How to hire a valve technician

How to hire a valve technician, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your valve technician 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 valve technician 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 valve technician 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 valve technician that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of valve technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Valve Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Valve Technician		$13-28
   Instrument Technician Apprentice	An instrument technician apprentice is responsible for performing installation and repairs on various electrical equipment and instruments such as control panels and motors, all while under the supervision and directives of a senior or master technician. Typically, their tasks revolve around conducting regular maintenance checks, coordinating with other technicians, organizing supplies, operating electrical tools, and understanding various electronic principles... Show more	$12-27
   Instrument And Electrical Technician	An Instrument and Electrical Technician is responsible for inspecting all production and manufacturing equipment's performance and stability to ensure efficiency during operations. Instrument and Electrical Technicians run quality control procedures for the processes to produce high-quality deliverables for customer satisfaction... Show more	$25-41

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Control Valves
   • Hand Tools
   • Actuators
   • Teardown
   • Dexterity
   • Delta
   • Cranes
   • Troubleshoot
   • Customer Sites
   • QC
   • Test Valves
   • Test Equipment
   • Hoists
   • Pressure Relief Valves

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Preform PSV testing utilizing certify test equipment and complete all QA / QC documentation as required by the VR program.
   • Work using BOM while building product.
   • Work with AOV and MOV techs as necessary to support job task.
   • Utilize all require PPE to ensure the safety of each individual team member.
   • Assemble new valves with necessary parts and test to OHSA and API standards.
   • Work closely with government safety officials whom witness PSV testing during the annual safety inspection.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, valve technicians' average salary in wyoming is 43% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level valve technicians 53% less than senior-level valve technicians.
   • Certifications. A valve 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 valve technician's salary.

   Average valve technician salary

   $41,020yearly

   $19.72 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level valve technician salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a valve technician job description

   A good valve technician job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a valve technician job description:

   Valve technician job description example

   Our client is a leading distributor of industrial process control equipment, systems, and services in the southwest region of the US including North, East, and West Texas, Oklahoma, Western Arkansas, and New Mexico. They are actively seeking military veteran technicians with mechanical maintenance and troubleshooting backgrounds.
   
   This position is for the role of a Valve Technician who is responsible for ensuring the highest level of customer satisfaction while testing, inspecting, and repairing pressure relief valves (PRV), flow control valves, regulators, electronic instrumentation, and electric actuators for industries such as power, oil and gas, refining, chemical, and food and beverage. This position will entail independent field work, work as a member of a larger repair team, and work in a shop.
   
   This individual will be responsible for maintaining a work laptop computer and generating documentation for customer's maintenance records. This position entails a high degree of customer interaction, and is deeply imbedded in the company's sales process, consequently this position requires good people skills, a sharp personal appearance and a positive attitude at all times. Experience in the power, refining, chemical or oil and gas industry is a plus.
   
   This position will require travel to client sites with many projects requiring multiple overnight stays, weekends, and extended workdays.
   Duties and responsibilities:
   
   Maintenance, calibration, testing and trouble-shooting of valves, pressure relief valves and electric actuators (480v) as well as measurement and valve related instruments. Including, but not limited to:
   
   - Assembly of new equipment or repaired equipment
   - Documentation of repair / testing / assembly activities, cause of failure, actions taken, parts used, labor hours, and so on
   - Customer communication, technical assistance, troubleshooting, quoting / determining disposition of repairs
   - Participation in field and shop service calls, as required
   - Disassembly, cleanup, and evaluation of parts
   - Research and develop required parts list for Insides Sales to quote repair
   - Sandblast and paint when required
   - Coordinate repairs based upon requirements from the customer and Vinson scheduling
   - Fill out comprehensive repair reports describing the ss found condition, recommended repairs, and so on
   - Recognize, pursue, and secure opportunities to increase the scope of work and products sold whenever possible
   - Adhere to all safety, quality, company rules and regulations
   Perform other duties as assigned.
   
   Most overtime occurs in the Spring and the Fall (approx. Feb 15 - May 15 and Sept 15 - Dec. 1), so available PTO will be limited, if allowed at all, during those times.
   
   $25 - $32/hour, considerable overtime pay potential, relocation case by case; all expenses paid, company vehicle for all travel.
   
   Job 55189

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit valve technicians, 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.

   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 valve technician

   Once you've decided on a perfect valve technician candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new valve technician. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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