Wind Turbine Technician Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
A wind turbine technician, or windtech, keeps turbines turning: climbing the tower, troubleshooting electrical, hydraulic and mechanical faults in the nacelle, and running the maintenance schedule that prevents them. BLS projects employment to grow 30 percent over the decade, much faster than average, but from a small base of about 11,800 workers. This page has a wind turbine technician job description template, the duties and training to require, interview questions with what a good answer sounds like, and pay by industry.
What a wind turbine technician does
Wind turbine technicians inspect, diagnose, adjust and repair wind turbines. The job is maintenance and troubleshooting at height: most of the equipment sits in a nacelle hundreds of feet up, and BLS notes tower ladders are usually at least 200 feet high. Technicians sometimes work with another windtech or with electricians, climb (or ride a lift where the tower has one), and spend long stretches in tight spaces with electrical, hydraulic and mechanical systems.
The figures on this page describe the BLS occupation wind turbine service technicians (SOC 49-9081), which matches the job title directly; O*NET lists wind turbine technician, wind technician and field service technician among its reported titles.
Wind turbine technician duties
O*NET’s task list for the occupation includes:
- Troubleshoot or repair mechanical, hydraulic or electrical malfunctions in pitch systems, speed control systems, converters and related components
- Perform routine maintenance on turbines, underground transmission systems, substations and fiber optic sensing and control systems
- Diagnose problems with generators and control systems
- Test electrical components with voltage testers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, infrared testers or fiber optic equipment
- Climb towers to inspect, maintain or repair equipment
- Start or restart turbine generator systems and confirm they operate correctly
- Inspect or repair fiberglass blades
- Maintain tool and spare parts inventories
- Collect turbine data for testing, research and analysis
- Assist in assembling turbines and building wind farms
The software O*NET names for the occupation includes SCADA and PLC software, computerized diagnostic software, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), IBM Maximo and SAP. Name yours in the posting.
The work context data is the most important part of this job description. For wind turbine service technicians, O*NET reports:
| Working conditions | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Wear specialized protective or safety equipment | 100% every day |
| Exposed to high places | 97% every day |
| Exposed to hazardous conditions | 91% every day |
| Cramped work space, awkward positions | 83% every day |
| Consequence of error rated extremely serious | 81% |
| Outdoors, exposed to all weather | 79% every day |
| More than 40 hours a week | 60% |
BLS adds that most windtechs work full time, may be on call in the evening or on weekends, and may travel to rural or offshore wind farms, sometimes for several days or weeks at a time. Every one of those facts belongs in the posting. A candidate who is surprised by the climb or the travel in week one leaves in week two.
Wind turbine 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 an onshore site technician; the customization section covers traveling, construction and offshore roles.
Job title
Wind Turbine Technician [I / II / III], [Site or region], [Company name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Company name] is hiring a wind turbine technician for our [number]-turbine site near [town]. You will keep our [turbine make and platform] fleet running: scheduled maintenance, troubleshooting faults, and repairs in the nacelle, hub and tower, working as part of a [two / three]-person climbing team.
[Schedule, e.g. four 10-hour days with on-call rotation]. [Travel expectation, stated as a percentage or days per month]. [Pay range]. [One sentence on what is good about working here: tower lifts, equipment, the team.]
