Electronic Technician Job Description Templates for Small Employers
6 templates for the shops, plants, and service businesses that hire without an HR department: bench repair, assembly, field service, test and calibration, industrial controls, and low voltage. Download as DOCX.
An electronics repair shop I worked with kept a technician opening on the door for five months. The posting said, in full, that they needed someone to repair electronic assemblies and that experience was required. The applicants were electricians who wanted service panel work, computer repair candidates who had never held a soldering iron, and one very confused HVAC apprentice.
Electronic technician is one of the least precise job titles in American hiring. The same two words cover bench repair, production assembly, field service, test and calibration, industrial controls, and low voltage installation. Those are six different candidate pools, six different skill screens, and six different pay bands, and a posting that does not pick one gets applicants from all of them.
The federal government does not have a single occupation for it either. The Bureau of Labor Statistics splits the work across engineering-support classifications and several repair classifications, which is why no honest national median exists for the bare title. That matters when you set a rate.
At FirstHR we write hiring templates for employers who do this without an HR department. The six below cover bench repair, assembly, field service, test and calibration, industrial controls, and low voltage installation, each with the classification, safety, and licensing notes the generic versions leave out.
TL;DR
An electronic technician installs, tests, troubleshoots, and repairs electronic equipment from schematics. The title spans six distinct roles, so name the setting, the equipment, and the diagnosis depth. Technicians are non-exempt and overtime-eligible. Median pay runs $45,850 to $78,190 depending on classification (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Six templates below.
One Title, Six Different Jobs
The first decision is not what to write but which job you are writing about. Electronic technician describes a skill family, not a position, and the setting determines almost everything else in the posting: the screen, the rate, the licensing question, and the safety program.
Getting this wrong is expensive in a quiet way. You do not get zero applicants, you get plenty of applicants who are qualified for a neighboring job, and the search drags on while everyone involved concludes that nobody good is available.
Repair shop or depot
Diagnosis is the product
The technician works a bench, owns the fault-finding, and turns units around against a promised date. Hire for schematic reading and troubleshooting instinct, not for speed of hands. A weak diagnostician quietly replaces good parts until the margin is gone.
Manufacturer or contract builder
Repeatability is the product
Assembly and test roles are judged on yield, consistency, and records. Hire for soldering skill under a written standard and for the discipline to follow work instructions exactly, including the part where you stop and ask instead of guessing.
Field service business
The technician is the company
Customers meet the technician, not you. Diagnostic skill matters, but so does explaining bad news, quoting honestly, and leaving a clean site. Drive time, on-call rules, and vehicle policy all belong in the posting rather than in an argument later.
Installation contractor
Licensing runs ahead of skill
Low voltage, alarm, and fire alarm work is licensed separately from general electrical work in many states, sometimes at the individual level. Confirm the requirement before you post, because the license can rule out an otherwise perfect candidate.
Name the Depth of Diagnosis, Not Just the Equipment
The line that separates a $22 an hour technician from a $38 an hour technician is rarely the equipment. It is how deep they go. Swapping a failed module against a fault code is a different job from tracing a signal path with an oscilloscope and finding the one open capacitor. Say which you need in the posting. Candidates who work at component level will not apply to a role that reads like board swapping, and candidates who swap boards will apply to anything.
What Belongs in an Electronic Technician Posting
A technician job description does four jobs at once: it attracts the right pool, it filters the wrong one, it protects you on classification and safety, and it closes the candidate on pay and conditions. Most shop postings do only the first, and only barely.
The parts that attract the right pool
What the equipment actually is, by name and category
Bench, plant floor, customer site, or production line
Depth of diagnosis expected: module, board, or component
Shift, territory, and travel share, stated as numbers
The parts that filter applicants
Test equipment the technician must already know
Soldering or workmanship standard, named
Degree, military training, or experience equivalence
Licenses and certifications, marked required or preferred
The parts that protect you
FLSA classification stated as non-exempt and hourly
Drive time, on-call, and call-in pay rules in writing
Physical demands written as essential functions
Background check and driving record notice
The parts that win the hire
Hourly rate or a good-faith range
Overtime volume, honestly described
Tool allowance, training budget, and certification sponsorship
A named person, a real phone number, and a fast process
The most valuable single line is the test equipment list. Naming an oscilloscope, a spectrum analyzer, or a specific PLC platform tells an experienced technician within two seconds whether the job is at their level. Our guide to writing a job description covers the general structure, and the rest of the hiring templates library has the neighboring trades.
