How To Become A Senior Mechanical Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior mechanical technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Andreas Enqvist

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a senior mechanical technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.88 an hour? That's $64,237 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a senior mechanical technician?

Andreas Enqvist

Director, Nuclear Engineering Program, Florida Power and Light Associate Professor, University of Florida

Know your worth, and explore multiple employment opportunities, even if there is a specific company or job-location on the top of your list, you have a much better understanding of your negotiating power and worth in your career if you apply for and engage with a wider network of employers and career opportunities as you are looking to start your career.

ScoreSenior Mechanical TechnicianUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $64,237

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 7.48%

Black or African American 9.46%

Hispanic or Latino 16.67%

Unknown 4.88%

White 60.83%

Gender

female 5.15%

male 94.85%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior mechanical technician

Explore senior mechanical technician education requirements

Most common senior mechanical technician degrees

Associate

44.0 %

Bachelor's

22.0 %

High School Diploma

15.5 %

Start to develop specific senior mechanical technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	11.82%
Safety Procedures	8.46%
Technical Support	6.64%
Mechanical Problems	5.27%
Mechanical Equipment	4.72%

Complete relevant senior mechanical technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior mechanical technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior mechanical technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior mechanical technician resumes.

Research senior mechanical technician duties and responsibilities

Read and interpret drawings involving HVAC installation and electrical diagrams.
Own / maintain building, and factory HVAC equipment, i.e.
Test electro-mechanical subsystems for circuit integrity and operational reliability.
Create functional 3d models and drawings or modify as necessary through the ECO process.

Get senior mechanical technician experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior mechanical technician. The most common roles before becoming a senior mechanical technician include mechanical technician, mechanic team lead and maintenance technician.

Prepare your senior mechanical technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior mechanical technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior mechanical technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior mechanical technician resume templates

Build a professional senior mechanical technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior mechanical technician resume.