Electrical Technician Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
An electrical technician builds, tests and troubleshoots electrical and electronic systems, usually from a schematic and usually beside an engineer. It is not the same job as an electrician, and a posting that blurs the two fills with the wrong applicants. This page has an electrical technician job description template you can copy, the duties and interview questions that separate the roles, and what the job pays by industry.
Electrical technician vs electrician
Postings use the two titles interchangeably, which is why these requisitions attract the wrong applicants. They are different occupations.
- An electrician installs and maintains building wiring, panels, lighting and power systems, usually after a four- to five-year apprenticeship, and in most states needs a license to do it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says plainly that most states require electricians to be licensed.
- An electrical technician, in the BLS definition, works alongside electrical engineers: building and testing prototypes, calibrating instruments and test equipment, troubleshooting circuits and control systems, and documenting what they find. The typical entry route is an associate’s degree in electrical or electronics engineering technology, not an apprenticeship.
The labor markets differ too (BLS employment projections, 2025 base year, May 2025 wages):
| Occupation | Median pay, May 2025 | Employed, 2025 | Projected change, 2025–35 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians (17-3023) | $78,190 | 96,900 | 2% | 8,100 |
| Electricians (47-2111) | $63,190 | 821,000 | 9% | 72,700 |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment (49-2094) | $74,090 | 65,500 | 0.3% | 4,700 |
The third row matters because many plant and utility “electrical technician” postings are really industrial repair jobs on motors, drives and controls. If that is yours, say “industrial” or “controls” in the title so applicants self-sort. If the job is wiring buildings, you are hiring an electrician; use our electrician job description and check your state’s licensing rules before you post.
Electrical technician duties
O*NET lists “Electrical Technician” as a reported job title for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians (17-3023.00). The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook describes the core duties as:
- Assembling electrical and electronic systems and prototypes
- Building, calibrating and repairing electrical instruments or testing equipment
- Visiting sites where systems are made to observe conditions that affect design
- Identifying solutions to technical design problems that come up in making electrical systems
- Inspecting designs for quality control, reporting findings and recommending changes
- Drawing diagrams and writing specifications for experimental electronics units
O*NET adds the day-to-day work: reading blueprints and wiring diagrams, operating test equipment, resolving equipment malfunctions, installing control systems, replacing defective components and keeping system logs. The software O*NET names runs from AutoCAD, Revit, MicroStation and SolidWorks for drawings, to PLC software, SCADA and AVEVA InTouch HMI on the controls side, to MATLAB, LabVIEW and Python for testing and data.
The work context data describes a technical job that is also a team job. 90 percent of people in the occupation report email every day, 74 percent report face-to-face discussions every day, and 69 percent say working with a team is extremely important. 71 percent work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day, and 85 percent report a standard 40-hour week.
| Working conditions | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| 90% every day | |
| Face-to-face discussions | 74% every day |
| Indoors, environmentally controlled | 71% every day |
| Working with a team rated extremely important | 69% |
| A standard 40-hour week | 85% |
If your job matches that profile, a climate-controlled lab or test floor on days is a recruiting asset; say it in the ad. If it is a substation or a hot plant floor with call-outs, say that instead.
Electrical technician job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. It is written for a manufacturing, test or controls setting; the customization notes below cover utilities, engineering firms and field service.
Job title
Electrical Technician [/ Electronics Technician / Controls Technician / Test Technician], [Shift], [Company name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Company name] is hiring an electrical technician to support our [engineering / production / test] team at [site]. You will build, test and troubleshoot [the electrical systems, control panels, circuit assemblies or prototypes] we [make / run], work from schematics and wiring diagrams, and document what you find so engineers and production can act on it.
[Shift and days]. [Pay range]. [One sentence on what is good about the job: the lab, the equipment, the schedule, tuition support, the path to engineering.]