What you will do
• Climb turbine towers and work at height using fall protection and rescue equipment
• Perform scheduled maintenance on mechanical, hydraulic and electrical systems
• Troubleshoot faults using [SCADA / manufacturer diagnostic software], multimeters and other test equipment
• Replace worn or failed components, including [pitch, yaw, converter, gearbox] parts
• Inspect towers, blades and foundations and report findings
• Record work orders and parts in [CMMS]
• Follow lockout/tagout, electrical safety and site safety procedures without exception
What you need
• Able to climb [height] feet and work at height in a harness, and pass our climb assessment
• Able to lift and carry [weight] and work in confined spaces
• [Wind energy technology certificate or associate’s degree] OR [military, electrical, industrial maintenance or mechanical experience]
• Valid driver’s license and a driving record that meets our insurance standard
• Able to travel [amount] and work outdoors in all weather
• [Safety training we require, or will provide after hire]
Nice to have
• Experience on [turbine platform]
• Electrical troubleshooting or high-voltage experience
• Blade repair or composites experience
What we offer
• [Pay range], [per diem and travel pay]
• [Paid safety and manufacturer training]
• [On-call pay]
• [Benefits and the eligibility date]
• [Path: lead technician, site supervisor, blade or electrical roles]
How to apply
[One step. Say when climb assessments are scheduled.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Ability to climb and work at height | Required. Say the tower height and whether there is a service lift, and test it with a climb assessment rather than a checkbox. |
| Wind technology certificate | Useful, not essential. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical, with long-term on-the-job training from the employer or manufacturer. Accept electrical, mechanical, military or industrial maintenance backgrounds as equivalent. |
| Safety training | BLS notes certification is not mandatory but covers topics such as workplace electrical safety, tower climbing and self-rescue. If you require a specific course, say which, and whether you pay for it after hire. |
| Turbine platform experience | A nice-to-have. Manufacturers train on their own platforms; requiring one make shrinks a small pool further. |
| Travel | State it as a number of days or weeks, with per diem. “Travel as required” is the phrase candidates distrust most. |
| Driving record | Reasonable where technicians drive between sites. Say the standard up front. |
Customizing it by setting
Wind farm owners and operators
Wind electric power generation employs 42 percent of windtechs, at a $65,000 median. Emphasize a home site, a stable team and the on-call rotation.
Service and repair contractors
Commercial and industrial machinery repair and maintenance employs 12 percent, at the highest median BLS lists for the occupation, $70,670. These roles often travel. Put the travel pattern, per diem and time at home in the first lines.
Construction and commissioning
Power and communication line construction employs 15 percent, at a $63,080 median. Installation and commissioning work runs on project schedules; say how long projects last and what happens between them.
Offshore
BLS notes some technicians travel to offshore wind farms. Offshore roles usually add their own safety training and rotation schedules. Say the rotation and who pays for the training.
What wind turbine technicians earn
Wind turbine service technicians had a median wage of $64,120 a year, or $30.83 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $49,230 and the highest 10 percent more than $92,460.
| Industry | Median annual wage (May 2025) | Share of windtechs |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance | $70,670 | 12% |
| Wind electric power generation | $65,000 | 42% |
| Power and communication line and related structures construction | $63,080 | 15% |
Self-employed workers account for another 15 percent of the occupation. BLS counted 11,800 wind turbine service technicians in 2025 and projects employment to grow 30 percent to 15,300 by 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 1,500 openings a year. BLS ties the growth to increased electricity demand and turbine construction. Small numbers and fast growth mean you are recruiting mostly from adjacent trades, not from other wind sites.
Interview questions for a wind turbine technician
These six questions test safety discipline, troubleshooting method and whether the candidate understands the life. A good answer is specific and puts safety ahead of speed without being asked.
1. Walk me through how you would troubleshoot a turbine that faults and will not restart.
Listen for a method: read the fault codes and SCADA history, check what changed, isolate the system, test with the right meter, and confirm the fix. A candidate who starts replacing parts first is guessing.
2. Tell me about a time you stopped a job because something was not safe.
The best answer is a real story with a specific hazard and what they did about it. A candidate who has never stopped a job has either been lucky or has not been paying attention.
3. How do you feel about working at height all day, in cold, heat and wind?
You want honesty. Candidates who have climbed before will talk about the realities; those who have not should say how they know they are comfortable at height.
4. Explain lockout/tagout on a system with stored hydraulic or electrical energy.
A good answer covers identifying every energy source, isolating, releasing stored energy, verifying zero energy and personal locks. Vague answers here are a serious concern.
5. How much travel can you take, and what does your family think about it?
Ask directly, and give the real number first. A travel mismatch is an early-exit risk you can find out today.
6. What would your last supervisor say you need to work on?
Technicians often work at height with another windtech or with electricians, where communication matters. Look for self-awareness and an example of taking feedback.
What it costs to reach a wind turbine technician
Windtechs fall in our technician / mechanic role family. In our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, those campaigns on Meta ran a median cost per applicant of $13.41, with the middle half between $7.40 and $23.58, a blended figure of $8.35 and a 16 percent apply rate. The skilled trades and field service sector as a whole ran an $11.89 median at an 18 percent apply rate, and the all-role median is $13.88.
