What Does a Maintenance Manager Do? (Qualifications & Pay)

Simply put, a maintenance manager is just what it sounds like — someone who manages the maintenance of a building or a company’s assets. More often than not, this is an upper management role that involves overseeing maintenance activities as they impact the entire company instead of completing the actual hands-on work.

Of course, there’s much more to the position, and in this article, we’ll explore the general basics of what such a career involves as well as the kinds of skills and preparation required. We’ll also highlight some of the varying types of maintenance managers in today’s work landscape, and why it pays off to pursue the occupation in terms of salary, future career ops and other benefits. 

What Is a Maintenance Manager?

For starters, a maintenance manager typically oversees a facility or maintenance supervisor who then leads a team of maintenance technicians carrying out the actual physical work that ensures company operations — and their systems and equipment — are in solid working order. 

Think of a maintenance manager as the head football coach of a maintenance staff. While a football coach obviously doesn’t throw the ball or make tackles, he does oversee the assistant coaches who call the plays on offense and defense — and makes sure an effective game plan is in place for success.

One standout example of a top maintenance manager would be the late Tom Dillingham, who supervised a crew of dozens of mechanics, carpenters and welders who carried out ongoing testing and maintenance tasks on the rides and attractions at King’s Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio, for decades. His work was so reliable that a colleague once fearlessly rode the park’s famed rollercoaster (known as The Racer) a record-setting 112 times in one day. 

What Duties Does a Maintenance Manager Perform? 

As the leader of a company’s maintenance department, a maintenance manager has a number of crucial regular duties. They not only oversee an organization’s maintenance procedures and processes, but they also contribute to overall budget creation and tracking the expenses for the leadership team to review.

When problems do arise, maintenance managers will troubleshoot and — when necessary — will help repair any machinery to ensure it not only functions properly but is safe for employee use. Quality assurance is also crucial, as maintenance managers must OK the installations and repairs conducted by others on their maintenance team.

Maintenance managers are also typically involved in the hiring process as well as the training and supervision of workers within their department. They often play a role in the negotiation of contracts with various vendors who play a part in providing equipment or carrying out specialized maintenance work.

Implementing safety policies and OSHA standards for staff to follow is also crucial for an effective maintenance manager. This includes reviewing equipment and checking that systems are functioning smoothly.

What Qualifications Are Required to Be a Maintenance Manager?

Like any role that involves oversight, a maintenance manager needs to hold managerial leadership skills and be comfortable and confident in providing guidance and direction to those below them in the chain of command. 

However, those skills must be bolstered by a good mind for problem-solving when issues do arise. They also need strong organizational skills to stay on top of the needs and details tied to the various parts of a company’s maintenance schedules. This includes any project management that needs to occur to keep various processes running like clockwork, to minimize unnecessary problems or breakdowns.

And today more than ever a maintenance manager should hold technical skills as systems become more and more advanced. Those abilities go hand-in-hand in with analytical skills that can logically surmise what issues should take top priority when decisions must be made on the spot.

Being a good judge of character is also key. This comes in handy, especially when interviewing maintenance supervisors to join their team or when deciding which staff member deserves a promotion. Having empathy — being able to relate and connect with team members — is also invaluable when it comes to resolving any employee conflicts that can arise during the stress of a challenging endeavor.

In terms of the official requirements for a maintenance manager, they role typically requires a bachelor’s degree and, depending on the position, a licensed certification. The top certifications in the field include: Certified Building Maintenance Technician (CBMT); Certified Utility Worker (CUB); Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP); Certified Plant Maintenance manager (CPMM); and Certified Maintenance and Operations Management Professional (CMOMP).

Most Common Types of Maintenance Managers 

While there are numerous types of maintenance managers, three types are most prevalent.

Facilities Maintenance Manager

A building or facilities maintenance manager oversees maintenance services at, say, a hotel or college campus. They lead the maintenance operations of a building or facility, which typically includes mechanical systems (like HVAC), electrical systems and plumbing systems. It can also comprise aspects related to safety and security, such as closed-circuit camera systems, electronic access control at various entries, fire alarm recognition and suppression resources as well as elevator and/or escalator oversight. While they make sure that maintenance workers conduct building systems’ installations and upkeep in a timely fashion, another emphasis is on preventive maintenance — which involves proactively maintaining equipment to keep breakdowns to a minimum and saving costs in the process.

Plant Maintenance Manager

A plant maintenance manager oversees the maintenance operations of a plant or factory, which includes assembly line conveyor belts, electrical systems and other manufacturing assets. To ensure the plant’s production meets compliance with regulatory standards, they frequently team with quality assurance. As the ongoing production of a plant is clearly vital, they will create and integrate preventive maintenance strategies to keep equipment downtime to a minimum. Ongoing inspections of production equipment and machinery to pinpoint and solve possible problems are key here.

Public Works Maintenance Managers

A public works maintenance manager administers a maintenance strategy for a city’s facilities and vehicles as well as potential landscaping and parking lot maintenance. As this role is an official government position, it normally involves carrying out policies initiated by a mayor and/or a department administrator. That can include policy development, oversight and interpretation as well as its dependable application. This role might also include such work as park maintenance at a public city, state or regional park. 

Maintenance Manager Salaries & Pay

The average salary for a maintenance manager, as with many positions, can have a broad range depending on numerous elements — including education, professional certifications, years of experience in the field, and specialized skills and training. 

Salary.com lists the average U.S. salary for a full-time maintenance manager to be $149,429, with a range between $129,615 and $171,102. This same source pinpoints the average hourly wage to be $72, with a range of $62 to $72 per hour. Indeed, meanwhile, states the more conservative yearly U.S. salary estimate at $90,771, with the range running the gamut from $62,2250 to $132,359. The site lists the average hourly rate at $38.91 and also includes an hourly salary range, which spans from $26.69 to $56.72. And Glassdoor sets the average total U.S. pay range between $83,000 to $138,000 for the job post, with an average yearly salary of $106,000.

Benefits of Becoming a Maintenance Manager 

In addition to a substantial salary, there are several other benefits that come along with a maintenance manager job title. For starters, in terms of job outlook, the current opportunities are abundant, and future growth is expected to be fairly robust. The career information platform Zippia informs that more than 331,307 maintenance managers are currently employed in the U.S., in addition to approximately 61,748 active maintenance manager job openings. As for possible career growth, maintenance managers can move up to senior leadership roles such as a facilities or maintenance director.

Last but not least, these job descriptions consistently include strong benefits packages such as healthcare coverage, paid time off and sick leave. They also provide managerial experience that could possibly open up a world of new possibilities in the maintenance field or many others.