Amazon RME Technician PLC Skills: What the Job Asks For and How to Prepare
What Amazon's Reliability Maintenance & Engineering (RME) technicians actually need: the current job titles, the PLC, electrical and mechanical skills in real postings, the hiring assessment, and how to practise for it.
Short answer: Amazon's Reliability Maintenance & Engineering (RME) teams keep the conveyors, sorters, robots and other material handling equipment (MHE) in its buildings running. In current US postings the technician job is called Mechatronics & Robotics Technician, RME. The core skills are electrical and mechanical troubleshooting of conveyor equipment, reading electrical schematics and blueprints, and working with relay and ladder logic.
PLC programming is usually a preferred skill for technicians rather than a hard requirement. It becomes a basic requirement at the Automation Engineer level.
The fastest way to prepare is to practise the work itself: reading ladder logic and tracing faults back to a sensor, a wire or a rung.
Reviewed October 25, 2026 from Amazon's own job postings and program pages (sources at the end). Postings expire, and titles, pay and requirements vary by site, so read the posting you are applying to.
Ownership disclosure: PLC Programming and PLC Simulation Software are run by the same team. We link to our own practice labs below, and we say what they cannot do. We are not affiliated with Amazon.
What Amazon RME is
Amazon's US postings describe the team this way: "Reliability Maintenance & Engineering (RME) are the business partners that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all happen. We drive continuous improvement and maintain all of the Robotics and Material Handling Equipment (MHE)."
Its EMEA team page says RME "creates, reinvents, and maintains cutting-edge technologies" across its sites.
In practice, that means fulfilment centres, sortation centres and delivery stations, where most of the equipment is:
- belt and roller conveyors
- motors and gear motors
- photo-eyes and proximity sensors
- pneumatics
- robotic drive units and sorters
- the controls that tie all of this together
RME job titles and levels
These are the titles that appeared on amazon.jobs on October 25, 2026:
| Title on the posting | Region | Where PLCs fit |
|---|---|---|
| Mechatronic Apprentice I | US | Taught in the apprenticeship (see below) |
| Mechatronics & Robotics Technician, RME | US | Ladder and relay logic, sensors and motor starters; PLC programming sometimes preferred |
| Senior Mechatronics & Robotics Technician, RME | US | "2+ years of programmable logic controls (PLC) programming experience" listed as preferred |
| Reliability Maintenance Engineering Technician / Senior Technician | UK | "Experience with PLC controlled automation and issue diagnosis" listed as preferred |
| Automation Engineer | US | Ladder logic and structured programming on Siemens, Allen-Bradley or CODESYS PLCs listed as a basic requirement |
| RME Planner, Area Maintenance Manager | US | Planning and management roles |
About "RME Tech I, II, III, IV": these labels are widely used by employees and in forums. One current posting body does say "As an RME Tech II, you'll join a dynamic team." We found no official Amazon page that maps tech levels to Amazon's internal L-levels (L3, L4, L5), so treat any mapping you read online as unofficial.
What the postings actually ask for
Mechatronics & Robotics Technician, RME (Prince George, Virginia, posted October 8, 2026). Basic qualifications include:
- "certification from Amazon's Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship Program, or 2+ years of automated conveyor systems and controls experience"
- "2+ years of reading blueprints and electrical schematics experience"
- "2+ years of troubleshooting and diagnostics of material handling equipment (MHE)"
The duties include troubleshooting "electrical and mechanical problems related to all Material Handling Equipment (MHE) which includes belts, motors, photo-eyes, relays." The posted pay range is $32.50–$34.50 an hour.
Senior Mechatronics & Robotics Technician, RME (Lebanon, Tennessee, posted August 25, 2026):
- Duties: "install, maintain, and troubleshoot relay logic, ladder diagrams, control components, photo-eyes, motor starters, limit switches, proximity sensors, solenoids"
- Preferred: "2+ years of programmable logic controls (PLC) programming experience"
- Posted pay range: $37.16–$42.74 an hour
Automation Engineer (Campbellsville, Kentucky, posted August 17, 2026):
- Basic requirement: "2+ years of Ladder Logic and structured programming from Siemens, Allen-Bradley, or Codesys PLCs experience," with a degree as an alternative route
- Preferred: "Experience programming with RSLogix5000, Studio 5000, FT View"
- Posted pay range: $81,000–$101,300 a year
What this means for you. We read the 92 US Mechatronics & Robotics Technician postings that were live on October 25, 2026:
- every one mentioned conveyors, troubleshooting, and electrical and mechanical work
- about three-quarters mentioned pneumatics
- about a quarter mentioned PLCs by name
So for the technician job, being able to troubleshoot equipment matters more than being able to program a PLC from scratch. For Senior Tech and Automation Engineer roles, PLC skills become a real differentiator.
Live mini-lab
Try it: press START, then STOP
A stop-dominant seal-in rung: START latches the motor output through its own contact, and STOP breaks the circuit.
Watch the output lamp: it stays on after START until you press STOP.
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The skills to build, by area
PLC and controls
- Read a ladder rung and say why an output is or is not on: series and parallel contacts, normally open and normally closed, seal-in circuits.
- Know what timers (TON/TOF) and counters do on a running machine, such as a jam timer or a photo-eye delay.
- Go online with a running program, find the rung that drives a motor, and trace it back to the input that is missing.
- Know the I/O side: what an input LED tells you, sourcing versus sinking, and 24 V DC sensor wiring.
- Recognise Allen-Bradley Logix-style tags and instructions (XIC, XIO, OTE). That is the style named in Amazon's engineering postings.
