How to hire a plant utilities engineer

How to hire a plant utilities engineer, step by step

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

What does a plant utilities engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your plant utilities engineer 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 utilities engineer 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a plant utilities engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a plant utilities engineer that fits the bill.

   This list presents plant utilities engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Plant Utilities Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Plant Utilities Engineer	General maintenance and repair workers fix and maintain machines, mechanical equipment, and buildings. They paint, repair flooring, and work on plumbing, electrical, and air-conditioning and heating systems.	$16-35
   Repair Technician	A repair technician's role focuses on assessing the problem or damage of a device and implementing solutions for it to function again. Although the extent of a technician's tasks will depend on the device or industry of employment, most of it revolves around troubleshooting, providing technical support, installing and writing programs, detaching and re-attaching wirings, welding, and even thoroughly discussing problems and solutions to clients... Show more	$12-30
   Groundskeeping Maintenance	A Groundskeeping Maintenance Worker performs several skilled and semi-skilled tasks in grounds keeping and building trade areas. They maintain turf places, including weed control and Integrated Pest Management... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Ventilation
   • Plant Utilities
   • Loaders
   • Mechanical Equipment
   • Electrical Equipment
   • End Loaders
   • Physical Plant
   • OSHA
   • Absorption
   • Water Systems
   • Cooling Towers
   • Maintenance Program
   • CIP
   • Capital Projects

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Conduct weekly facility safety inspections to ensure OSHA compliance are achieved.
   • Perform general maintenance to guestrooms and public areas while monitoring and maintaining cleanliness, sanitation and organization of assign work areas.
   • Change bearings on upender, and repair and operate polar crane and spend fuel pit crane.
   • Load and unload tractor trailers with fork lift, run a baler, and run a kabota.

   More plant utilities engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the plant utilities engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A plant utilities engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a plant utilities engineer in Arkansas may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level plant utilities engineer. Additionally, a plant utilities engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average plant utilities engineer salary

   $51,200yearly

   $24.62 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level plant utilities engineer salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average plant utilities engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Hawaii	$59,905	$29
   2	California	$58,187	$28
   3	New York	$53,491	$26
   4	Indiana	$52,040	$25
   5	Ohio	$49,209	$24
   6	Oregon	$47,785	$23
   7	North Carolina	$46,790	$23
   8	Iowa	$42,210	$20
   9	Mississippi	$35,945	$17

   Average plant utilities engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$90,516	$43.52
   2	Biogen	$79,800	$38.37
   3	Pfizer	$70,369	$33.83	1
   4	California Institute of Technology	$70,151	$33.73
   5	Farmingdale State College	$68,387	$32.88
   6	SUNY Geneseo	$67,811	$32.60	1
   7	SUNY New Paltz	$67,278	$32.35
   8	Novelis	$63,504	$30.53	2
   9	State University of New York College at Cortland	$62,815	$30.20
   10	University at Albany	$61,149	$29.40
   11	State University of New York at Cobleskill	$58,532	$28.14
   12	State University of New York at Oswego	$58,216	$27.99	2
   13	CONSOL Energy	$57,083	$27.44
   14	SUNY Delhi	$54,208	$26.06
   15	Alere	$53,762	$25.85
   16	New York State Restaurant Association	$52,244	$25.12
   17	University at Buffalo	$52,186	$25.09	2
   18	International Paper	$51,924	$24.96	3
   19	Westlake Chemical	$51,099	$24.57	6
   20	SUNY-ESF	$50,888	$24.47

4. Writing a plant utilities engineer job description

   A job description for a plant utilities engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a plant utilities engineer job description:

   Plant utilities engineer job description example

   Imagine...working for a company that knows that its people are the key to its success in the marketplace. A company in which achieving extraordinary results and having a stimulating work experience are part of the same process.
   
   We cultivate and embrace a diverse employee population. We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our growth and enrich our global culture.
   
   We are looking for an individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced, team oriented environment, likes to be challenged, and values the opportunity to make a difference.
   Job Description
   
   Performs engineering studies associated with complex Engineering tasks. Projects often involved with new or improved products, processes or techniques. Works independently on assignments of a highly complex level applying engineering knowledge to assignments. Examples would include full, complex production systems. Responsible for schedules, project authorization documents, cost control, development of RFPs and functional testing, descriptions, inspections, startup, training requirements for new high complexity installations including operating instructions and maintenance manuals. Leads managing contractor and vendor activity and interface with plant personnel ensuring compliance with plant and corporate standards. Periodically review technology advancements to provide a competitive advantage through continued education, seminars and trade shows. Is a technical mentor in several areas of expertise to others in the plant. Assist in the development of strategy focusing on TDC and system improvements.
   Education, Experience & Qualifications
   Bachelors Degree in Engineering required10 to 15 Years Experience.5 years of Utilities Experience required Masters Degree/MBA desired Industrial Experience Required.Deep Engineering knowledge on select Engineering disciplines and technologies with the proven ability to use such knowledge to deliver business bottom line results.
   
   Can effectively develop, manage and implement highly complex, multi-functional projects that could range from $1,000,000 to $10,000,000 (aggregate value of annual project portfolio). Level of responsibilities range from playing a major role in the effective management of these capital funds to having overall managerial responsibility for the spending of capital funds on authorized projects. No responsibility for management of departmental expense dollars.
   
   Leadership & Communication
   Works independently.Leadership of contractor resources for the execution of project activities; technical leadership across other employees (Engineering, R&D, manufacturing) coordination of cross functional teams for execution of project work.Effectively communicates with plant floor and peers. Routinely provides updates to local site leadership. Capable of presenting to functional leadership.
   
   ACR
   
   The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity for employees and applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship, without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.
   
   In that regard, U.S. applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law. Click here for additional information.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find plant utilities engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any plant utilities engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level plant utilities engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit plant utilities engineers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to 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 plant utilities engineer

   Once you've selected the best plant utilities engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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How much does it cost to hire a plant utilities engineer?