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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Building Operator

💰 $50,000 - $85,000

FacilitiesOperationsMaintenance

🎯 Role Definition

The Building Operator is a facilities professional who operates, maintains, and optimizes building systems to ensure safety, occupant comfort, energy efficiency, and regulatory compliance. This role combines mechanical and electrical troubleshooting, scheduled preventive maintenance, building automation management, and coordination with contractors to maintain reliable building operations across HVAC, plumbing, life-safety, and energy systems.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Maintenance Technician or HVAC Technician
  • Facilities Support / Building Maintenance Assistant
  • Electrician or Mechanical Apprentice

Advancement To:

  • Senior Building Operator / Lead Operator
  • Facilities Supervisor / Maintenance Supervisor
  • Building Systems Engineer / Mechanical Supervisor
  • Facilities Manager / Director of Facilities

Lateral Moves:

  • Controls Technician / BAS Specialist
  • Energy Analyst / Energy Manager
  • Fire & Life Safety Systems Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Operate, monitor, and optimize the building automation system (BMS/BAS) to control HVAC, ventilation, and environmental setpoints, ensuring occupant comfort, optimal energy performance and system reliability.
  • Perform scheduled preventive maintenance and inspections on boilers, chillers, rooftop units, air handling units (AHUs), pumps, condensers, and cooling towers following manufacturer recommendations and CMMS schedules.
  • Diagnose and repair mechanical system failures including compressors, expansion valves, motors, belts, bearings, pumps, heat exchangers, and variable frequency drives (VFDs), restoring systems to service with minimal downtime.
  • Troubleshoot electrical control systems and low-voltage wiring, replace sensors, relays, contactors and troubleshoot PLC/BAS logic and communications to maintain building system integrity.
  • Maintain, inspect, and test building life-safety systems including fire alarm panels, emergency generators, egress lighting, smoke control fans and associated power distribution to ensure compliance with NFPA and local code requirements.
  • Execute start-up, operation, and shut-down procedures for boilers and steam systems including routine blowdown, water treatment monitoring, and combustion optimization to protect equipment and conserve energy.
  • Conduct refrigerant system service and repairs including leak detection, recovery, and recharge activities in compliance with EPA 608 regulations and corporate environmental policies.
  • Respond promptly to occupant service requests and building system alarms 24/7 as required, performing diagnostics, temporary mitigation, and permanent repairs while documenting actions in the CMMS.
  • Perform preventive and corrective plumbing maintenance including valve replacement, troubleshooting domestic hot water systems, pumps, strainers, and leak repairs to maintain reliable building water services.
  • Operate and maintain emergency power systems including diesel generators, automatic transfer switches (ATS), fuel handling and battery systems to ensure emergency readiness during outages.
  • Review and interpret mechanical and electrical drawings, piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), and as-built documentation to support repairs, retrofits and system modifications.
  • Coordinate, supervise and inspect contractor work for HVAC, electrical, plumbing and building control projects, ensuring work meets specifications, timelines, permit conditions and safety standards.
  • Manage chemical water treatment programs and perform water chemistry testing for boilers, chillers and cooling towers to prevent corrosion, fouling and microbial growth.
  • Maintain accurate maintenance records, asset histories and parts inventory through the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and prepare system performance reports for management.
  • Implement energy conservation measures and identify opportunities for efficiency improvements, documenting savings and assisting with capital planning for retrofits and replacements.
  • Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA, local code and corporate safety policies by following lockout/tagout (LOTO), confined space, fall protection and personal protective equipment (PPE) procedures on all maintenance work.
  • Perform routine HVAC system balancing and verify airflow, temperature and humidity setpoints to maintain IAQ (indoor air quality) and occupant comfort levels across the facility.
  • Conduct predictive maintenance tasks such as vibration analysis, infrared thermography, oil sampling and bearing inspections to detect incipient failures and reduce unplanned downtime.
  • Assist with capital projects and system upgrades by providing operational knowledge, participating in commissioning/retro-commissioning activities and validating performance of new equipment.
  • Manage on-site spare parts inventory and requisition critical components proactively to reduce mean time to repair (MTTR), keeping cost and lead time considerations in mind.
  • Provide shift handover briefings and maintain logbooks of system status, outstanding issues and completed maintenance to ensure continuity across shifts and continuity of operations.
  • Maintain environmental and regulatory documentation for refrigerants, waste streams, permits, and energy usage; support audits and inspections by regulatory authorities.
  • Participate in continuous improvement programs and training initiatives to enhance system reliability, safety, and operator skills; mentor junior technicians as needed.
  • Support temperature-sensitive processes and specialty systems (e.g., laboratory exhaust, clean rooms, medical gas systems) by following critical control procedures and validation documentation.

