How to hire a plant technical specialist

How to hire a plant technical specialist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your plant technical specialist 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 a plant technical specialist 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

   A plant technical specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, plant technical specialists 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 plant technical specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Plant Technical Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Plant Technical Specialist	Grounds maintenance workers ensure that the grounds of houses, businesses, and parks are attractive, orderly, and healthy in order to provide a pleasant outdoor environment.	$17-34
   Groundsman	Groundsmen or greenkeepers are professionals who take responsibility for the maintenance of materials and equipment. They make certain to provide enough stock of consumables... Show more	$12-20
   Ground Worker	Groundworkers are part of the construction staff who prepares a site before building. They are responsible for removing the sewage, redirecting water flows using pumps, cementing the project site, and laying the curb... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Greenhouse
   • Plant Care
   • Gas Plant
   • Blowers
   • HVAC
   • Control Systems
   • PLC
   • Support Equipment
   • Cost Savings
   • General Maintenance
   • Plant Maintenance
   • OSHA
   • Autocad
   • BOP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage customer complaints and internal GMP audits for product manufacturing, coordinate FDA audits and recommend corrective actions.
   • Work in greenhouse maintaining plants.
   • Complete preventative maintenance work orders on various HVAC relate equipment.
   • Program Honeywell Experian DCS, and various plant automation and instrumentation systems.
   • Transfer greenhouse product to farmer's markets and rent locations for display and sale.
   • Observe gauges, meters, and SCADA program on touch screen and adjust as necessary.

   More plant technical specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your plant technical specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A plant technical specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a plant technical specialist in Alabama may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level plant technical specialist usually earns less than a senior-level plant technical specialist. Additionally, a plant technical specialist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average plant technical specialist salary

   $52,228yearly

   $25.11 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level plant technical specialist salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average plant technical specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$66,105	$32
   2	Massachusetts	$62,953	$30
   3	Colorado	$58,938	$28
   4	Washington	$57,733	$28
   5	Wisconsin	$57,639	$28
   6	Michigan	$55,142	$27
   7	District of Columbia	$54,310	$26
   8	New York	$53,429	$26
   9	Ohio	$50,478	$24
   10	Pennsylvania	$49,953	$24
   11	Illinois	$49,636	$24
   12	Virginia	$49,073	$24
   13	Indiana	$48,864	$23
   14	Nebraska	$48,838	$23
   15	Tennessee	$47,403	$23
   16	Florida	$46,325	$22
   17	Utah	$45,897	$22
   18	Missouri	$45,633	$22
   19	Iowa	$45,483	$22
   20	Arizona	$45,382	$22

   Average plant technical specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Flagship Pioneering	$64,218	$30.87
   2	Xcel Energy	$61,614	$29.62	8
   3	MidAmerican Energy	$60,322	$29.00
   4	Latham Pool	$57,698	$27.74
   5	United States Steel	$56,859	$27.34	6
   6	Alere	$56,333	$27.08
   7	The University of Kansas Health System	$56,160	$27.00	6
   8	Hyundai Securities	$55,209	$26.54
   9	Acme Smoked Fish	$55,043	$26.46
   10	Rio Tinto	$54,121	$26.02
   11	Abbott	$53,495	$25.72	24
   12	The Pattie Group	$52,868	$25.42	4
   13	Inland Metal	$52,635	$25.31
   14	Western Exterminator	$52,182	$25.09
   15	University of Wisconsin System	$50,203	$24.14
   16	City of Richmond	$49,412	$23.76	2
   17	Ambius	$49,373	$23.74	10
   18	University of Tennessee	$47,808	$22.98	6
   19	State of Nevada Employees' Association Inc	$46,810	$22.50	9
   20	State Of Illinois - Illinois Student Assistance Commission	$44,434	$21.36	4

4. Writing a plant technical specialist job description

   A plant technical specialist 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a plant technical specialist job description:

   Plant technical specialist job description example

   At Dura-Line, we aspire to create a more connected world, because we believe every company, every community, every person deserves the chance to advance their lives through better access to high-speed broadband. We take pride in our state-of-the-art quality products and being recognized a key partner with all of the major telecommunications companies across the world. In one year, Dura-Line produced over 1.4 billion feet of digital network infrastructure. Dura-Line creates what connects us. Every time you pick up your cell phone, log into the internet, or use your i-anything, it's because our HDPE pathways protect that delicate string of glass called a fiber optic cable that carries everything from precious pictures of your puppy to the latest sports scores. Your safety, health, family, work, entertainmentyour whole life; that's our connection.
   