6 Electronic Technician Job Description Templates to Download
Download all six as one file or copy them individually. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, required qualifications, a classification and safety note, an equal opportunity statement, and how to apply. The bracketed fields are the only parts you need to change.
Download All 6 Electronic Technician Job Description Templates
Bench repair, assembly, field service, test and calibration, industrial controls, and low voltage. All in one download.
Bench Repair Technician
Component-level diagnosis
The classic shop role, with schematic reading, test equipment, soldering and rework standards, ESD control, and repair documentation built in.
Electronics Assembly Technician
Build, inspect, rework
For production: board and harness building, workmanship acceptance criteria, inspection, and the traceability records a quality system needs.
Field Service Technician
Customer sites, on-call
For a service route, with van stock, dispatch, customer handover, and the drive-time and on-call pay language stated instead of assumed.
Test and Calibration Technician
Procedures and records
For a test bay or quality lab: written test execution, calibration scheduling, traceability, nonconformance reports, and audit support.
Industrial Controls Technician
PLCs, drives, breakdowns
For a plant floor: PLC troubleshooting, drives and motor controls, preventive maintenance routes, and lockout/tagout stated as non-negotiable.
Low Voltage and AV Technician
Install and commission
For installation work, with cable certification, device programming, customer handover, and the state licensing question raised up front.
Template 1: Electronic Technician, Bench Repair
The classic shop role, with schematic reading, test equipment, soldering and rework standards, ESD control, and repair documentation built in.
[Company Name] is a [independent / authorized] electronics repair shop in [City,
State] serving [industrial customers / medical facilities / broadcasters /
consumers]. We turn around [number] units per week with a team of [number]
technicians and we are hiring one more bench technician.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Electronic Technician diagnoses faults in [product types] down to the
component or module level, performs the repair, verifies the unit against
specification, and documents the work so the customer and the next technician
can follow it.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Troubleshoot analog and digital circuits to component or board level using
schematics, block diagrams, and manufacturer service documentation
•Operate test equipment: digital multimeter, oscilloscope, function generator,
power supply, [LCR meter, spectrum analyzer, thermal camera]
•Perform through-hole and surface-mount soldering, desoldering, and rework to
[IPC-A-610 / J-STD-001 / our internal standard]
•Replace failed components and modules and source parts through [supplier list]
•Run final functional test and calibration, and record measured results
•Document symptom, root cause, parts used, and labor time in [system name]
•Maintain ESD controls at the bench: wrist strap, mat, and periodic verification
•Keep calibration due dates current on assigned test equipment
•Communicate repair-versus-replace recommendations to [service writer / customer]
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Associate degree in electronics technology / military electronics training /
equivalent shop experience: set your bar and mean it]
•[Number] years diagnosing electronic equipment to component level
•Fluent reading of schematics and ability to work from service manuals
•Demonstrated soldering and rework skill, tested during the interview
•Comfortable working safely on energized equipment under our written procedures
•[Certification: ETA / ISCET / manufacturer training. Mark required or preferred]
CLASSIFICATION AND SAFETY NOTE (read before posting)
Bench repair technicians are non-exempt under the FLSA: hourly and entitled to
overtime past 40 hours in a workweek. Federal regulation states that maintenance
and repair workers who perform work involving repetitive operations with their
hands, physical skill, and energy are entitled to minimum wage and overtime
however highly paid, and it names mechanics and craftsmen specifically. An
associate degree does not create an exemption. Live parts must be deenergized
before work under OSHA rules unless deenergizing introduces a greater hazard or
is infeasible, so put your energized-work procedure, lockout/tagout program, and
PPE requirements in writing before the first day. This is general information,
not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [overtime policy], [benefits summary],
[tool allowance], [shift differential]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
Template 2: Electronics Assembly Technician
For production work: board and harness building, workmanship acceptance criteria, inspection, and traceability records. If the role leans toward mechanical build rather than circuits, the assembly technician templates fit better.
Electronics Assembly Technician Job Description
ELECTRONICS ASSEMBLY TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Production Supervisor / Manufacturing Manager]
For a service route, with van stock, dispatch, customer handover, and drive-time and on-call pay stated instead of assumed. The broader field service technician templates cover non-electronic equipment lines.