What you will do
• Assemble, wire and test [control panels / circuit boards / prototypes / electrical systems] from schematics and wiring diagrams
• Set up and operate test equipment such as [multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, meggers, PLC test benches]
• Diagnose and repair faults, replacing defective components and verifying the fix
• Calibrate and maintain [instruments / test fixtures] to [standard or schedule]
• Install and commission [electrical control systems / drives / sensors] on [equipment or lines]
• Read and mark up drawings; update [AutoCAD / SolidWorks Electrical / EPLAN] files as changes are made
• Record test results and keep system logs and documentation current in [system]
• Work with engineers on design problems and recommend changes based on what you see on the bench or floor
• Follow [NFPA 70E / lockout-tagout / ESD] procedures every time
What you need
• Associate’s degree in electrical or electronics engineering technology, [or equivalent military or on-the-job experience]
• Able to read schematics, wiring diagrams and [ladder logic]
• Comfortable with standard electrical test equipment
• Careful record keeper: if it is not written down, it did not happen
• [Able to lift up to __ lbs occasionally / work on ladders or in panels]
• [Valid driver’s license if the job includes travel between sites]
Nice to have
• Experience with [Allen-Bradley / Siemens] PLCs, HMIs or SCADA
• [IPC soldering / wire harness certification]
• [Industry experience: utilities, semiconductors, medical devices, automation]
What we offer
• [Pay range], [shift differential]
• [Schedule, including overtime expectations and on-call, if any]
• [Benefits and the date they start]
• [Tuition assistance or certification paid]
• [The next job: senior technician, controls lead, engineer, and how many people made that move last year]
How to apply
[One step. A short form and a phone call beats a portal login.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Education | An associate’s degree is the BLS typical entry point, and 34 percent of people in the occupation report it as required. But 21 percent report some college with no degree and 16 percent a high school diploma. Write “associate’s degree or equivalent experience” and you keep military-trained and self-taught technicians in the pool. |
| Experience | BLS lists no required work experience and no on-the-job training for entry. For a junior role, drop the “3–5 years”. For a senior role, name the specific experience (PLC troubleshooting, a particular test platform) rather than a number of years. |
| License | Do not ask for an electrician’s license unless the job includes work your state licenses. Asking for one on a bench or test role screens out most of the people who can do it. |
| Software | Name it. “AutoCAD Electrical and Allen-Bradley Studio 5000” screens better than “proficient in computer applications”. |
| Certifications | BLS describes certifications for this occupation as optional. Treat them as a plus, not a filter. |
| Physical and safety | Say what is real: panel work, ladders, confined spaces, arc-flash PPE. Candidates need it to judge the job, and you need it on file. |
Customizing it by setting
Manufacturing and semiconductors
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing employs 10 percent of the occupation at a $73,460 median, and navigational, measuring, electromedical and control instruments manufacturing 8 percent at $75,180. Name the product, the test equipment and whether it is a clean room.
Utilities
The best-paid industry BLS lists at a $99,720 median, employing 7 percent. Relay, substation and metering technicians sit here; state the call-out rotation and driving, and lead with the pay.
Engineering services and federal government
Engineering services employs 11 percent at $76,900; the federal government is the largest single employer at 12 percent, with a $89,970 median. Drawings, specifications and site visits carry more weight; state any clearance requirement up front.
What electrical technicians earn
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians had a median wage of $78,190 a year, about $37.59 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $49,510 and the highest 10 percent more than $115,700. Those figures describe the whole SOC occupation, which includes electronics, communications and relay technicians as well as electrical technicians.
| Industry | Median annual wage (May 2025) | Share of the occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | $99,720 | 7% |
| Federal government | $89,970 | 12% |
| Engineering services | $76,900 | 11% |
| Navigational, measuring, electromedical and control instruments manufacturing | $75,180 | 8% |
| Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing | $73,460 | 10% |
There were 96,900 people in the occupation in 2025, and BLS projects employment to grow 2 percent (slower than average) through 2035, with about 8,100 openings a year, most of them replacing people who retire or change careers. In a small occupation, the qualified people near you are mostly employed, so the ad has to reach people who are not looking.
A note on vintages: O*NET still shows the previous projection set (93,700 employed on a 2024 base, 8,400 openings a year over 2024–34). The figures on this page are the current Occupational Outlook Handbook edition, last modified 27 August 2026. The May 2025 wage is the same in both.
What it costs to reach an electrical technician
We benchmark electrical technicians in the technician / mechanic role family, the closest match in our data. Those campaigns ran a median cost per applicant of $13.41 on Meta, with the middle half between $7.40 and $23.58, a blended figure of $8.35 and a 16 percent apply rate. The all-role median is $13.88, so technicians sit close to the middle.
The apply rate is where the money is. Across the whole benchmark, applicant conversion explains about 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant between campaigns. A technician scrolling on a break will answer four questions on their phone; they will not create an account and upload a resume.
Interview questions for an electrical technician
These separate people who have done troubleshooting from people who have read about it.