Secondary Functions

  • Support incident response and emergency operations during building outages, severe weather, or safety incidents; coordinate with emergency services and facility leadership.
  • Assist in vendor selection, contract review, and tracking of service level agreements (SLAs) for outsourced maintenance activities and specialized repairs.
  • Track and analyze energy consumption and utility billing anomalies; provide recommendations for demand response participation and peak load reduction.
  • Maintain and improve preventive maintenance (PM) schedules and CMMS data quality; document standard operating procedures (SOPs) and troubleshooting guides.
  • Participate in sustainability initiatives such as LEED, ENERGY STAR, or local energy benchmarking programs by providing technical input and implementation support.
  • Provide subject-matter-expert support to project teams during renovations, tenant fit-outs, and infrastructure upgrades to ensure integration with existing systems.
  • Deliver training sessions and hands-on coaching for building occupants and junior staff on energy-savvy operation of systems and emergency procedures.
  • Conduct periodic safety drills and support fire/life safety testing, ensuring alarms, suppression systems and egress paths are functioning and documented.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • HVAC system operation and troubleshooting (commercial chillers, boilers, rooftop units, AHUs)
  • Building automation systems (BAS/BMS) configuration, trending, and basic programming (Johnson Controls, Honeywell, Siemens, Trane, etc.)
  • Mechanical systems diagnostics: pumps, VFDs, compressors, heat exchangers, fans and belt drives
  • Electrical troubleshooting: control circuits, relays, contactors, ATS, motor controls and basic PLC familiarity
  • Preventive and predictive maintenance techniques (vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis)
  • CMMS experience (Maximo, Maintenance Connection, eMaint, FMX or similar) for work orders and asset management
  • Refrigerant handling and EPA 608 certification and leak detection best practices
  • Boiler operation and combustion tuning; boiler operator license where required by jurisdiction
  • Fire and life safety systems knowledge (fire alarm, sprinkler systems, emergency power)
  • Plumbing and domestic hot water systems maintenance
  • Energy management and building performance optimization, familiarity with energy benchmarking tools
  • Knowledge of relevant codes and standards: NFPA, OSHA, ASHRAE, local mechanical/electrical codes
  • Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), confined space entry and fall protection procedures
  • Basic piping, welding awareness, and valve maintenance skills
  • Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, mechanical drawings and P&IDs

Soft Skills

  • Strong troubleshooting and analytical problem-solving skills with a methodical approach to root cause analysis
  • Clear verbal and written communication skills for incident reporting, shift handovers and contractor coordination
  • Customer-service orientation with the ability to interact professionally with building occupants and stakeholders
  • Time management and prioritization skills to balance reactive repairs and proactive maintenance tasks
  • Teamwork and collaboration across multi-disciplinary facilities and engineering teams
  • Attention to detail for safe, code-compliant maintenance and accurate record keeping
  • Adaptability and composure under emergency or on-call situations
  • Initiative and continuous improvement mindset to identify efficiency gains and reliability projects
  • Training and mentoring capability to upskill junior technicians and share institutional knowledge
  • Ethical judgment and accountability for safety, environmental compliance and asset stewardship

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or GED; vocational certificate in HVAC, building systems or industrial maintenance preferred.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate degree or technical diploma in HVAC technology, mechanical engineering technology, electrical technology, or facilities management.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • HVAC / Refrigeration Technology
  • Mechanical or Electrical Technology
  • Facilities Management
  • Energy Systems / Building Controls

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–7 years of direct experience in commercial or industrial building operations, HVAC maintenance, or facilities engineering support.

Preferred:

  • 3–5+ years operating and maintaining large commercial building systems with hands-on experience on chillers, boilers, BMS, and life-safety systems; prior experience in healthcare, higher education, laboratory, or multi-tenant commercial buildings preferred.
  • Certifications such as EPA 608, state boiler operator license, NCCER or equivalent, and manufacturer-specific training on building control systems are highly desirable.
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