Field Electronic Service Technician Job Description
FIELD ELECTRONIC SERVICE TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Service Manager / Dispatch Supervisor]
[Company Name] installs and services [equipment category] at customer sites
across [territory]. We are hiring a field technician to run a service route,
handle installations and emergency calls, and be the person our customers
actually see.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Field Electronic Service Technician travels to customer locations to
install, commission, troubleshoot, and repair [equipment category], completes
the paperwork on site, and represents the company in front of the customer.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Run a daily route of [number] calls dispatched through [system name]
•Install and commission new equipment, including [wiring, network setup,
configuration, customer walkthrough]
•Diagnose failures on site using schematics, test equipment, and remote support
•Perform preventive maintenance to the published schedule
•Carry and manage a van stock of parts; reconcile usage after each call
•Complete service tickets, time, parts, and customer signature before leaving
•Quote follow-up work and explain repair-versus-replace to the customer
•Participate in the [frequency] on-call rotation for emergency service
•Maintain the assigned vehicle, tools, and calibration records
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Associate degree in electronics / military training / equivalent experience]
•[Number] years of field service on [equipment category]
•Valid driver's license and a driving record that meets our insurance standard
•Ability to work at heights, in crawl spaces, and [lift 50 pounds] as essential
functions of the role
•Customer-facing communication under pressure, including bad news
•Must clear a background check, since work takes place on customer premises
•[Low voltage or alarm license required in some states: state your requirement]
CLASSIFICATION AND PAY NOTE
Field service technicians are non-exempt: hourly and overtime-eligible past 40
hours in a workweek, and neither a company vehicle nor a flat call rate changes
that. Travel between job sites during the working day is hours worked. The ordinary
home-to-first-site commute generally is not, but travel that cuts across the
normal working hours on an out-of-town trip usually is. On-call time is
compensable when your restrictions leave the technician unable to use the time
effectively for their own purposes. Write the on-call rules, the drive-time
rules, and the per diem policy into the offer letter rather than settling them
after the first big week. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [overtime and on-call pay], [vehicle or
mileage], [tool allowance], [benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
Template 4: Electronic Test and Calibration Technician
For a test bay or quality lab: written test execution, calibration scheduling, traceability, nonconformance reports, and audit support. Pair it with the quality technician templates if inspection is the larger half of the job.
Electronic Test and Calibration Technician Job Description
ELECTRONIC TEST AND CALIBRATION TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Quality Manager / Test Engineering Lead]
•Set up and operate test fixtures, automated test stations, and data logging
•Record results, flag out-of-tolerance readings, and write nonconformance reports
•Calibrate assigned instruments and manage the calibration schedule and records
•Maintain traceability of standards to [NIST-traceable service provider]
•Support first-article inspection and [customer / regulatory] audits
•Troubleshoot failing units to the responsible board or subassembly
•Suggest test coverage improvements when a defect escapes to the field
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Associate degree in electronics or a related field / equivalent experience]
•[Number] years of electronic test experience in a [regulated / ISO] environment
•Working knowledge of measurement uncertainty, tolerance, and traceability
•Careful, literal documentation habits; this role lives on its records
•Experience with [LabVIEW / Python test scripts / vendor test software] preferred
•[Clearance or citizenship requirement only if genuinely required by contract]
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
Test technicians are non-exempt: hourly and overtime-eligible. Running tests to
written procedures is not the exercise of discretion and independent judgment on
matters of significance that the administrative exemption requires, and applying
established techniques from a two-year program is not the advanced knowledge the
learned professional exemption requires. If your contracts carry export control
or citizenship restrictions, state them accurately and narrowly, because a
blanket citizens-only requirement can create a national origin discrimination
problem when the underlying rule does not actually demand it. This is general
information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [shift], [benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
Template 5: Industrial Electronics and Controls Technician
For a plant floor: PLC troubleshooting, drives and motor controls, preventive maintenance routes, and lockout/tagout stated as non-negotiable. If the role is broader than controls, use the maintenance technician templates instead.
