Maintenance Technician – Ethanol Plant

From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026

Maintenance Technician roles in the US: typical posted base $62k–$88k.

Median of the low and high ends of 74 live postings that list pay, out of 2992 maintenance technician openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Indiana plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 114 other live reliability postings in Indiana.

Experience asked

Not stated

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

• Team leadership 50%
• PLC 48%
• Welding 38%
• Root cause 23%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1. 1

   Pick 2–3 people on the Reliability team at Valero

   Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

2. 2

   Send a short, curious note

   One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

3. 3

   Turn a reply into a short call

   Questions worth asking about this team:

   • What does a normal week look like on your team?
   • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4. 4

   Apply with someone vouching for you

   If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

5. 5

   Bring proof to the interview

   One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.