Manufacturing

An AI Manufacturing Engineer is a manufacturer's own employee who builds and owns the AI tools its production teams run on: camera-based defect detection, scheduling and sequencing models, operator assistants that answer from approved work instructions, and the data pipelines that pull from the MES, historian and PLCs to feed them. The job sits between operations and IT, reporting into manufacturing engineering, operations technology or a digital manufacturing group, and it keeps each tool running after launch. BLS does not track the title. Software developers in manufacturing earned a median of $136,330 in May 2025, with the 10th to 90th percentile running from $86,660 to $215,320.

An assembler builds finished products and the subassemblies that go into them, joining parts with handtools, power tools and fixtures according to drawings and work instructions. Most work on manufacturing plant floors, often as team assemblers who rotate through every station in a cell, in industries from trucks and machinery to appliances and electronics. Federal data classifies the job as Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators. The May 2025 BLS median wage for that occupation was $44,650, with the 10th percentile at $33,280 and the 90th at $64,880. A high school diploma and several months of on-the-job training are the usual starting point.

Associate Product Managers support the development, launch, and lifecycle management of physical or industrial products — working with engineering, operations, sales, and customers to define requirements, track development milestones, and ensure products hit market on time and within spec. It's the entry-level rung on the product management ladder, combining project coordination, market research, and cross-functional communication.

Automation Engineers design, program, and maintain automated systems that control manufacturing equipment and processes — from individual machine cells to entire production lines. They work with PLCs, HMIs, robots, vision systems, and SCADA platforms to improve throughput, reduce defects, and eliminate manual labor from tasks that machines can perform reliably.

A buyer in manufacturing purchases the raw materials, components, tooling, maintenance supplies and outside services a plant needs to make its products, working between suppliers and the plant's planning, engineering, quality and accounts payable teams. The job covers quoting and sourcing, purchase orders, price and term negotiation, delivery follow-up and supplier performance. BLS groups buyers with purchasing agents in occupation 13-1020; in the manufacturing sector, that occupation earned a May 2025 median of $77,890, with $50,840 at the 10th percentile and $121,090 at the 90th. The job is a balance of three demands: material on time, at a cost the business can carry, from suppliers whose quality holds.

CAD Designers create the 2D and 3D drawings, models, and documentation that manufacturing teams use to build products. Working from engineering sketches, specifications, and change orders, they produce accurate technical drawings — part models, assemblies, BOMs, and GD&T-annotated drawings — that define exactly how a product is made, inspected, and assembled.

A Cleanroom Technician keeps a controlled manufacturing space inside its cleanliness limits while working in it: gowning, cleaning, monitoring particles and other contaminants, moving and loading product, and logging every excursion. The job sits on the production floor of semiconductor fabs, nanofabrication labs and other controlled environments, below the engineers who set process and contamination-control specifications. O*NET files the title under Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians, part of the BLS occupation Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians. In semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, that occupation had a May 2025 median wage of $63,520, with the 10th to 90th percentile running from $47,300 to $98,490.

A CNC machinist sets up computer-controlled mills, lathes and machining centers, proves out programs, and cuts metal parts to the tolerances on an engineering drawing. The role sits on the shop floor of job shops, contract machine shops and the machining departments of manufacturers, between the programmer or engineer who defines the part and the inspector who signs it off. O*NET files the title under Machinists. BLS put the median annual wage for machinists at $58,750 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $39,200 and the 90th at $80,010.

A CNC Operator runs computer numerically controlled mills, lathes and machining centers that a programmer has written and a setup machinist has proved out: loading stock, starting cycles, watching the cut, checking parts against the print and swapping worn tools. The job sits on the production floor of machine shops and other metal and plastics manufacturers, working beside setup machinists, programmers and quality inspectors. BLS tracks it as Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators (SOC 51-9161), which paid a median of $50,690 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $38,140 and the 90th at $73,890. Learning offsets, setups and inspection is the route toward setup and machinist work.

A CNC Programmer writes the programs that tell CNC mills, lathes and multi-axis machining centers how to cut a part, working from engineering drawings and 3D models in CAM software. The job sits between engineering and the shop floor in machine shops, metal fabricators and aerospace and medical parts plants, and covers toolpaths, simulation, post-processing, setup sheets and prove-out at the machine. BLS files the role as Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers, which earned a median annual wage of $68,120 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $47,530 and the 90th percentile at $100,320.

A demand planner is the supply chain analyst who decides how many units a manufacturer expects to sell, by product, customer and week, and defends that number in front of sales, finance and operations. The forecast they publish sets production schedules, raw material buys and inventory targets, so a bad call shows up as either idle stock or missed shipments. The role sits inside a supply chain or S&OP team, at a plant or at headquarters. BLS has no separate code for the job; the closest match, Logisticians, paid a national median of $82,320 in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $50,890 and $133,160.

A Digital Twin Engineer builds and maintains digital twins: software models of a production line, a machine or a product that stay synchronized with the physical item through sensor and machine data, so a plant can monitor it, run what-if simulations and predict failures. In manufacturing the job sits between plant engineering, controls and data teams. BLS does not report the title separately. Its nearest occupation, Industrial Engineers working in manufacturing, earned between $73,960 at the 10th percentile and $150,350 at the 90th percentile in May 2025, with a median of $101,160.