Industrial Electronics and Controls Technician Job Description
INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS AND CONTROLS TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION
•Understanding of arc flash risk and safe work practices on energized equipment
•Willingness to work [shift, weekends, and call-ins] during breakdowns
•[State electrical license required for some scopes of work: verify locally]
CLASSIFICATION AND SAFETY NOTE
Controls technicians are non-exempt: hourly and overtime-eligible past 40 hours
in a workweek. This role is one of the most common places small manufacturers
misclassify, because the pay is high and the work looks technical. Pay level does
not create an exemption; duties do, and troubleshooting equipment is manual and
technical work rather than management or advanced professional work. On safety,
OSHA requires live parts to be deenergized before work unless deenergizing
introduces a greater hazard or is infeasible, and the control of hazardous energy
standard requires a written program, procedures for each machine, annual
inspection, and documented training. Both should exist before the technician
starts, not after. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [shift differential], [call-in minimum],
[overtime policy], [benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
Template 6: Low Voltage and AV Electronics Technician
For installation work, with cable certification, device programming, customer handover, and the state licensing question raised up front. Line-voltage installation is a different posting: see the electrician templates.
Low Voltage and AV Electronics Technician Job Description
LOW VOLTAGE AND AV ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Install Manager / Project Manager / Owner]
•Mount and align [cameras, displays, speakers, panels, readers, sensors]
•Configure and program [platform names] and integrate with customer networks
•Test and certify cable runs and document the results
•Read and work from floor plans, riser diagrams, and equipment schedules
•Perform system commissioning and a written customer handover
•Return for service calls and warranty work on systems we installed
•Keep the job site clean, safe, and presentable to the customer
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[High school diploma / technical certificate / associate degree: set your bar]
•[Number] years of low voltage installation experience
•[State low voltage, alarm, or fire alarm license required: verify and state it]
•Manufacturer certifications in [platforms] [required / preferred / we train]
•Valid driver's license and a record that meets our insurance standard
•Able to work on ladders and lifts and [lift 50 pounds] as essential functions
•Must clear a background check for work in occupied homes and businesses
CLASSIFICATION AND LICENSING NOTE
Low voltage installation technicians are non-exempt: hourly and overtime-eligible.
Licensing is the trap in this category. Many states license low voltage, alarm,
and fire alarm work separately from the general electrical license, some require
the individual technician to hold a registration or card rather than relying on
the company license, and fire alarm work frequently carries its own certification
requirement. Verify with your state licensing board and, where required, the
local authority having jurisdiction, then write the requirement into the posting
as required, preferred, or company-sponsored. Travel between job sites during the
working day is hours worked. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [drive time policy], [tool and vehicle],
[benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
Why Electronic Technicians Are Non-Exempt
Electronic technicians are non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act in almost every case, which means hourly pay and overtime past 40 hours in a workweek. The reason is not the pay level, it is the nature of the work, and two separate federal rules point the same direction.
The first is the blue collar rule. The regulation on exemptions and manual workers states that non-management employees in maintenance and similar occupations are entitled to minimum wage and overtime however highly paid, and it names mechanics and craftsmen among the examples. The second is the learned professional test, which asks for advanced knowledge acquired through a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction. An associate degree, a military technical school, and a wall of manufacturer certificates are strong preparation and none of them clears that bar.
Technical work is not professional work
The learned professional exemption is written around advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction. A two-year electronics program, a military technical school, and a stack of manufacturer certifications are excellent preparation, and none of them meets that description. Separately, the federal regulation on blue collar workers puts maintenance and repair occupations outside every white collar exemption regardless of how highly paid they are. Put the two together and the answer for almost every electronic technician is the same: non-exempt, hourly, overtime past 40 hours in a workweek. Pay the rate you need to pay, then track the hours. This is general information, not legal advice.
A high salary does not create an exemption
The federal salary threshold for the white collar exemptions is $684 per week, which is $35,568 a year. The 2024 rule that would have raised it was vacated in federal court in November 2024 and formally rescinded in May 2026, so the older figure is the one in force. Small manufacturers regularly read that number, notice they pay a senior controls technician far more, and conclude the person is exempt. The salary test is a floor that a role has to clear before the duties test even gets asked, not a shortcut past it. Clearing $684 a week proves nothing on its own. State law can also set a higher floor and a stricter duties test, so check yours. This is general information, not legal advice.
Drive time and on-call time are where the money leaks
Field roles create three recurring wage questions and small employers usually get all three wrong in the same direction. Travel between job sites during the working day is hours worked and must be paid. The ordinary commute from home to the first site is generally not, but travel that cuts across normal working hours on an out-of-town trip usually is. On-call time is compensable when the restrictions are tight enough that the technician cannot use the time effectively for their own purposes, and merely carrying a phone usually is not. Decide your rules, write them into the offer letter, and configure the timekeeping to match. Retroactive fixes after a technician complains cost far more than getting the policy right in the first week.
