Residential HVAC Field Apprentice – Service & Installation

Starting Pay: $25–$30/hour (DOE) | Full-time | In person | Needham, MA

A day in the life

It's 7:15 a.m. in Needham. You meet your lead technician at the truck, review the day's plan, and load up. First stop: a no-heat call. You help set protective floor covers, gather gauges and meters, and watch closely as the lead diagnoses a boiler issue. You hand over tools, ask smart questions, and learn the why behind each step. By mid-day, you're on a mini-split install in Wellesley—measuring, running line sets, organizing fittings, and keeping the work area spotless. Before heading back, you help test the system, document results, and make sure the home looks better than you found it.

That's the rhythm here at Yellow Dog Plumbing, Heating & Cooling—real work, real mentorship, real growth.

What you'll do as an apprentice

• Work side-by-side with experienced HVAC pros on residential service calls and installations
• Support diagnostics on furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, mini-splits, and traditional A/C systems
• Use tools, meters, gauges, and diagnostic equipment safely and correctly
• Assist with preventative maintenance, tune-ups, and repairs
• Help remove and replace HVAC equipment; learn proper piping, wiring, drainage, venting, and ductwork techniques
• Test newly installed and repaired systems for proper operation
• Keep trucks, tools, and job sites clean, organized, and ready for the next call
• Protect customers’ homes and property; communicate professionally with homeowners
• Understand the full lifecycle of a service call—from arrival to wrap-up

How you'll grow

We train by doing. You’ll learn the craft alongside seasoned service and installation technicians—service, maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, and install. As you master skills and show initiative, you’ll take on more responsibility with a clear path to eventually operating your own Yellow Dog service truck. From there, growth can include senior technician, leadership, training, and management opportunities.

Why Yellow Dog

• Great Starting Pay + Upward Mobility: $25–$30/hour to start (experience-based). As your capabilities expand, so does your compensation.
• Hands-On Mentorship: Learn directly from experienced HVAC professionals in real homes.
• Service AND Installation: Become a well-rounded technician across multiple system types.
• No High-Pressure Sales: We diagnose, educate, and present options—always doing what's right for the customer.
• Excellent Benefits: Company contribution toward health, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) with 4% company match; paid time off; parental leave; tuition reimbursement; tools; uniforms; pant allowance; and boot allowance.
• Your Voice Matters: Direct access to leadership, including the owner/CEO—bring ideas, ask questions, help us improve.
• Great Service Area: Work in Needham, Newton, Wellesley, Brookline, Weston, and nearby communities.

What we value

• Take care of employees and customers. Their needs come first.
• Excellence in every detail. The small things are the big things.
• Every voice matters. People deserve to be heard and respected.
• Be a little better every day. Learn, improve, keep moving forward.
• Grow with a purpose. Sustainable growth creates opportunity for everyone.

Are you a fit?

• Motivated to build a long-term HVAC career
• 2+ years of HVAC experience preferred (not required)
• HVAC education/trade school or mechanical background is a plus
• Hard-working, punctual, and willing to hustle
• Eager to learn, ask questions, take feedback, and follow direction
• Hands-on, mechanically inclined, and proud of quality workmanship
• Organized with tools, trucks, equipment, and job sites
• Professional communicator; respectful of customers and their homes
• No criminal background
• Valid driver’s license and good driving record
• Ready to pitch in with anything needed to help the team finish the job right—no job is beneath you

This is more than a helper job

You’ll start by supporting experienced technicians in every way you can—working hard, showing up on time, learning fast, and doing what it takes to complete jobs properly. In return, we’ll teach you the trade. The goal is to help you become a highly skilled HVAC technician who can eventually run your own Yellow Dog truck and build a great career with us.

Position details

• Location: Needham, MA
• Starting Pay: $25–$30 per hour, depending on experience
• Job Type: Full-time
• Work Location: In person
• Benefits include: Yellow Dog contribution toward health, dental, and vision insurance premiums; 401(k) with 4% company match; paid time off; parental leave; tuition reimbursement; tools; uniforms; pant allowance; and boot allowance.

Apply today—let’s talk.