Apply rate explains 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant across the benchmark. Wind sites are rural, and Meta’s employment ad rules set a minimum 15-mile location radius, so the audience near a single site can be small; a short form that keeps the people who do click is worth more than a bigger budget.
Staffing other field and energy roles? See the field service technician, solar photovoltaic installer, lineman, electrician and millwright job descriptions, and skilled trades recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document for your safety files and your managers. The ad has to reach an electrician or maintenance technician who has never considered wind.
- Lead with pay, schedule and travel in real numbers.
- Say you train people from other trades, and on what platform.
- Show the tower. A real photo from your site does more than a stock sunset.
- Keep the form short: trade background, comfort at height, travel availability.
More on the ad side is in job ad copywriting, where to find skilled trades workers and Meta’s Special Ad Category.
Frequently asked questions
What does a wind turbine technician do?
A wind turbine technician inspects, maintains and repairs wind turbines. That means climbing towers, running scheduled maintenance, troubleshooting electrical, hydraulic and mechanical faults, testing components with meters and diagnostic software, replacing parts, inspecting blades and towers, and recording the work. Most of it happens at height in the nacelle, sometimes alongside another technician.
What are the main wind turbine technician duties?
O*NET lists troubleshooting and repairing pitch, speed control and converter systems; routine maintenance of turbines, substations and control systems; diagnosing generator and control problems; testing electrical components; climbing towers; restarting turbines; inspecting and repairing blades; maintaining parts inventories; collecting turbine data; and helping build wind farms.
How much do wind turbine technicians make?
The median wage for wind turbine service technicians was $64,120 a year, or $30.83 an hour, in May 2025. The top 10 percent earned more than $92,460. Commercial and industrial machinery repair and maintenance paid the highest median of the three industries BLS lists, at $70,670, followed by wind electric power generation at $65,000.
What training does a wind turbine technician need?
BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award, such as a wind energy technology certificate, as typical, followed by long-term on-the-job training from the employer or manufacturer. Certification is not mandatory, but training in workplace electrical safety, tower climbing and self-rescue is common. Many employers also hire from electrical, mechanical and military backgrounds.
Is wind turbine technician a growing job?
Yes. BLS projects employment to grow 30 percent from 2025 to 2035, from 11,800 to 15,300 jobs, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 1,500 openings a year. BLS ties the growth to rising electricity demand and turbine construction.
What interview questions should I ask a wind turbine technician?
Ask them to walk through troubleshooting a turbine that will not restart, tell you about a time they stopped a job for safety, explain lockout/tagout with stored energy, describe how they handle working at height in bad weather, and say how much travel they can take. Good answers show a method and put safety first.
Do wind turbine technicians need to be afraid of heights?
They need to be comfortable at heights. O*NET reports that 97 percent of workers in the occupation are exposed to high places every day, and BLS notes tower ladders are usually at least 200 feet high. Use a climb assessment during hiring rather than relying on a checkbox on the application.
Do wind turbine technicians travel?
Often. BLS says technicians may travel to wind farms in rural areas or offshore, sometimes away from home for several days or weeks at a time. Site-based roles travel less than service-contractor roles. State the real travel pattern and per diem in the posting.
Where can I find wind turbine technician candidates?
Mostly outside wind. With about 11,800 people in the occupation, the larger pools are electricians, industrial maintenance technicians, millwrights, and veterans with electrical or mechanical training. Social ads reach them where they already spend time, which job boards for wind jobs do not.
How much does it cost to recruit a wind turbine technician?
On Meta, technician and mechanic roles, the family windtechs fall into, ran a median of $13.41 per applicant across our managed campaigns, with the middle half between $7.40 and $23.58 and a 16 percent apply rate. That is cost per applicant, not cost per hire.
Related job descriptions
Hiring wind turbine technicians?
The description is the document. Reaching electricians, mechanics and veterans who could climb for you, near a rural site, is the part we do.
Wage, employment, projection and industry data for wind turbine service technicians (SOC 49-9081): U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, wind turbine technicians, last modified 27 August 2026; tasks, software and work context from O*NET OnLine 49-9081.00. Wages 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.