How to hire a power plant operator

How to hire a power plant operator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step power plant operator hiring guide:

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

What does a power plant operator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your power plant operator 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 power plant operator 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 power plant operator 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.

   This list presents power plant operator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Power Plant Operator	Description	Hourly rate
   Power Plant Operator	Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers control the systems that generate and distribute electric power.	$16-32
   Stationary Engineer	Stationary Engineers are employees who are trained to operate machines and equipment. They mainly operate mechanical equipment, boilers, steam engines, and other stationary engines... Show more	$21-51
   Operator	Operators are skilled workers who are in charge of working on an industrial machine or a specific aspect of the manufacturing business. They are trained to operate machines, learning how to use them... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Plant Equipment
   • Steam Boilers
   • Auxiliary Equipment
   • Plant Operations
   • Cooling Towers
   • Condensers
   • Heat Exchangers
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • Switches
   • Equipment Operation
   • Pipe Joints
   • Air Compressors
   • Assess Equipment
   • Safety Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
   • Process operator in the powerhouse.
   • Develop and assist regional groups with desk operating procedures for NERC compliance standards.
   • Control and maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors and condensers.
   • Perform various aspects of preventive maintenance and troubleshooting on HVAC systems; 300 to 1500 tons.
   • Repair and perform complete rebuilds on various valves, actuators, pumps, compressors, large fans, gearboxes etc.

   More power plant operator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your power plant operator job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A power plant operator can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, power plant operators' average salary in florida is 36% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level power plant operators 48% less than senior-level power plant operators.
   • Certifications. A power plant operator 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 a power plant operator's salary.

   Average power plant operator salary

   $49,204yearly

   $23.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level power plant operator salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average power plant operator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$56,463	$27
   2	California	$53,176	$26
   3	Massachusetts	$53,118	$26
   4	Colorado	$52,700	$25
   5	New York	$52,408	$25
   6	Iowa	$52,399	$25
   7	Arkansas	$51,653	$25
   8	Wisconsin	$51,525	$25
   9	Texas	$51,314	$25
   10	Maryland	$50,758	$24
   11	Kentucky	$48,885	$24
   12	Illinois	$48,565	$23
   13	New Jersey	$48,485	$23
   14	Virginia	$48,298	$23
   15	Missouri	$46,987	$23
   16	Indiana	$45,714	$22
   17	Kansas	$45,311	$22
   18	South Carolina	$42,675	$21
   19	Alabama	$40,816	$20
   20	North Carolina	$39,816	$19

   Average power plant operator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Orange County Sanitation District	$85,879	$41.29
   2	California Resources	$77,577	$37.30
   3	Calpine	$70,157	$33.73	9
   4	UW-Milwaukee	$57,758	$27.77
   5	Fluor Corporation	$57,319	$27.56	10
   6	ADM	$54,688	$26.29	57
   7	St. Peter's Health	$54,182	$26.05
   8	Aerotek	$53,082	$25.52	203
   9	TECO Energy	$53,042	$25.50	1
   10	BJC HealthCare	$52,527	$25.25
   11	ASRC Federal	$52,406	$25.20	8
   12	Medxcel	$52,327	$25.16
   13	Veolia Water Tech	$52,157	$25.08	39
   14	St. Elizabeth Healthcare	$51,813	$24.91	3
   15	Reid Health	$51,396	$24.71
   16	United States Army Corps of Engineers	$51,375	$24.70
   17	Alcoa	$51,132	$24.58	3
   18	Patten Cat	$51,095	$24.56
   19	City of Gainesville	$50,786	$24.42	3
   20	Veolia Environmental Services North America	$50,742	$24.40	20

4. Writing a power plant operator job description

   A power plant operator 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 power plant operator job description:

   Power plant operator job description example

   Performs a variety of tasks in the Power Plant to include operating hot water generators, chillers, oil and water pumps, cooling towers, keeping assigned areas clean and monitoring the energy management systems for the safe operation of the hospital.
   
   Operates high temperature hot water system, maintaining proper output temperature relative to the outside temperature for the safety and comfort of patients, visitors and staff of the hospital.
   
   Following specific instructions operates high temperature hot water system on gas or oil, maintains an hourly log and reports malfunctions or calls contract service company, when necessary.
   
   Continually monitors smoke recorder when operating on oil and cleans smoke monitor lenses as necessary.
   
   Maintains a chemical testing log on the hot water and steam generator and chilled water systems. Makes adjustments as necessary to keep treatment at proper levels and to keep equipment from corroding.
   
   Monitors chiller operations making adjustments as necessary; performs and records hourly readings, making adjustments as necessary to maintain a comfort level in the hospital. Reports any malfunctions.
   
   Monitors operation of cooling towers, observing for algae in summer or ice in winter. Backwashes cooling tower filters as necessary.
   Monitors the energy management and climate control systems making adjustments as necessary.
   
   **REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:**
   
   Power Plant Operators (grandfathered prior to September 2005): High school diploma or equivalent required.
   
   Power Plant Operator Class 2 (hired after September 2005): High School diploma plus Class II Fireman's license required.
   
   Knowledge of high temperature hot water systems and chiller operations preferred.
   
   Requires the ability to read and write English.
   
   **WORKING CONDITIONS:**
   
   Some minor inconvenience or discomfort routinely present in the work situation (moderately noisy, disagreeable odors, etc.), or occasional exposure to minor injury or other occupational hazards requiring precaution.
   
   **REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS:**
   
   Reports to the Director of Engineering and receives direction and supervision from Lead Operator.
   
   Has no responsibility for the direct supervision of any other employees.
   
   **Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion**
   
   Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions.
   
   Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right power plant operator 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 power plant operators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit power plant operators 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 power plant operator job on Zippia to find and recruit power plant operator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting power plant operators 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.

   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 power plant operator

   Once you've found the power plant operator 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.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them 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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