Senior Boiler Technician

About the role

Full-time, hourly position with overtime eligibility. Primary locations in Wrightstown and Branchburg, NJ, with client plants across New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, New York, and future locations expected. Weekday day shift plus an on-call rotation for emergency service and operator coverage. Reports to Essential Services operations management. Start as soon as possible with a planned hand-off from the current senior technician through spring 2027.

Responsibilities

• Diagnose and repair firetube, watertube, and packaged boilers (low and high pressure, steam and hot water) from commercial units through large industrial plants.
• Troubleshoot burners, flame safeguards and burner management systems, gas trains, feedwater and condensate systems, pumps, and boiler room control circuits from 24 VAC through 480 VAC.
• Take calls from Essential Services operators, triage problems by phone, and talk them through safe corrective action or travel to the site.
• Respond to emergency service calls through an on-call rotation and step in as a licensed operator when a client plant needs emergency coverage.
• Install and replace boilers, burners, controls, and boiler room accessories; oversee outside contractors when projects require them.
• Perform startups and commissioning: safety interlock verification, flame safeguard checkout, combustion setup, and documented handover to the operating crew.
• Recommend upgrades such as controls retrofits, burner replacements, and efficiency improvements; help clients plan for future needs.
• Perform ASME CSD1 inspections, functional tests, and written reports.
• Conduct semiannual low-water cutoff slow drain tests and safety shutoff valve (SSOV) seat leakage tests.
• Perform combustion analysis and tune burners for safe, efficient firing, recording O2, CO, and stack temperature before and after.
• Prepare boilers for state and insurance inspections and correct deficiencies inspectors find.
• Keep complete service records, test reports, and work orders for every visit.
• Quote annual service contracts and preventive maintenance agreements; set up service schedules once the client signs.
• Oversee project setup for new customers, from site evaluation through the first scheduled service.
• Join plant evaluations with the operations team and give clients clear, written findings.
• Train Essential Services operators on site to sharpen their skills and help them advance their licenses during service downtime.
• Support the TAP career program, externship program and extern workshops, and continuing education and corporate training classes.
• Design and build simulator and training boards, including new trainers for the Branchburg, NJ campus, and develop new training ideas.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of hands-on service, installation, and repair on commercial and industrial boilers, steam and hot water; 8 or more years is ideal.
• New Jersey Black Seal (High Pressure) boiler operator license, or the ability to earn it within 6 months of hire (licensing supported through The Training Center).
• Working knowledge of flame safeguard and burner management systems (Fireye, Honeywell, Siemens LMV, or similar) and the gas train safety components they control.
• Combustion analysis with a digital analyzer, and burner tuning on both linkage and parallel positioning systems.
• Strong electrical troubleshooting: control circuits, motors, starters, and three-phase power to 480 VAC, reading from ladder diagrams and wiring schematics.
• Solid grasp of steam and hydronic systems: feedwater, condensate return, deaerators, blowdown, steam traps, pumps, and the basics of boiler water treatment.
• Working knowledge of ASME CSD1, NFPA 85, and New Jersey boiler regulations.
• Ability to read P&IDs, mechanical drawings, and manufacturer manuals.
• Clear communication with an operator on the phone, a plant manager in a meeting, and a student in a classroom.
• Accurate written service reports, and comfort with a tablet, email, and office software.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Valid driver's license and an insurable driving record.

Preferred qualifications

None of these are required; each makes you a stronger fit and several match systems our clients run every day.

• New Jersey Blue Seal (1C), Red Seal (1B), or Gold Seal (1A) stationary engineer license
• Philadelphia Grade A, Maryland stationary engineer, or other state and city boiler licenses
• New Jersey Master HVACR license
• EPA 608 Universal certification
• OSHA 30 and NFPA 70E electrical safety training
• Factory training from boiler, burner, or controls manufacturers such as Cleaver-Brooks, Fulton, Miura, Superior, Hurst, Bryan, AERCO, Lochinvar, Autoflame, or Fireye
• Parallel positioning conversions, O2 trim, and variable frequency drives on blowers and pumps
• Low NOx and flue gas recirculation burners
• PLC and HMI troubleshooting (Allen-Bradley, Siemens) and building automation systems
• Lead/lag sequencing and boiler plant master controls
• Chillers (centrifugal, screw, and absorption) and cooling towers
• Air compressors and dryers
• Steam turbines and standby or cogeneration generators
• Heat exchangers, pressure reducing stations, and steam distribution
• Water treatment: softeners, reverse osmosis, and chemical feed and testing
• Ammonia refrigeration and New Jersey refrigeration licenses (2A, 2B, 2C)
• Welding or pipefitting for boiler room piping and tube work
• Experience teaching, mentoring apprentices, or building training equipment

Pay and benefits

Pay is about $100,000 to $135,000 a year at 40 hours, set by controls experience and field background. Annual performance bonus (15%+).

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Retirement plan with company contributions
• Paid time off
• Professional development support for license upgrades and continuing education through The Training Center

Work environment

• Boiler rooms and mechanical spaces with heat, noise, high pressure steam, natural gas, and energized electrical equipment.
• Climbing ladders and platforms, working at heights, and entering permitted confined spaces.
• Lifting and carrying up to 50 lb, and working in tight spaces for extended periods.
• Wearing required PPE, including a respirator where a site requires one.
• Driving to client sites most days, with occasional overnight travel.
• Nights, weekends, and holidays when emergencies, outages, or the on-call rotation require it.