Electrical
- Read electrical schematics and ladder-style control drawings.
- Measure safely with a meter: voltage, continuity, and checking a contactor coil versus its contacts.
- Understand motor starters, overloads, contactors, relays and limit switches.
- Have basic VFD awareness: run commands, faults and resets.
Mechanical
- Belts, rollers, bearings, chains and gear motors on conveyors.
- Pneumatic cylinders, valves and air preparation.
- Preventive maintenance routines and working from a work order.
Safety
Postings require following safety procedures around energised equipment. In any maintenance job that means lockout/tagout, electrical safety rules and machine guarding. Learn the concepts before the interview. On site, always follow the site's own procedures and training.
The hiring process and the assessment
Amazon's technician postings describe the steps directly:
- The most qualified candidates are invited "to complete a pre-employment assessment." The invitation comes from Amazon Recruiting through Criteria (criteriacorp.com), and you have 5 days to complete it.
- A video interview through HireVue follows, with 7 days to record.
- The posting estimates the whole process at "approximately 30-days."
What the assessment covers is not published by Amazon. Test-prep sellers describe mechanical-aptitude and electrical-knowledge style tests. Candidate reviews on Glassdoor are mixed: one older review describes an online electrical and mechanical test, and recent ones describe interviews with a senior technician and an area manager built around Amazon's Leadership Principles. Prepare for both:
- Technical: basic electrical theory, reading a simple schematic or ladder rung, mechanical aptitude (gears, pulleys, levers) and a troubleshooting walkthrough.
- Behavioural: STAR-format stories about a breakdown you fixed, a time you prevented a repeat failure, and a time you worked safely under pressure.
Our maintenance technician interview questions guide has model answers for both kinds.
How to prepare in four weeks
- Week 1: ladder reading. Learn contacts, coils, seal-ins and timers until you can predict an output from the inputs without thinking. Our ladder logic tutorial and motor start/stop tutorial cover the essentials.
- Week 2: fault tracing. Practise the loop of symptom → output → rung → missing input → field device. The PLC troubleshooting simulator starts with a motor that won't start, with no account needed. It also has 19 guided fault labs (2 free).
- Week 3: electrical and motor control. Work through a motor-control lab and an electrical troubleshooting simulator. Review three-phase motor wiring and overload relays.
- Week 4: assessment rehearsal. Take a timed PLC practice test. If you expect a mechanical-aptitude section, use mechanical and electrical test practice. Then write three STAR stories.
What our simulator cannot do: it is not an Amazon system, it doesn't replicate Amazon's equipment or assessment, and it doesn't replace hands-on work with a meter on a real panel. Use it for the repetitions on reading and fault-finding.
Getting in without experience: the apprenticeship
Amazon's Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship (MRA) is the official route for people already working at Amazon who don't have a technical background. Amazon's program page says participants:
- "Attend 12 weeks of paid training at a designated training provider"
- complete "2,000 hours of on-the-job mentorship"
- need "No previous technical experience"
The training covers "industrial electricity, mechanical components, fluid power, and programmable logic controllers." Graduates receive a US Department of Labor certificate and a role on the RME team.
Career Choice is Amazon's tuition program. It is another route for employees, but its terms vary by country and have changed over time, so check Amazon's current page.
If you are outside Amazon, see our how to get a PLC job with no experience guide and the maintenance technician training program overview.
Frequently asked questions
Do Amazon RME technicians need to know PLC programming?
Not always. Current technician postings centre on troubleshooting conveyors and other MHE, reading schematics, and relay and ladder logic. PLC programming appears as a preferred qualification on many Senior Technician postings and as a basic qualification for Automation Engineers. Being able to read ladder logic and trace a fault is the most useful PLC skill for the technician role.
What is the Amazon RME assessment?
Amazon's postings say shortlisted candidates complete a pre-employment assessment through Criteria within 5 days, followed by a HireVue video interview. Amazon does not publish what the assessment covers. Prepare for basic electrical, mechanical-aptitude and troubleshooting questions, plus Leadership Principles questions in the interview.
What are RME Tech I, II, III and IV?
They are informal level names used by employees and forums. One current posting refers to an "RME Tech II." We found no official Amazon page that defines the levels or maps them to Amazon's L-levels.
How much do Amazon RME technicians make?
It depends on site and level. Two postings live in October 2026 listed $32.50–$34.50 an hour for a Mechatronics & Robotics Technician in Prince George, Virginia, and $37.16–$42.74 an hour for a Senior Technician in Lebanon, Tennessee. Check the pay range on the posting you apply to.
Is there a way to practise Amazon RME troubleshooting online?
You can practise the underlying skills: reading ladder logic, tracing a motor that won't start, and finding wiring and sensor faults. Browser simulators and practice tests cover these. No public tool replicates Amazon's own equipment or assessment.
Sources
- Amazon: Mechatronics & Robotics Technician, RME (Prince George, VA, job 10574193): RME description, qualifications, pay range, Criteria and HireVue steps
- Amazon: Senior Mechatronics & Robotics Technician, RME (Lebanon, TN, job 10514598)
- Amazon: Automation Engineer (Campbellsville, KY, job 10503541)
- Amazon: Mechatronics & Robotics Tech (Hebron, KY, job 10555249): "RME Tech II" wording
- Amazon: Reliability Maintenance Engineering Technician (Liverpool, UK, job 10555980)
- Amazon EMEA RME team page
- Amazon Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship (US)
- About Amazon: free career training in robotics
- Glassdoor interview reviews for Amazon: anonymous candidate reports, not official
Related reading
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