The safety program is a hiring document
OSHA requires that live parts an employee may be exposed to be deenergized before work, with narrow exceptions where deenergizing would introduce a greater hazard or is infeasible because of equipment design or operational limits. The control of hazardous energy standard adds a written program, machine-specific procedures, annual inspection, and documented training. Arc flash risk assessment and PPE follow from the same duty of care. None of that is optional, and none of it can be assembled after a new technician has already been sent to a panel. Treat the written procedures, the PPE issue, and the documented training as onboarding steps with dates, and keep the training records against the employee profile where you can find them during an inspection. This is general information, not legal advice.
Everyone outside an exemption needs hours tracked and overtime paid at time and a half. If a lead technician role genuinely looks like management, work through the tests in our breakdown of exempt versus non-exempt classification before you decide, and remember that the Fair Labor Standards Act applies to small shops as much as to large plants.
Credentials Worth Requiring, and Credentials Worth Dropping
There is no general license to be an electronic technician, so most of what appears in postings as a requirement is really a preference. Licensing shows up only at the edges of the field: low voltage, alarm, and fire alarm installation, and any scope that touches line-voltage wiring.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians typically enter the occupation with an associate degree, and employment is projected to grow about 1 percent from 2024 to 2034 with roughly 8,400 openings a year. In a market that tight, every requirement you add that is not genuinely necessary is a candidate you will not see.
Requirement
How to handle it in the posting
Associate degree in electronics
Say required or preferred, and state the experience equivalent you will accept
Military electronics training
Name it explicitly as equivalent; it is one of the strongest pipelines available
Industry electronics certification
Useful as a screen, rarely worth making mandatory at a small shop
Soldering and rework certification
Require it for build and rework roles, or offer to sponsor and certify in-house
State low voltage or alarm license
Verify with your licensing board first; required in many states for install work
State electrical license
Only where the scope genuinely includes line-voltage installation work
Manufacturer platform training
List the platforms; treat willingness to be trained as an acceptable substitute
Driver's license and clean record
Required for field roles; state the insurance standard so nobody is surprised
Background check
State it for any role entering customer homes, plants, or secured facilities
Screen the skill directly instead of screening the paper. A faulty unit on the bench, a schematic, and an hour of paid time tells you more about a candidate than every certificate they own. Our guide to running a background check covers the compliance side once you have picked someone.
What to Pay an Electronic Technician
There is no BLS occupation titled electronic technician, so benchmark against the classification that matches the actual job rather than searching for the title. The spread across the neighboring classifications is wide, from roughly $46,000 to roughly $78,000 at the median, and the gap is driven by depth of diagnosis and by industry.
National Wage Ladder for the Closest Classification
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians earned a median of $78,190 per year, or $37.59 per hour. The bottom 10 percent earned $49,510 or less, the 25th percentile $61,610, the 75th percentile $97,650, and the top 10 percent $115,700 or more. For repairers of commercial and industrial equipment the median was $74,090, with a 10th percentile of $46,840 and a 90th percentile of $105,590 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates).
Closest BLS classification
National median (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
When to benchmark against it
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
$78,190 per year ($37.59/hr)
Design support, prototype, and lab roles alongside engineers
Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
$103,020 per year ($49.53/hr)
Utility and high-voltage protection work; the top of the field
Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
$74,090 per year ($35.62/hr)
Bench repair and industrial service; the closest fit for most shops
Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians
$73,900 per year ($35.53/hr)
Automation, robotics, and controls roles on a plant floor
Security and fire alarm systems installers
$60,070 per year ($28.88/hr)
Licensed alarm and life-safety installation work
Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers
$56,210 per year ($27.02/hr)
Motor shops and power equipment service
Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers
$52,600 per year ($25.29/hr)
Commercial and residential AV installation
Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles
$48,420 per year ($23.28/hr)
Vehicle electronics, mobile installation, and upfitting
Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers
$45,850 per year ($22.04/hr)
Production assembly and build roles, not diagnosis
Two adjustments before you post a number. Metro areas with defense, semiconductor, or utility employers run well above these medians because those employers set the local floor. And publish a good-faith range wherever pay transparency laws apply, which is now most of the largest state markets.
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Two sentences belong in every technician posting: one stating that the role involves work on or near energized equipment under written procedures, and one stating that safety training and PPE compliance are conditions of employment. Both filter honestly and both protect you.
