintenance technician

The differences between operations technicians and maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a maintenance technician has an average salary of $43,293, which is higher than the $40,899 average annual salary of an operations technician.

The top three skills for an operations technician include customer service, hand tools and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.

Operations technician vs maintenance technician overview

Operations TechnicianMaintenance Technician
Yearly salary$40,899$43,293
Hourly rate$19.66$20.81
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs191,960178,450
Job satisfaction-4.25
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%High School Diploma, 34%
Average age4347
Years of experience-4

What does an operations technician do?

An operations technician is a plant employee responsible for monitoring and operating facilities of work platforms in a firm. To ensure supply availability and reduce rig downtime, operations technicians collaborate with engineers to troubleshoot mechanical problems and perform maintenance. They promote production safety by implementing instructions and procedures following the company's safety and environmental standards. They also maintain records of equipment history and report accidents to the appropriate personnel.

What does a maintenance technician do?

Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.

Operations technician vs maintenance technician salary

Operations technicians and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Operations TechnicianMaintenance Technician
Average salary$40,899$43,293
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $55,000Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiRhode Island
Best paying companyPacific Northwest National LaboratoryAnheuser-Busch
Best paying industryEnergyManufacturing

Differences between operations technician and maintenance technician education

There are a few differences between an operations technician and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:

Operations TechnicianMaintenance Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%High School Diploma, 34%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering Technology
Most common college--

Operations technician vs maintenance technician demographics

Here are the differences between operations technicians' and maintenance technicians' demographics:

Operations TechnicianMaintenance Technician
Average age4347
Gender ratioMale, 79.5% Female, 20.5%Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage4%2%

Differences between operations technician and maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Operations technician example 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.
  • Show more

Maintenance technician example responsibilities.

  • Install, repair and troubleshoot electrical wiring, including switches, outlets, lights, ballast.
  • Monitor and document all temperature readings on boilers, chillers, and dry vac systems beginning and mid shift.
  • Perform preventative maintenance checks and services on exhaust fans, boilers, chiller units, automatic transfer switches, and generators.
  • Repair electrical equipment; replace faulty electrical switches; repair refrigeration equipment.
  • Handle trouble-shooting and repair of mechanical systems refrigerant recovery and charging of HVAC systems.
  • Facilitate commercial plumbing, electrical, light HVAC, and carpentry repairs in a laboratory facility environment
  • Show more

Operations technician vs maintenance technician skills

Common operations technician skills
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 8%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 6%
  • Ladders, 5%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
  • Patients, 4%
Common maintenance technician skills
  • Plumbing, 10%
  • HVAC, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Ladders, 4%
  • Electrical Systems, 4%

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