   Dura-Line is hiring an experienced and engaging People Team Specialist in our West Valley City, Utah Tape site to partner with local management team to create solutions to "do better People Services" and lead the execution/adoption of standard people processes. If you enjoy being part of something exceptional, developing community partnerships, and providing credible people-service strategies, then this is the role for you!
   
   We are looking for a hands-on People Team Specialist with an employee focused, customer service mindset that has partnered and worked closely with the operations team and has demonstrable experience in change management & organizational development. You must be a high-performing leaderwith at least 1 year of Human Resource/People Services experience in a lean manufacturing or industrial environment as you will help shape the future culture of Dura-Line from within our leading manufacturing sites. You will need hands on experience and/or strong understanding in employee engagement, employee relations, employment & labor law, workers compensation, local audits, management, and escalation for harassments/discrimination/disputes, etc.
   In this new role, you will work closely with the local HR business Partner to: Support Talent Management stewardship which includes walk ins, recruitment & retention strategies and processes, interviews, hiring events, onboarding/orientation, recognition program, community outreach and company branding initiatives, etc Help hourly & salaried employees with HR-related questions like benefits, timesheets, payroll, etc Represent the voice of customer to enable continuous improvement in all business activities and identify critical metrics while using data to support action planning and decision making Help implement Human Resources strategies and activities that support key business drivers (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost) and company strategy by using LEAN practices, and be part of this transformation journey to become the company of choice Support local employees as an advisor to integrate values and culture into the way people are treated, improve productivity, and showcase how team members are recognized and celebrated Assist in data management, data integrity, process auditing, and reporting to help drive business decisions We offer you engagement, empowerment, and the opportunity to drive these programs and create a positive employee culture that will benefit the Dura-Line team.
   
   We are offering great benefits!!! We offer 401k with 6% company match (company will automatically contribute an extra 3% of your plan-eligible pay to your 401k). Multi-tier benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision) that you can tailor for yourself and dependents which includes Employer paid Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, & Life Insurance We also offer an inclusive relocation assistance package Wellness Employee Assistance Program (EAP), paid parental leave, Fitness & Weight-loss Reimbursement Critical illness insurance, hospital indemnity, legal services, accident insurance- additional benefits that fit your needs & lifestyle and help you feel protected Additional benefits include tuition reimbursement, 11 paid company holidays, paid time off/vacation time, career development opportunities, and many other benefits in a collaborative culture that focuses on work & life balance, innovation, & teamwork.Benefits start at day one
   
   JOIN THE TEAM:Discover how Dura-Line creates what connects us. Every day, in the little ways and the big ones, our lives depend on clear, consistent, reliable communication. Check out our products, history, and testimonials and apply today at www.Dura-Line.com.
   
   "Dura-Line is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in the federal E-Verify program to verify the work eligibility of all new hires."
   
   #DLIND123
   
   Join Our Team: Dura-Line offers all its employees an exciting work environment and provides career opportunities in a continuously growing company. We are committed to attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce that represents our global customer base. Check out our products, history, and testimonials atwww.Dura-Line.com
   
   Dura-Line is part of a community of companies, known as Orbia , bound together by a shared purpose: to advance life around the world. Orbia's business groups have a collective focus on insuring food security, reducing water scarcity, reinventing the future of cities and homes, connecting communities to data infrastructure, and expanding access to health and wellness with advanced materials. The business groups include Precision Agriculture, Building and Infrastructure, Fluor, Polymer Solutions, and Data Communications, which collectively pursue human centric solutions to global challenges.
   
   West Valley City, UT, US, 84128
   
   Time Zone:
   
   Business Unit:
   
   Functional Area:
   
   Nearest Major Market: Salt Lake City
   
   RequiredPreferredJob Industries Warehouse & Production

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right plant technical specialist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with plant technical specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit plant technical specialists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your plant technical specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit plant technical specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting plant technical specialists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 plant technical specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the plant technical 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.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new plant technical specialist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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