The underlying duty is specific. OSHA rules on selection and use of work practices require live parts that an employee may be exposed to be deenergized before the employee works on or near them, with narrow exceptions where deenergizing would introduce a greater hazard or is infeasible because of equipment design or operational limits.
The Program Comes Before the Hire, Not After
The most common small-shop mistake is hiring the technician first and writing the energized-work procedure, the lockout/tagout program, and the training records afterward, usually because the new person is the only one who knows how. That sequence is exactly what an inspection or an incident review finds. Have the written procedures, the PPE, and the training plan ready before the start date, deliver the training with a date and a signature, and store the record where you can produce it in ten seconds.
Field and installation roles add a second layer: technicians work inside customer homes, plants, and secured sites, which makes the background check and the driving record part of the job rather than an afterthought. State both in the posting so candidates self-select, and follow the notice and authorization rules covered in our guide to state background check laws.
Hiring Technicians Without an HR Department
Technician hiring at a small employer fails in three predictable places: the posting is too vague to filter, the competition for the same pool is heavier than expected, and the compliance paperwork is longer than for any other role in the building. Each has a fix.
The posting says electronic technician and the applicants are five different people
The title is the least informative word in the posting. Send out electronic technician with no further detail and you will get electricians who want panel work, computer repair candidates who have never held a soldering iron, engineering graduates using you as a waiting room, and assemblers who have never read a schematic. Every one of them is qualified for something and none of them is qualified for the specific job in your head. The fix is cheap: name the equipment category, name the depth of diagnosis, name the test gear, and name the workmanship standard. Four concrete lines cut the volume and raise the fit, and they cost you nothing but a hiring manager’s honesty about what the day looks like.
You are competing for the same technicians as defense, utilities, and semiconductor plants
The technician pool is not growing quickly. Federal projections put employment of electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians up about 1 percent over the decade to 2034, with roughly 8,400 openings a year nationally, most of them replacing people who retire or move on. A small shop will not out-bid a utility or a defense contractor on base rate. Compete instead on the things a small employer genuinely controls: variety of work instead of one product for eight hours, a boss who is in the building, tool and certification sponsorship, predictable overtime rather than mandatory overtime, and a hiring decision made in a week. Also open the door to military-trained technicians and two-year program graduates and say so in the posting, because a rigid experience filter is what leaves your bench empty for five months.
The compliance paperwork for a technician is longer than for anyone else you hire
A new technician does not just sign a handbook. There is safety training with a date and a signature, lockout/tagout procedure training, PPE issue and fit, a driving record check for field roles, a background check for work on customer premises, tool and vehicle assignment, certification copies with expiry dates, and calibration or workmanship qualifications that have to be re-verified on a schedule. Miss one renewal and it turns up in an audit or, worse, after an incident. FirstHR was built for exactly this. The onboarding wizard runs the same sequence for every technician, e-signature captures the safety and policy acknowledgments, training modules deliver and record the safety orientation before day one, and document management holds licenses and certifications against the employee profile with renewal dates attached. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR. Note that FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll provider.
Once the offer is signed, the work shifts to a repeatable onboarding checklist with dates attached to every safety item. For neighboring trades, the general technician templates cover the roles these six do not.
Key Takeaways
Electronic technician spans six distinct jobs, so the posting must name the setting, the equipment category, and the depth of diagnosis expected before anything else.
Electronic technicians are non-exempt under the FLSA: hourly and overtime-eligible, because repair and maintenance work sits outside every white collar exemption regardless of pay level.
Drive time between job sites during the working day, and restrictive on-call time, are hours worked; write the rules into the offer letter rather than settling them after the first heavy week.
There is no BLS occupation called electronic technician, so benchmark to the closest classification: medians run $45,850 for assemblers up to $78,190 for engineering technologists (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing appears only at the edges of the field, mainly low voltage, alarm, and fire alarm installation, so verify with your state board rather than copying a requirement from another posting.
Have the energized-work procedure, lockout/tagout program, PPE, and training records in place before the start date, and screen skill with a paid bench test rather than with certificates.
Technicians carry more onboarding paperwork than anyone else you hire: safety training, lockout/tagout sign-off, PPE issue, licenses, and certifications with expiry dates. FirstHR runs the same sequence for every technician, with e-signature for acknowledgments, training modules delivered before day one, and renewal dates tracked so nothing expires quietly. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an electronic technician do?
