The people who keep factories running: fixing, aligning and predicting failures in the machines, power and cooling systems behind every production line.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Rotating Equipment Engineer: Specializes in the pumps, compressors, turbines and fans that spin inside refineries, power plants and chemical plants. Typical pay $120k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Reliability Engineer: Uses data to predict when factory machines will break and stops failures before they happen. Typical pay $105k.
Plant Maintenance Manager: Leads the crews of mechanics, electricians and technicians who keep a whole plant running. Typical pay $105k.
Industrial Field Service Engineer: Travels to factories to install, fix and upgrade the specialized machines your company sells. Typical pay $90k.
Millwright: Installs, moves, aligns and repairs heavy industrial machinery, from turbines to conveyor systems. Typical pay $65k.
Industrial Machinery Mechanic: Diagnoses and repairs factory equipment like robots, conveyors, presses and packaging machines. Typical pay $64k.
Vibration Analyst: Listens to machines with sensors and reads their vibration patterns to catch problems early. Typical pay $75k.
Infrared Thermographer: Uses heat-sensing cameras to find hot spots in electrical panels and machines before they catch fire or fail. Typical pay $65k.
Stationary Engineer / Boiler Operator: Runs and maintains the boilers, chillers and steam systems that power and heat factories, hospitals and campuses. Typical pay $75k.
Industrial Refrigeration Technician: Operates and repairs the giant ammonia refrigeration systems that keep food plants, cold warehouses and ice rinks frozen. Typical pay $68k.
Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technician: Repairs the hydraulic and air-powered systems that move presses, lifts, robots and heavy equipment. Typical pay $58k.
Maintenance Planner/Scheduler: Plans which repairs happen when, and makes sure the parts, tools and people are ready before work starts. Typical pay $72k.
Machine Tool Service Technician: Travels to factories to install, repair and calibrate CNC mills, lathes and laser cutters. Typical pay $72k.
Industrial Combustion Technician: Tunes and repairs the giant gas burners in factory furnaces, ovens and dryers so they run safely and burn fuel cleanly. Typical pay $70k.
Starter: fastest way in
Machinery Maintenance Worker: Does routine upkeep on factory machines: oiling, cleaning, adjusting and replacing worn parts. Typical pay $52k.
General Maintenance & Repair Worker: Fixes a little bit of everything in a plant or building: plumbing, electrical, doors, machines and HVAC. Typical pay $48k.
Lubrication Technician: Keeps every bearing, gearbox and hydraulic system in a plant properly oiled and greased. Typical pay $50k.
Overhead Crane Technician: Inspects and repairs the giant overhead cranes and hoists that lift steel, engines and molds in factories. Typical pay $54k.
Maintenance Storeroom Attendant: Runs the storeroom of spare parts and tools that maintenance crews need to fix machines fast. Typical pay $40k.
Industrial Cleaning Technician: Deep-cleans factory equipment with high-pressure water, dry ice blasting and special chemicals. Typical pay $38k.
Industrial Battery Technician: Maintains and repairs the giant batteries that power forklifts and warehouse robots, some heavier than a car. Typical pay $50k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.