HVAC Technician Job Description Template (Copy & Paste)
BrazeJobs Team
Published on 10/16/2026
A good HVAC job description tells a tech four things fast: what the work is, what it pays, what the schedule looks like, and what you need from them. Below is a free template you can copy, fill in, and post today, followed by the parts most shops get wrong.
Here's why that matters. Experienced techs aren't short on options. The BLS counted about 440,900 HVAC mechanic and installer jobs in 2025 and expects around 40,600 openings a year through 2035. A tech scrolling job listings on their lunch break will skip anything vague. A clear HVAC job description is the cheapest recruiting upgrade you can make.
HVAC technician job description template
Copy everything in this section, swap out the parts in [brackets], and delete anything that doesn't apply to your shop. It's written for a residential or light commercial service tech. If you're hiring for something else, the "duties by level" section below shows what to change.
Job title
[Residential / Commercial] HVAC Service Technician, [Level: Apprentice / Journeyman / Senior]
About us
[Company name] is a [family-owned / growing / union] HVAC contractor serving [city or region] since [year]. We have [number] techs and [number] trucks, and we do mostly [residential service and replacement / commercial maintenance / new construction]. [One honest sentence about what makes your shop a decent place to work.]
Pay
$[low] to $[high] per hour, based on experience and certifications
[Overtime at time and a half after 40 hours]
[Commission or spiffs on service agreements and replacements, if any]
Schedule
[Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.]
[On-call rotation: one week in every X, with $[amount] on-call pay]
[Busy season expectations: longer days in summer and during cold snaps]
What you'll do
Diagnose and repair heating, cooling, heat pump and ventilation systems
Perform seasonal maintenance on furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps and boilers
Test and troubleshoot electrical components, controls and wiring
Check refrigerant charge, find leaks, and recover, recycle or charge refrigerant following EPA rules
Replace motors, capacitors, contactors, igniters, valves and other parts
Explain problems and repair options to customers in plain language
Recommend maintenance and upgrades when they actually make sense for the customer
Keep accurate records of work, parts and time in [ServiceTitan / Housecall Pro / paper tickets]
Keep your service van clean, stocked and safe
What you need
EPA Section 608 certification ([Type II / Universal])
[Number] years of HVAC field experience
Valid driver's license and a clean enough driving record to be insured on our vehicles
[State or local license, if your area requires one]
Your own basic hand tools (we supply [gauges / recovery machine / power tools / meters])
Comfortable working in attics, crawl spaces, on roofs and in extreme heat or cold
Able to lift [50] pounds
Nice to have
NATE certification
Experience with [ductless mini splits / boilers / rooftop units / VRF]
[Spanish or another language your customers speak]
Benefits
[Health, dental and vision insurance, with X% paid by us]
[401(k) with X% match]
[Paid time off: X days]
[Company van, fuel card and phone]
[Paid training and certification costs]
[Tool allowance]
How to apply
Apply through BrazeJobs or call [name] at [phone]. We respond to every applicant within [X] days.
How to fill in the parts that matter
Most of the template is boilerplate, and that's fine. Techs know what an HVAC tech does. What they don't know, and what decides whether they apply, is the stuff only you can fill in.
Pay. Put a real range in the post. When we looked at the first page of HVAC listings on BrazeJobs on October 18, 2026, only 5 of the 30 showed any pay at all. That's not a scientific sample, but it tells you something: if you post a number, you're already ahead of most of the listings sitting next to yours. A range like $28 to $38 an hour is fine. "Competitive pay" is not a number, and every tech knows it.
Schedule and on-call. This is the second thing techs want to know and the thing listings most often hide. If you run an on-call rotation, say how often and whether it's paid. People will find out in the interview anyway. Better that the ones who hate on-call don't waste your afternoon.
Tools and truck. Spell out who buys what. "Company van, you supply hand tools, we supply gauges and recovery equipment" saves a lot of awkward questions.
Level. "HVAC technician" covers someone two months out of school and someone with 20 years on rooftop units. Put the level in the title. You'll get fewer wrong-fit applicants.
HVAC job duties by level
The HVAC technician duties and responsibilities change a lot from helper to senior tech. Use this table to adjust the "What you'll do" section.
Level | Typical duties | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
Helper or apprentice | Carry parts and tools, help on installs, clean equipment, change filters, run line sets and insulate them, learn under a senior tech | Reliable transportation, willingness to learn, EPA 608 in progress or completed |
Service tech (journeyman level) | Run service calls alone, diagnose and repair systems, handle refrigerant, do maintenance agreements, talk with customers | EPA 608, 2 to 5 years of experience, state license if required |
Senior or lead tech | Handle the hard diagnostics, commercial or specialty equipment, train apprentices, do quality checks, ride along on callbacks | Universal 608, 5+ years, NATE or manufacturer training, leadership experience |
Two things worth knowing here. First, the BLS notes that new HVAC hires usually start with basic tasks like insulating refrigerant lines and cleaning furnaces before moving on to soldering and electrical work. So if you're hiring a true beginner, don't write a job description that reads like a senior tech's job. Second, installers and service techs are different jobs with different temperaments. If you need someone who'll run a crew on changeouts, don't write a service tech post and hope.
HVAC job profile: what makes a good tech
An HVAC job profile is the "who" side of the description: the person who does well in this role, not just the tasks. If you only list duties, you'll attract people who can do the tasks. If you also describe the person, you'll attract people who can do them in front of a customer at 7 p.m. on a Friday.
The BLS lists these qualities for the job, and they hold up:
Problem solving. Most of the job is figuring out why something stopped working.
Mechanical and electrical skill. A lot of HVAC failures are electrical, not mechanical.
Customer service. Your tech is your company in that customer's living room.