An electronic technician installs, tests, troubleshoots, repairs, and maintains electronic equipment and circuits, working from schematics and written procedures rather than designing the equipment. The specifics change completely with the setting. A bench technician at a repair shop diagnoses faults to the component level and reworks boards. An assembly technician builds and inspects printed circuit assemblies to a workmanship standard. A field technician installs and services equipment at customer sites. A test technician runs written procedures and keeps calibration records. A controls technician troubleshoots the PLCs, drives, and sensors that run a production line. A low voltage technician installs and commissions audio visual, security, and alarm systems. Naming which of the six you mean is the single most useful thing your job description can do.
What should an electronic technician job description include?
It should include nine things: the equipment category by name, the work setting, the depth of diagnosis expected, the test equipment the technician must already know, the soldering or workmanship standard if the role involves rework, the education and experience bar with military training treated as equivalent, any license or certification marked required or preferred, the physical demands and travel share written as essential functions, and the pay with the FLSA classification stated. Add the drive time and on-call rules for field roles, the background check and driving record notice, and an equal opportunity statement. The most common omission is the depth of diagnosis: a candidate cannot tell whether you want board swapping or component-level fault finding, and those are different people with different rates.
Is an electronic technician exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
Non-exempt in almost every case, which means hourly and entitled to overtime past 40 hours in a workweek. Two federal rules point the same way. The learned professional exemption requires advanced knowledge customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction, and a two-year electronics program, military technical training, or manufacturer certifications do not meet that standard. Separately, the regulation on blue collar workers places maintenance and repair occupations outside every white collar exemption regardless of how highly paid they are, naming mechanics and craftsmen specifically. Paying above the $684 per week salary threshold does not change the answer, because the salary test is a floor a role must clear before the duties test is even reached, not a substitute for it. A lead technician whose actual primary duty is managing people may be a different analysis. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does an electronic technician make?
There is no single Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation called electronic technician, so the answer depends on which classification the job actually falls into. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), national median annual wages were $78,190 for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, $74,090 for electrical and electronics repairers of commercial and industrial equipment, $73,900 for electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians, $60,070 for security and fire alarm systems installers, $56,210 for electric motor and power tool repairers, $52,600 for audiovisual equipment installers and repairers, and $45,850 for electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers. Match your posting to the closest classification, then adjust for your metro area and for the depth of diagnosis you are actually asking for.
Do electronic technicians need a license or certification?
It depends entirely on the work, and for bench repair and manufacturing the usual answer is no. There is no general federal or state license to be an electronic technician. Licensing appears at the edges of the field: low voltage, alarm, and fire alarm installation is licensed separately from general electrical work in many states, sometimes requiring the individual technician to hold a registration rather than relying on the company license, and some scopes of industrial controls work touch line-voltage wiring that a state electrical license covers. Certifications are voluntary but useful as a screen: workmanship certification for soldering and rework, industry association certifications for general electronics, and manufacturer training for specific platforms. Verify your state requirement with the licensing board before you post, then write it in as required, preferred, or company-sponsored.
What is the difference between an electronic technician and an electrician?
An electrician works on the electrical distribution system that powers a building or a machine, and an electronic technician works on the equipment and circuits that system feeds. In practice that means an electrician runs conduit, pulls line-voltage wire, and installs panels, breakers, and fixtures under the National Electrical Code and a state license. An electronic technician reads schematics, uses an oscilloscope, diagnoses circuits, and repairs or replaces components and boards, usually with no license requirement. The two overlap on a plant floor, where a controls technician deals with both the drive cabinet and the logic inside it, and some employers genuinely need both skill sets in one person. If your job is line-voltage installation work, post an electrician role instead, because the license requirement and the candidate pool are different.
How do I hire an electronic technician for a small shop with no HR department?
Run a short, specific process and decide fast. Write a posting that names the equipment, the depth of diagnosis, the test gear, and the hourly rate, and treat military technical training and two-year programs as equivalent to years of experience so you do not filter out the pool you need. Screen with three or four technical questions on the phone. Then give a paid practical: a real faulty unit on the bench, a schematic, and an hour, which tells you more than any interview answer. Check one reference who watched the candidate diagnose something. Make the offer within a week. Then run onboarding as a dated checklist rather than a folder: safety and lockout/tagout training, PPE issue, certification copies with expiry dates, driving record and background check where the role needs them. FirstHR runs that sequence with e-signature, training modules, and renewal tracking. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