1. Walk me through the last fault you tracked down. Where did you start?
A good answer is a sequence: confirmed the symptom, checked the drawing, isolated sections, measured, found the cause, verified the fix and wrote it up. Vague answers are the warning sign.
2. You have a schematic and the panel in front of you does not match it. What do you do?
They should trust the panel, not the paper, stop before energizing anything they cannot account for, mark up the drawing and tell the engineer. Anyone who says they would “go with the drawing” has not worked on old equipment.
3. What test equipment are you comfortable with, and what would you use to check a fault we see here often?
Listen for specific instruments and why: a meter for continuity, a megger for insulation, a scope for signal problems. Tailor the fault to your real work.
4. Tell me about a time you were asked to skip a safety step to get something running.
You want someone who held the line on lockout-tagout or PPE. This is pass/fail.
5. How do you document a repair so the next person can use it?
Good technicians describe what they record (symptom, cause, parts, readings) and where.
6. What is the difference between the work you want to do and the electrician work you do not?
A good answer names the setting they want: bench, test, controls or field.
For licensed electrician hires, use our separate electrician interview questions, and see interview scorecard template for scoring answers consistently.
Staffing the rest of the technical team? See the electrician, instrumentation technician, maintenance technician, industrial maintenance mechanic and electrical apprentice job descriptions, and maintenance technician recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document for your ATS. The ad has a different job: getting an employed technician to stop scrolling.
- First line is pay and shift. Technicians compare jobs on those two things before anything else.
- Say what they will work on: the product, the equipment, the controls platform.
- Say it is not construction wiring, if it is not. It saves you a week of screening electricians.
- One short application. Ask for the resume after the first call.
The full version of that argument is on job ad copywriting, and our 2026 benchmark has the cost data by role.
Frequently asked questions
What does an electrical technician do?
An electrical technician builds, tests, troubleshoots and repairs electrical and electronic systems, usually working from schematics and alongside engineers. Typical duties include assembling prototypes and control panels, setting up and running test equipment, calibrating instruments, diagnosing and replacing faulty components, installing control systems, and documenting results.
What is the difference between an electrical technician and an electrician?
An electrician installs and maintains building wiring and power systems, trains through a four- to five-year apprenticeship, and in most states must be licensed. An electrical technician works on electrical and electronic equipment and systems (building, testing, calibrating and troubleshooting) and typically enters with an associate’s degree. BLS counts them as separate occupations: the May 2025 median was $78,190 for electrical technicians and $63,190 for electricians.
What qualifications does an electrical technician need?
BLS lists an associate’s degree in electrical or electronics engineering technology as the typical entry-level education, with no required work experience. In O*NET’s survey only 34 percent reported an associate’s degree as required, so “or equivalent experience” is a reasonable addition. Certifications are optional.
How much do electrical technicians make?
The median wage for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians was $78,190 a year, about $37.59 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned under $49,510 and the top 10 percent over $115,700. Utilities paid the highest industry median at $99,720, and the federal government, the largest employer, $89,970.
Do electrical technicians need a license?
Usually not for bench, test, controls or equipment work, and BLS describes certifications for this occupation as optional. If the job includes installing or altering building wiring, your state’s electrician licensing rules may apply, so check with the state licensing board before you post.
What should I ask in an electrical technician interview?
Ask them to walk through a real fault they found, what they do when the panel does not match the drawing, which test equipment they would use for a fault you actually see, how they handled pressure to skip a safety step, and how they document a repair. Good answers are specific sequences, not general claims.
Is the electrical technician job growing?
Slowly. BLS projects employment of electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than average, from 96,900 jobs. It still projects about 8,100 openings a year, mostly to replace people who retire or move into other work, so experienced technicians are mostly employed and need to be recruited rather than waited for.
How much does it cost to recruit an electrical technician?
On Meta, technician and mechanic roles ran a median of $13.41 per applicant across our managed campaigns, with the middle half of campaigns between $7.40 and $23.58 and a 16 percent apply rate. That is close to the $13.88 median across all role families in our 2026 benchmark. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire; your screening and hiring rates convert one to the other.
Related job descriptions
Hiring electrical technicians?
The description is the document. Putting it in front of technicians who are not on a job board is the part we do.
Wage, employment, projection, task and work-context data for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians (SOC 17-3023), the occupation O*NET lists “Electrical Technician” under: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026; BLS Employment Projections table 1.2 (2025–35) for the electrician and industrial repairer comparison; and O*NET OnLine 17-3023.00. Wage figures are May 2025 OEWS. Read at source 24 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.