Job profile 2026
What is a maintenance manager? Job profile, salary and recruitment 2026
The maintenance manager ensures the availability and reliability of a site's equipment. They organise preventive, corrective and predictive maintenance, manage the technicians, run the budget and oversee the safety of interventions.
In brief: maintenance / operations manager salary, €55-88k gross per year. Source: Pay barometer Industry and Energy 2026, Volta Executive; Energy and Transition barometer 2026, Volta Executive, updated on 21 September 2026.
By Florian Beurtey, engineer and founder of Volta Executive. Published on 21 September 2026, updated on 21 September 2026.
Maintenance manager : the role in figures
| Maintenance / operations manager salary | €55-88k gross per year |
|---|---|
| Industrial maintenance technician salary | €28-50k gross per year depending on seniority |
| Time to hire (technician) | 3 to 6 months |
| Pay trend (technician) | +8% over 2 years |
| Shortage level | High for the manager, extreme for the multi-skilled technician |
| Common qualifications | Bac pro MSPC, BTS, BUT GIM, professional bachelor's, engineering degree |
Duties of the maintenance manager
- Plan and monitor preventive, corrective and predictive maintenance
- Lead breakdown repairs and reduce production stoppages
- Administer the CMMS (computerised maintenance management system)
- Manage the budget for parts, contracts and subcontracting
- Manage the technicians and organise on-call duty
- Monitor equipment availability and lead improvement projects
Skills required
- Electrical engineering, mechanics, hydraulics and basic automation
- Reliability methods: FMEA, failure root cause analysis
- Use of a CMMS and reading availability indicators
- Safety of interventions: lockout, authorisations, prevention plans
- Management of technical teams and of subcontractors
Authorisations and references
| NF C 18-510 | Electrical authorisation for staff working on or near electrical installations |
|---|---|
| Lockout | Procedure for making equipment safe before an intervention |
| CACES | Certificate of competence to operate certain handling equipment safely |
| MASE | Safety standard for companies working on industrial sites |
Training to become maintenance manager
- MSPC vocational baccalaureate (maintenance of connected production systems), Bac
- BTS in systems maintenance, or BUT GIM (industrial engineering and maintenance), Bac+2 to Bac+3
- Professional bachelor's in industrial maintenance, Bac+3
- Engineering degree in industrial or mechanical engineering, Bac+5
Career paths
- Industrial maintenance technician
- Team leader, maintenance methods technician or reliability engineer
- Maintenance manager
- Operations manager, then site director
Salary of the maintenance manager in 2026
National basis, fixed annual gross, excluding variable pay and role allowances. The Paris and region columns are derived from the barometer's reference framework (Paris about 12% higher, regions about 5% lower, except for roles in extreme shortage, which are aligned with the national figure).
Industrial maintenance technician
| Seniority | National | Paris | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 28–32 k€ | 31–36 k€ | 28–32 k€ |
| 2 to 5 years | 32–40 k€ | 36–45 k€ | 32–40 k€ |
| 5 to 10 years | 40–45 k€ | 45–50 k€ | 40–45 k€ |
| 10+ years | 45–50 k€ | 50–56 k€ | 45–50 k€ |
Maintenance / operations manager
| Seniority | National | Paris | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| All levels of experience | 55–88 k€ | 62–99 k€ | 52–84 k€ |
Shift allowances (2x8, 3x8, 5x8) add 15 to 25% to base pay, and on-call duty adds €5-12k a year, according to the barometer.
Source: Pay barometer Industry and Energy 2026, Volta Executive; Energy and Transition barometer 2026, Volta Executive. Figures in €k gross per year.
The full barometer, role by role
This profile reproduces part of the grids of Volta Executive's 2026 Industry and Energy Pay Barometer. The barometer covers every role in industry and energy, with lead times and shortage levels.
Maintenance manager : the market in 2026
Observed time to hire a maintenance technician
Change in maintenance technician pay over 2 years
Share of maintenance technicians who will retire by 2030 (France Travail)
The maintenance manager is often promoted from within: the barometer describes the profile as almost absent from the open market, with chronic tension on production sites. When no internal candidate exists, companies wait for months and direct search becomes the only solution. The salary range is wide because the role covers anything from a single workshop to the operation of a portfolio of sites.
Who is hiring
Industrial production sites, but also energy installations that must run continuously: biomass heating plants, energy-from-waste plants, cogeneration, district heating.
Are you hiring a maintenance manager?
A production stoppage costs more than a vacant role, but one leads to the other. Volta Executive recruits maintenance managers by direct search, people who are in post and absent from the open market. Let's talk about your site before you advertise.
Talk about my hireAre you a maintenance manager?
Send your CV without booking a meeting. If your profile matches a current or upcoming assignment, we will contact you.
See the openings and send my CVFrequently asked questions about the role of the maintenance manager
What is a maintenance manager's salary in 2026?
According to the Volta Executive 2026 Energy and Transition barometer, a maintenance or operations manager earns €55-88k gross per year. The range is wide because the role covers anything from a single workshop to the operation of a portfolio of sites.
What is an industrial maintenance technician's salary?
According to the 2026 pay barometer, on a national basis and as annual gross base pay: €28-32k at 0 to 2 years, and €45-50k after ten years. Shift allowances add 15 to 25% to base pay.
How long does it take to hire a maintenance technician?
The barometer shows a lead time of 3 to 6 months, with an 8% pay rise over 2 years. According to France Travail, 35% of maintenance technicians will retire by 2030.
What training leads to becoming a maintenance manager?
People generally get there after working as a technician, with a BTS or a BUT GIM, or after an engineering degree. The barometer describes the role as often filled by internal promotion.
What is the difference between a maintenance manager and an operations manager?
The maintenance manager focuses on equipment availability. The operations manager adds the running of the installation and its teams. The barometer groups them in the same €55-88k range.
Are salaries higher in Paris?
The site's grids are written on a national basis. For an equivalent role, Paris is about 12% higher and the other regions about 5% lower, on fixed pay. Roles in extreme shortage remain aligned with the national figure.
What career paths are open to a maintenance manager?
They can become operations manager, then site director. The barometer places the industrial site director between €100k and €146k.
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- Energy manager : salary and hiring
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- Operations manager : salary and hiring
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- Mechanical engineer : salary and hiring
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- Project manager (chargé d'affaires) : salary and hiring
- Production manager : salary and hiring
- Quality manager : salary and hiring
Learn more
- Industry and energy salary barometer 2026
- Industrial salaries 2026: grids by role and region
- List of the 52 roles in short supply in 2026
- Hiring a maintenance technician: 2026 strategies
Sources and method
- Industry and Energy Pay Barometer 2026, Volta Executive
- Energy and Transition Barometer 2026, Volta Executive
- France Travail (OPMQ) on maintenance technician retirements
The grids are on a national basis, fixed annual gross. Paris and region values are calculated with the barometer's geographic reference framework.