WHAT DOES AN ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN DO?
Updated: Jun 12, 2025 - The Electrical Technician conducts daily inspections and performs both routine and complex maintenance on plant and utility systems to ensure consistent, compliant operations. This role involves coordinating with contractors and vendors, managing documentation following GMP standards, and supporting training for technician teams. The technician also utilizes Building Automation Systems while overseeing inventory, scheduling, calibration programs, and compliance-driven reporting activities.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Electrical Technician
1. Electrical Technician Accountabilities
- Industrial Automation: Work on Industrial Automated Equipment
- Electrical Systems: Install, troubleshoot electrical control systems
- Equipment Servicing: Basic troubleshooting, repairs, and servicing of high-speed printing equipment or other automated industrial production equipment
- High Voltage: Work with voltages up to 480 VAC
- PLC Systems: Install and troubleshoot relay and PLC-controlled equipment
- Motor Control: Work with AC/DC motors and drives
2. Electrical Technician Job Summary
- Electrical Installation: Conduct, coordinate, and facilitate the installation, maintenance, testing, and repair of various electrical control panels and test cell equipment
- Production Coordination: Coordinate and schedule electrical panel and test cell production activities
- Inventory Management: Maintain an inventory of necessary electrical supplies
- Safety Compliance: Maintain compliance with applicable electrical safety codes
- Wiring Installation: Conduct wiring and installation of electrical safety codes
- Electrical Inspection: Inspect wiring and fixtures for conformance with specifications using testing equipment
- System Layout Planning: Plan the layout for each job from the blueprints and specifications for electrical and mechanical systems
- Component Testing: Conduct testing of electrical components and equipment
- Component Installation Coordination: Coordinate the installation of electrical components onto pump assemblies with the production manager and other support departments
3. Electrical Technician Responsibilities
- Electrical Maintenance: Ensuring the proper functioning of all electrical units
- Malfunction Detection: Ensuring scheduled checks for spotting any malfunctions
- Safety Compliance: Complying with all safety norms and regulations of working
- Equipment Handling: Appropriately using and handling electrical testing and repair equipment
- Maintenance Logging: Keeping a log of electrical repair and maintenance works
- Team Coordination: Coordinating work functions with co-workers and other departments
- Switching Operations: Preparing electrical equipment for switching on, performance of necessary switch-overs in electrical units, and control over operating and process parameters
- Emergency Troubleshooting: Detecting and troubleshooting malfunctions related to emergency shutdowns of electrical equipment
- HSE Compliance: Maintaining operational sites and workplaces following electrical and HSE requirements
- Progress Reporting: Keeping the Electrical Supervisor informed of progress
4. Electrical Technician Details
- Control Wiring: Wire and test electrical controls for use in the overhead lifting industry
- Customer Support: Assist in the electrical department to meet customer needs and schedules
- Motor Control Wiring: Wire motor control devices in an electrical panel
- Electrical Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot and repair electrical equipment
- Equipment Assembly: Assemble electrical wiring on material handling equipment, including motors, festooning, cables, conduit, interconnections, and plugs
- Adaptability: Work in a fast-paced environment with lots of change
- Standards Compliance: Perform all job functions with adherence to ELS's Philosophy and Values as well as the Safety and Environmental standards
5. Electrical Technician Job Description
- System Knowledge: Understand the principles of operation of the different systems on the mountain
- Preventative Maintenance: Perform preventative maintenance tasks on electrical equipment
- Condition Monitoring: Perform tasks for condition monitoring programs
- Equipment Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot faulty equipment
- Operational Inspection: Perform pre-operational inspections and inspections of equipment during operation for proper function
- Customer Service: Maintain an internal and external customer service attitude
- Teamwork: Function as part of a team within the department, as well as with other departments
6. Electrical Technician Overview
- Inventory Management: Maintains equipment, spare parts, and supplies inventories by checking stock to determine inventory level
- Flexibility: Assists in other areas or performs other duties as required by fluctuating business needs
- Process Improvement: Identifies improvement opportunities for the department
- Safety Awareness: Aware of and adheres to plant safety rules
- Safety Enforcement: Enforces the proper use of safety devices, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and safe work practices in the assigned area
- Workplace Compliance: Maintains a safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations
- Team Contribution: Contributes to the team effort by accomplishing related results
7. Electrical Technician Details and Accountabilities
- Drawing Development: Develop, correct, and update 2D drawings of schematics and electrical cabinets
- Technical Calculation: Perform technical calculations
- Document Analysis: Analyze technical documents (drawings, data sheets, standards, diagrams) for new electrical systems
- Commissioning: Participate in construction commissioning
- Installation Coordination: Assist in coordinating the installation of electrical equipment
