Maintaining a facility involves keeping the infrastructure and spaces in the best possible condition for staff. Technicians, engineers, and other ground crew need facilities in optimal operating condition in order to perform their own tasks. Fortunately, that's where a facility maintenance technician comes in.
However, like almost every other technically-oriented job, facilities maintenance technicians have a range of responsibilities that job seekers should understand before applying.
In this article, we’ll go over the facility maintenance technician job description, their responsibilities, typical qualifications and skills, as well as how to be a great facility maintenance technician.
Let's take a look.
What Does a Facility Maintenance Technician Do? Typical Roles in Organizations
Facility maintenance technicians are responsible for the general maintenance, repairs, and upkeep of property structures and facility equipment using a variety of power tools and hand tools.
Their basic role is to make sure all general and preventive maintenance operations that the facility requires as part of the maintenance program are performed on a timely basis.
Facility management includes areas such as office/apartment building maintenance and planning maintenance. As a result, facility maintenance technicians can be considered the prime caretakers of the facility.
In a typical facility, a facility maintenance technician may have to respond to work orders, perform pest control, and troubleshoot, repair, replace, or install various vital systems. These include plumbing systems, alarm systems, and electrical equipment.
In most cases, facilities maintenance management focuses on essential functions such as routine maintenance, preventive maintenance, and technical emergency response.
Professionals with greater maintenance experience may delegate maintenance tasks while making sure junior technicians comply with building safety codes.
Facility Maintenance Technician Job Description Template
Job postings about maintenance work should always include the job duties and future prospects of the job.
A job ad should include a job summary that explains the major responsibilities while also providing a brief overview of how the company works. Anybody applying for a position at the company should understand exactly what's expected of them.
A typical job brief for an organization that operates facilities could look like this:
“We are looking for a full-time, Facility Maintenance technician with 5-7 years of experience in a relevant capacity. You will be responsible for the maintenance and management of all facilities.
You will multitask on multiple fronts to ensure departmental efficiency and operational effectiveness. You will also provide constant oversight and manage the upkeep of various electrical systems such as HVAC, light bulbs, and facility supply grid, as well as mechanical systems such as production machinery and office equipment.
You will be required to operate our CMMS software and collaborate with maintenance managers to keep operations on track.
You can apply if you have adequate experience in facility management, as well as excellent communication skills and problem-solving abilities. Management experience is not necessary but will be appreciated.”
Company-specific expectations should also be in the job summary to show a better picture of what the company expects from the facilities maintenance technician.
Duties and Responsibilities
A facility maintenance technician may have more than just the traditional facility technician's share of responsibilities. The last few years have brought about a shift in how various technical professionals operate, with many getting additional tasks with different responsibilities.
For the most part, the typical responsibilities of facilities maintenance technicians include:
- Plan and execute the maintenance of facility installations such as air conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing, and ventilation.
- Troubleshoot minor machinery and detect root causes of malfunctions.
- Survey all facilities under ownership for potential faults and repairs.
- Ensure all building systems are running at optimal efficiency and operational capacity.
- Prepare work reports, manage maintenance budgets, and collaborate with management to implement specific operating procedures
- Coordinate with other department heads, including the maintenance supervisor and maintenance technician, to make sure all maintenance processes are on track.
- Lead teams of junior technicians to inspect facilities and guide them in general maintenance.
- Supervise domestic maintenance operations in apartment buildings.
- Develop facility maintenance schedules in response to historic maintenance needs.
- Utilize a variety of maintenance technology such as forklifts, snow removal machines, and sanitation pumps to perform maintenance activities
- Coordinate with maintenance engineers to perform complicated equipment maintenance in larger facilities.
- Maintain records of all maintenance tasks performed in the last month or year for the reporting sessions.
The duties mentioned above make up the standard facilities maintenance technician job description. Candidates looking to make a career out of this technical area should be prepared for added responsibilities as they climb up the ranks and spend more time with a company.
Typical Qualifications
While maintenance is more of a vocational field than an academic one, facility maintenance technicians do need some qualifications to get hired for the job.
Qualifications may vary depending on the and industry sub-category.
For example, an apartment complex would need a facility technician who is trained to handle cosmetic repairs like painting, flooring, carpentry, and landscaping, on top of technical tasks.
In any case, the typical qualifications and work experience for a facility maintenance technician include:
- A high school diploma with a long-term apprenticeship in a relevant maintenance area
- Advanced diploma and on-site training in facility maintenance
- At least five years of experience in facility maintenance
- Previous managerial experience is recommended, especially in facilities management
- Working knowledge of CMMS systems, and other office management software
- Valid driver's license with a clean driving record
- A basic understanding of elevators, fire alarms, plumbing, and other facility-related systems
Today there are tons of accredited online courses that cater to the specific needs of the various technical fields. Taking one of these online courses will upskill technicians and enable them to apply for jobs with better prospects for career advancement.
Typical Skills and Abilities
Other than qualifications and experience, maintenance technicians need a variety of skills and abilities to do their job correctly. These skills are in keeping with the typical responsibilities of the position.
Here are the typical skills and abilities that facility maintenance technician should have:
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to allow technicians to function well in team environments.
- Ability to develop good working relationships with various department members in the long-term.
- Basic computer skills and working knowledge of office management, word processing, and documentation software.
- Excellent time management skills to ensure all tasks are performed on time, and according to the schedule.
- Effective leadership skills for technicians with teams of junior technicians working under them.
- Good analytical skills to understand complex problems and make informed decisions on things, such as building maintenance needs and budget concerns.
- Knowledge of various national, state, and city laws, regulations, and safety codes.
- Ability to supervise complex, multi-discipline maintenance projects at several locations simultaneously.
- Knowledge of various reliability techniques and efficient repair methods.
- High-level problem-solving and decision-making skills to save time and resources on even the most complex maintenance tasks.
- Ability to work in most weather conditions and meet the physical demands of the job
A good facility technician should tick as many of the aforementioned boxes as possible, while also carrying sufficient accreditation in the relevant maintenance areas.
Becoming the Ideal Facility Maintenance Technician
The facility maintenance technician job description is more diverse than ever in 2021.
So much so that it's difficult to find someone with all the skills, training, and abilities to do the job well. Furthermore, different companies are looking for particular skills in the person they hire, which just adds to the repertoire that any potentially successful technician has to build.
Considering this, all job seekers should first work on developing as many relevant skills as they can. All the specifics associated with a certain type of maintenance.
Once that is done, they should look to diversifying their skills, and getting training in more efficient ways to do a single job.
All of this can be done via the myriad online courses available today. Technicians can not only gain credentials from major authorities but also gain invaluable skills that they would never learn in most technical classrooms.
In conclusion, it's important to have a range of skills that allows a single technician to work in several capacities and quickly move up pay grades.
Josh is a partner at Maintenance Manager HQ.
