Maintenance Services - Instrument Repair Specialist - 1.0FTE (260/8)

Seattle Public Schools•John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, WA

About The Position

The Instrument Repair Specialist inspects, maintains, repairs, and overhauls musical equipment assigned to the District. The role includes organizing and maintaining the instrument repair shop in accordance with occupational safety and health standards, maintaining administrative records and repair tools and equipment, and performing duties related to acquisition and inventory. This is a paraprofessional career ladder position on a 260-day work-year calendar. Priority consideration is given to current FTE bargaining unit (PARAPRO) employees; preferential consideration applies to employees with at least a strong overall rating on their most recent performance evaluation and appropriate training and experience for a more responsible position. The official start date is December 1, 2026. The specialist repairs fretted instruments, including banjos, guitars, mandolins, and ukuleles; brass and woodwind instruments; and percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals, and xylophones. Work may include inspecting and playing instruments to identify defects, testing and replacing electronic components, soldering, reshaping and polishing parts, removing dents, filling or patching cracks, repairing mechanisms and hardware, and fabricating or refinishing instrument components using hand and machine tools. The specialist prioritizes projects, supplies information for job materials and time estimates, ensures work follows District guidelines and trade standards, and leads and instructs helpers as assigned. Other related duties may be performed consistent with the position’s scope and intent.

Requirements

Completion of a recognized apprenticeship as a music repair person.
Four years of applicable work experience; up to two years of vocational training may substitute for work experience on a year-for-year basis.
Alternatively, vocational or technical certification or a diploma from a two-year college or technical school and five years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Knowledge of current methods, materials, and equipment used in band and orchestra instrument repair.
Knowledge of occupational hazards of band and orchestra instrument repair and related safety precautions.
Knowledge of administrative requirements for processing invoices and work orders and monitoring contracted repair work.
Skill in using and caring for hand and power tools necessary for instrument repair and reconstruction.
Ability to work from blueprints, plans, and sketches; understand and follow complex instructions; and cut, fit, fabricate, and assemble a variety of articles and materials.
Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, work independently with minimum supervision, and maintain tools, equipment, supplies, and the work area in an orderly manner.
Ability to regularly wear a negative pressure respirator and other safety equipment.
Ability to lift objects weighing more than 50 pounds.
Valid Washington State driver's license or evidence of equivalent mobility.
Current First Aid certification.
Must complete Criminal Justice Fingerprints and background check clearance.

Responsibilities

Inspect, maintain, repair, and overhaul musical equipment assigned to the District.
Organize and maintain the instrument repair shop according to occupational safety and health standards.
Maintain administrative records, repair tools and equipment, supplies, and the work area; perform duties related to acquisition and inventory.
Inspect and repair fretted instruments, including banjos, guitars, mandolins, and ukuleles; diagnose defects and repair or replace components.
Repair amplifiers, reverberation units, and pickups by testing and replacing tubes, replacing defective parts, and soldering parts and connections; repair wood bodies or carve replacement parts as needed.
Repair, clean, and alter brass and woodwind instruments, including reshaping parts, removing dents, filling wood cracks, soldering patches over brass cracks, lapping valves and pistons, and polishing instruments.
Repair percussion instruments, including drums, cymbals, and xylophones; repair bass drum and tympani foot mechanisms and replace instrument hardware and bars or wheels as needed.
Perform related percussion repair and fabrication work, including sanding, painting, cleaning drum shells, re-gluing simulated pearl, and soldering or welding instrument frames or metal parts as needed.
Lay out and shape laminated wood and apply decorative trim to fabricate drum shells using hand tools, machine tools, blueprints, and shop drawings as needed.
Prioritize work projects and provide information used to prepare material and time estimates for jobs.
Ensure work is completed in accordance with District guidelines and trade standards.
Lead and instruct helpers as assigned.
Perform related duties consistent with the scope and intent of the position.