Detail orientation. Good records of time and parts are how you get paid and how you avoid callbacks.
Physical stamina and strength. Attics, crawl spaces, roofs, heavy equipment.
Technology skills. Newer systems use computerized and networked controls.
Pick the two or three that matter most for your shop and say them in a sentence in your "About us" or summary. For example: "Our customers are mostly older homeowners, so we hire techs who explain things patiently and don't upsell." That one sentence will do more than ten bullet points.
What to pay an HVAC tech
The national numbers give you a starting point. According to the BLS, HVAC mechanics and installers earned a median of $61,010 a year, or $29.33 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $40,050, and the highest 10% earned more than $95,210.
The median for plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors specifically, which is where 68% of HVAC techs work, was $60,030. Wholesale trade paid more, at a $71,190 median.
National medians hide a lot of local variation, so check your state before you set a range. Our journeyman HVAC technician salary page breaks it down by state. And look at what competing shops near you are actually posting on HVAC jobs on BrazeJobs. If the good techs in your area are getting offers $5 an hour higher than your range, your job description won't fix that. Your pay will.
One honest note: BLS projects 11% employment growth for HVAC techs from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all jobs. Demand isn't going down. If you're struggling to hire at the median, the problem probably isn't your wording.
Pay transparency laws: you may not have a choice
In a growing list of places, posting a pay range isn't just good practice. It's the law.
In the US, states including Colorado, California, Washington, New York and Illinois require employers (above certain size thresholds) to include pay ranges in job postings, and more states have added similar rules in 2025 and 2026. Some cities have their own rules too. The details differ by state, including which employers are covered and what counts as a "good faith" range, so check your state labor department before you post.
In Canada, British Columbia's Pay Transparency Act requires employers to include the expected pay or pay range in public job postings, and bans asking applicants what they were paid at other jobs. In Ontario, as of January 1, 2026, employers with 25 or more employees must include expected pay or a pay range in publicly advertised postings (the range can't be wider than $50,000, and roles paying over $200,000 are exempt). Ontario postings also have to say whether a real vacancy exists, disclose if AI is used to screen applicants, and can't require Canadian experience.
We're not lawyers, and this isn't legal advice. But the easy way to stay on the right side of all of it is the same: post a real, honest range.
Requirements that are law, not preference
Some lines in your HVAC technician job description are preferences. One is not.
EPA Section 608 certification is federal law in the US. The EPA requires certification for technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerant. There are four types: Type I for small appliances, Type II for high-pressure equipment (most home AC and heat pumps), Type III for low-pressure equipment like many chillers, and Universal for all of them. The certification doesn't expire.
Apprentices can work on refrigerant systems without it, but only while a certified tech closely and continually supervises them. "He's riding with Dave this week" isn't the same thing as Dave watching him recover refrigerant. Don't send an uncertified helper out alone to top off a system. It's illegal, and it's how refrigerant ends up in the air.
State and local licenses vary. Some states license HVAC contractors, some license individual techs, and some leave it to cities. Check your state's licensing board and list what's actually required where you work. Don't copy a license requirement from another state's template.
NATE is optional. It's a good signal of skill, and some employers prefer it, but it's not legally required anywhere. Put it under "nice to have" unless you truly won't hire without it. Making it a hard requirement cuts out a lot of good techs.
Common mistakes that cost you applicants
Some honest feedback from reading a lot of HVAC listings:
No pay. Covered above. It's the biggest one.
A wall of requirements. Ten "must haves" for a mid-level service tech reads like you'll never be happy. Keep the hard requirements to what's actually required.
"Fast-paced environment," "rockstar," "family." Techs have seen these phrases enough to know what they sometimes mean. Describe the actual schedule and workload instead.
Hiding the on-call. They'll find out. Better in the post than on day three.
One posting for every role. An installer, a service tech and a commercial refrigeration tech need different descriptions.
Slow replies. A great post doesn't help if you call back two weeks later. Good techs are usually off the market fast.
Quick answers
What are HVAC technician duties and responsibilities?
Installing, maintaining and repairing heating, cooling, ventilation and refrigeration systems; testing electrical parts and controls; handling refrigerant under EPA rules; explaining problems and options to customers; and keeping records of work, parts and time.
What's the difference between an HVAC job description and a job profile?
The job description lists the tasks and requirements. The job profile describes the kind of person who does well in the role: their skills, temperament and how they work with customers. A strong posting includes a bit of both.
Do I need to require EPA 608 certification?
For anyone who'll handle refrigerant on their own, yes. It's required by federal law in the US. Apprentices can work on refrigerant systems only under close, continuous supervision of a certified tech.
Should I require NATE certification?
Usually no. List it as "nice to have." It's voluntary, and making it mandatory shrinks your applicant pool without a legal reason.
How much should I offer?
Start with local data, not just the national median of $29.33 an hour (May 2025 BLS). Check your state's numbers and what nearby shops are posting, then adjust for experience level and certifications.
Can I use this template for an HVAC installer?
Yes, but rewrite the duties. Installers spend more time on replacements, ductwork and new construction, and less on diagnostics and customer conversations. We'll have a separate installer job description soon.
Bottom line
A good HVAC job description is short, honest and specific. Put the pay range in it, say what the schedule and on-call look like, keep the hard requirements to what's actually required (EPA 608, plus any license your area needs), and describe the kind of tech who does well at your shop.
Ready to hire? Copy the template above, fill it in, and post your HVAC job on BrazeJobs. You can start with a free listing and upgrade if you want more visibility.
Sources
Fasken: What Ontario employers need to know about job posting obligations for 2026 (December 2025)
Davis Wright Tremaine: Washington L&I rules for salary and wage transparency (September 2024)
BrazeJobs HVAC and refrigeration listings, first page of results, checked October 18, 2026