Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Specialist
Posted Aug 19, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
Behavioral
Tell me about a time you ran a Kaizen event to improve OEE. What was the baseline, what did you change, and what was the result?
actual hands-on continuous improvement experience versus theoretical knowledge
Describe a time you had to train a maintenance or machine tech who was resistant to a new procedure or audit process.
coaching ability and how they handle pushback without authority over the person
Tell me about a process improvement project you initiated yourself, not one assigned to you.
self-direction and ownership, since this role is expected to spot opportunities independently
Tell me about a time equipment downtime was traced back to a missed or skipped PM. What did you learn from it?
accountability and how they use failures to strengthen the audit program
Technical
Walk me through how you'd set up a TPM program from scratch on a production line that's never had one.
whether the candidate understands the structure of TPM, not just the buzzword
How have you used a CMMS system day to day, and what did you do when the PM queue started backing up?
real operational fluency with CMMS scheduling and workload triage, not just having used one
What's your experience with PLCs and automated equipment troubleshooting? Give me an example of a tough one you diagnosed.
depth of technical skill against the automation and controls requirements listed
How do you decide which metrics to pull from the CMMS to know if the TPM program is actually working?
understanding of meaningful reliability metrics versus just running reports
What's your experience with SCADA or other production information systems, and how have you used that data to catch a problem early?
whether they can connect systems knowledge to practical uptime decisions
Situational
Say you notice a critical spare part keeps running low right when a machine needs it most. How do you fix that going forward?
proactive inventory thinking and root cause approach versus reactive firefighting
If a machine tech and an operations supervisor disagree on whether a piece of equipment is safe to keep running until the next scheduled PM, how do you handle that conversation?
judgment under competing pressures and ability to mediate between maintenance and production priorities
Imagine you're asked to write or update an SOP for a machine that several techs already do differently. How do you get everyone aligned?
standardization skills and change management within a technical team
If staffing gets tight and the CMMS work order backlog is growing, how do you decide what gets pushed and what gets done now?
prioritization skills under resource constraints, a core part of the day-to-day oversight duty
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As published by Generac.
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