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Plant technical specialist vs plant technician

The differences between plant technical specialists and plant technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a plant technical specialist, becoming a plant technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a plant technical specialist has an average salary of $52,228, which is higher than the $46,164 average annual salary of a plant technician.

The top three skills for a plant technical specialist include greenhouse, plant care and gas plant. The most important skills for a plant technician are preventive maintenance, ladders, and data collection.

Plant technical specialist vs plant technician overview

Plant Technical SpecialistPlant Technician
Yearly salary$52,228$46,164
Hourly rate$25.11$22.19
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs89,751146,543
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age4147
Years of experience24

Plant technical specialist vs plant technician salary

Plant technical specialists and plant technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Plant Technical SpecialistPlant Technician
Average salary$52,228$46,164
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $72,000Between $31,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAKent, WA
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyFlagship PioneeringBP America Inc
Best paying industryEnergyUtilities

Differences between plant technical specialist and plant technician education

There are a few differences between a plant technical specialist and a plant technician in terms of educational background:

Plant Technical SpecialistPlant Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Plant technical specialist vs plant technician demographics

Here are the differences between plant technical specialists' and plant technicians' demographics:

Plant Technical SpecialistPlant Technician
Average age4147
Gender ratioMale, 59.7% Female, 40.3%Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 1.8% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage3%2%

Differences between plant technical specialist and plant technician duties and responsibilities

Plant technical specialist example 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.
  • Show more

Plant technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage documentation on all USDA and HACCP forms.
  • Perform and manage routine building maintenance tasks, including carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and general maintenance.
  • Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
  • Used spectrophotometers, pH meters, and centrifuges.
  • Experience working with extruders, film manufacturing and processing.
  • Follow all company safety rules and good manufacturing practices (GMP's )
  • Show more

Plant technical specialist vs plant technician skills

Common plant technical specialist skills
  • Greenhouse, 17%
  • Plant Care, 14%
  • Gas Plant, 10%
  • Blowers, 9%
  • HVAC, 9%
  • Control Systems, 7%
Common plant technician skills
  • Preventive Maintenance, 9%
  • Ladders, 9%
  • Data Collection, 8%
  • Electrical Troubleshooting, 7%
  • Troubleshoot, 6%
  • Math, 6%

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