How to hire a refinery technician

How to hire a refinery technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step refinery technician hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the refinery technician you need to hire. Certain refinery technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 refinery technician 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 refinery technician salaries for various positions.

   Type of Refinery Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Refinery Technician	Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers control the systems that generate and distribute electric power.	$18-32
   Control Room Operator	A control room operator is a professional who works in the control room of a power plant to monitor the operations of the plant as well as ensures that everything is properly working. By using computer controls, control room operators must monitor and maintain plant equipment and indicators for proper operation... Show more	$14-29
   Power Plant Operator	A power plant operator is primarily in charge of controlling and maintaining machinery that generates and distributes electricity. Their responsibilities typically include monitoring charts and sensors, gathering and analyzing data, detecting errors and inconsistencies, maintaining daily logs and records of all progress, and performing adjustments as needed... Show more	$16-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Minor Maintenance
   • Safety Regulations
   • LOTO
   • Cooling Towers
   • Plant Equipment
   • Hazardous Chemicals
   • Control Room
   • Start-Up
   • BP
   • Plant Operations

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage, develop, and execute department clearances (LO/TO).
   • Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
   • Experience with Maximo and other computer systems.
   • Monitor and adjust units from the DCS and SCADA.
   • Perform distillation, absorption, extraction, adsorption, thermal and reforming.
   • Operate Plc computers and high pressure boilers, as well as forklift panel.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, refinery technicians' average salary in north carolina is 23% less than in new mexico.
   • Seniority. Entry-level refinery technicians 42% less than senior-level refinery technicians.
   • Certifications. A refinery technician 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 refinery technician's salary.

   Average refinery technician salary

   $51,694yearly

   $24.85 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level refinery technician salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a refinery technician job description

   A refinery technician 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 refinery technician job description:

   Refinery technician job description example

   **Refinery Operator-Des Moines, IA**
   
   This is a full time, hourly position.
   
   Text **ADMDESMOINES** to **53827** to apply.
   
   **Job Description:**
   
   We are looking for versatile individuals who would like to work for a large agribusiness at our Des Moines Soybean Oil Refinery.
   
   **Job Responsibilities:**
   
   + Potential applicants must desire to work in a variety of positions including manufacturing, laboratory, and control room environments
   
   + One to two years of manufacturing experience is desirable and a strong interest in science is recommended
   
   + The manufacturing plant runs 24 hours per day and the workforce rotates through all four shifts. Shifts are 8-12 hours each.
   
   + The duties of the position include loading trucks and rail cars and cleaning filters and equipment in a food processing facility.
   
   + After some experience is obtained at the refinery the individual would progress to process control and oil analysis
   
   Relocation assistance is not available with this position.
   
   ADM is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability and veteran status.
   
   This position offers a complete benefit package, including 401K/ESOP, pension, health, life, vision, and dental insurance.
   
   ADM requires the successful completion of applicable pre-employment drug screen, medical/respirator questionnaire and a background check.
   
   **City:**
   
   Des Moines
   
   **State:**
   
   IA - Iowa
   
   **EEO:**
   
   ADM is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability and veterans status.
   
   **About ADM::**
   
   ADM unlocks the power of nature to enrich the quality of life. We're a premier global human and animal nutrition company, delivering solutions today with an eye to the future. We're blazing new trails in health and well-being as our scientists develop groundbreaking products to support healthier living. We're a cutting-edge innovator leading the way to a new future of plant-based consumer and industrial solutions to replace petroleum-based products. We're an unmatched agricultural supply chain manager and processor, providing food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities. And we're a leader in sustainability, scaling across entire value chains to help decarbonize our industry and safeguard our planet. From the seed of the idea to the outcome of the solution, we give customers an edge in solving the nutritional and sustainability challenges of today and tomorrow. Learn more at www.adm.com.

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5. Post your job

   To find refinery technicians 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 refinery technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level refinery technicians 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 refinery technician job on Zippia to find and recruit refinery technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting refinery technicians 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 refinery technician

   Once you've found the refinery technician 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.

   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.

   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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