- Subcontractor Communication: Communicate with subcontractors and provide them with instructions and work guidelines
- Project Reporting: Prepare and coordinate timelines and progress reports
- Design Collaboration: Work with the design team to produce installation procedures, documentation, and quality records
- Testing and Inspection: Attend factory acceptance testing and supplier inspections
- Compliance Inspection: Ensure that the installation of equipment complies with customer specifications, electrical codes, safety standards, and the work plan by conducting regular inspections
8. Electrical Technician Additional Details
- Technical Problem Solving: Fix technical problems by applying principles and theories of electronics, electrical circuitry, engineering mathematics, electronic and electrical testing, and physics
- Instruction Following: Follow written and unwritten instructions, and work both independently and with other teams
- Equipment Assembly: Do assembly of both small and large automation equipment, run tests, solder, field wire components, and provide documentation
- 3D Printer Management: Manage a 3D printer and its consumables
- Tool Handling: Work with all necessary tools related to the assembly of equipment (hand tools, multimeter, taps, drill, etc)
- Lab Management: Manage different elements of an engineering lab - backfill and re-order parts, organization of supplies and tools, ship packages and crates, and all duties related to maintaining a clean and safe engineering lab
9. Senior Electrical Technician Essential Functions
- System Inspection: Perform and oversee daily inspections of plant and utility systems to ensure proper operation and execute routine and repair work orders as assigned by the Facilities Director
- Preventative Maintenance: Responsible for preventative maintenance of plant and utility systems in the Houston manufacturing facility and performing moderate to complex troubleshooting and repairs of production, plant, and utility systems
- Vendor Coordination: Schedule contractors and vendors to ensure equipment is maintained in full operational status and submit purchase requisitions for supplies, services, tools, and equipment needed to maintain the utility systems
- Technician Training: Oversee and assist with the training of level 1, 2, and 3 Technicians to increase knowledge of the utility systems, ensuring their training is up to date and documented properly
- GMP Documentation: Document and maintain records to comply with Good Manufacturing Practice requirements and in logbooks
- Maintenance Scheduling: Work with manufacturing and other departments to determine schedules for maintenance and assign work orders, and schedule daily tasks
- Logistics Oversight: Oversee deliveries of process gases, LN2, and supplies, and oversee the pickup of chemical waste
- Calibration Coordination: Work closely with the calibration group to minimize equipment down times, expedite preventive maintenance (PM) schedules
- Calibration Program Support: Assist in maintaining the calibration/PM program in Blue Mountain, including generating PM SOPs/records, establishing Cal/PM frequencies, specifying spare parts, and recommending/maintaining inventory levels
- Compliance Documentation: Initiate/Complete various types of GMP documentation such as change control, deviations, corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs), and documentation revision
- BAS Operation: Operate Building Automation System (BAS) and equipment monitoring/alarm reporting systems for the facility
10. Electrical Technician General Responsibilities
- Team Interaction: Interact with the supervisory team and assist in the effective delivery of a quality, cost-effective electrical installation and maintenance service
- Electrical Maintenance: Carry out a range of work, including maintenance of the University’s electrical services infrastructure, installations, and equipment, and high-quality, often complex electrical installations to meet the requirements of all relevant British Standards, high-quality, often complex, electrical Planned Preventative Maintenance and breakdown maintenance to the electrical infrastructure, general electrical installations, specialist services, electrical plant and its associated controls, electrical equipment (portable and fixed)
- Work Execution: Interact with the supervisory team on a day-to-day basis and assist in ensuring all work is carried out in an efficient, cost-effective, transparent, and safe manner to the highest achievable standard
- Paperwork Management: Responsible for ensuring that all associated paperwork issued in conjunction with the job/project is completed and returned to the appropriate supervisor for processing
- Technical Advising: Provide specific advice within the area of technical expertise regularly
- Performance Monitoring: Participate and contribute to the implementation of performance-monitoring systems to provide evidence that the team is providing value for money
- Technology Adaptation: Embrace modern technology and develop the role of a Building Service Technician with a flexible approach to the introduction of new technology and its respective training requirements
- Customer Service Development: Contribute to the development of a customer-focused service, to improve, enhance, and promote the status of the Directorate of Estates and Facilities by establishing and maintaining working relationships throughout the University
- Service Improvement: Contribute to the development and implementation of efficient, cost-effective working practices and quality service standards to improve and enhance the provision of an effective maintenance service to ensure the highest achievable standard, demonstrating value for money
- Stakeholder Communication: Communicate with all stakeholders (internal and external) on a range of topics, including complex technical issues