Electrical Engineers in manufacturing design, specify, and maintain the electrical systems that power and control production equipment and facilities. From motor drives and control panels to power distribution and factory automation, they apply circuit theory, power systems knowledge, and safety standards to keep machines running safely, efficiently, and within regulatory compliance.

Electrical Engineering Technicians assist electrical engineers in designing, testing, and maintaining electrical equipment and systems. They build prototype circuits, conduct electrical tests, troubleshoot equipment failures, interpret schematics and wiring diagrams, and document test results — serving as the hands-on technical support that turns engineering designs into working hardware.

Electrical Maintenance Technicians keep production equipment running by diagnosing and repairing electrical faults, performing scheduled preventive maintenance, and responding to breakdowns that shut down production lines. They work on motor drives, PLCs, sensors, control panels, and power distribution equipment — and they do it under pressure, because every minute of unplanned downtime costs money.

Electrical Technicians install, test, and maintain electrical systems and equipment in manufacturing plants, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities. They work under engineer direction and applicable code requirements to wire equipment, troubleshoot electrical problems, and keep power and control systems operating safely — a hands-on role at the intersection of skilled trade and technical knowledge.

A Facilities Engineer in manufacturing keeps a plant's buildings and utilities working: electrical distribution, compressed air, steam, cooling water, HVAC, fire protection and the structure itself. The role sits between production, maintenance and outside contractors, combining day-to-day troubleshooting with capital projects such as new line installations, utility upgrades and planned shutdowns. BLS codes the title to civil engineers, and civil engineers working in manufacturing earned a median of $107,120 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $69,510 and the 90th at $170,350. A bachelor's degree in engineering is the usual starting point, and the PE license and AFE's Certified Plant Engineer credential are options to pursue later.

Facilities Managers oversee the physical plant of a manufacturing facility — buildings, utilities, grounds, and support infrastructure — ensuring everything from the roof to the compressed air system to the parking lot operates reliably and in compliance with applicable regulations. They manage budgets, contractors, maintenance programs, and internal facilities staff to keep the production environment functional and safe.

Forklift Operators move raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods within manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and distribution centers using counterbalance forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, and other powered industrial trucks. They're responsible for safe and efficient material movement, inventory accuracy, and the condition of the loads and equipment they handle.

A Functional Safety Engineer makes sure the electronic and software controls in vehicles, process plants and machinery detect faults and reach a safe state, working to standards such as ISO 26262, IEC 61511 and IEC 62061. The job runs from hazard analysis through safety requirements, FMEDA and fault tree analysis to a finished safety case that an assessor can audit. Employers include automotive suppliers, chemical and refining companies, machine builders and engineering services firms. BLS files the work with health and safety engineers, whose May 2025 median pay was $115,160, with 10th to 90th percentile pay of $68,420 to $171,250.

An industrial engineer designs and improves the systems that produce goods and services: plant layouts, staffing levels, work standards, material flow, and quality controls. Working between the production floor and the engineering office, the role uses time studies, statistics, and simulation to cut waste, delay, and cost. Industrial engineers report to operations, engineering, or continuous improvement leaders, and the same methods apply well outside the factory. Federal wage data for May 2025 put the median annual pay at $102,440, with the 10th percentile at $74,370 and the 90th at $159,860.

Industrial Maintenance Mechanics keep production equipment running by diagnosing mechanical failures, performing repairs, and executing preventive maintenance on the machinery — conveyors, presses, pumps, gearboxes, pneumatic and hydraulic systems — that manufacturing operations depend on. When equipment fails, they get it back in service; when it's running, they keep it from failing.

Instrumentation Technicians install, calibrate, maintain, and troubleshoot the measurement and control devices — pressure transmitters, flow meters, temperature sensors, level instruments, and analyzers — that monitor and control industrial processes. Their work ensures that the readings used to control production processes and regulatory compliance reporting are accurate.

An Inventory Control Specialist keeps the stock records in a plant's ERP or warehouse management system matched to what physically sits in each bin, rack and staging lane. The job lives between receiving, the production floor and shipping: running cycle counts, chasing variances to their cause, posting adjustments, and holding lot and serial records together so a recall or quality hold can be traced fast. BLS groups the work under Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks, which paid a median of $45,260 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $34,650 and the 90th at $62,190.

Lead Technicians supervise a team of maintenance or production technicians in manufacturing facilities, acting as the working senior hand who both performs technical work and coordinates crew assignments, troubleshooting, and shift handoffs. They sit between frontline technicians and the maintenance or production supervisor, translating operational priorities into daily task execution while keeping equipment uptime and safety standards on track. The role is a common proving ground before a move into full-time supervision or a reliability-engineering specialty.

Lean Manufacturing Engineers design and implement process improvements that reduce waste, cut cycle times, and improve quality across production operations. They apply tools from the Toyota Production System — value stream mapping, kaizen events, 5S, kanban, and standard work — to attack inefficiencies in manufacturing flow and drive measurable changes in productivity, lead time, and cost.

A Lithography Engineer owns the patterning step in a semiconductor fab: the scanners, coat-and-develop tracks, photomasks and recipes that print each circuit layer onto the wafer. The role sits in the fab's process engineering group beside etch, metrology, integration and yield teams, and it is judged on overlay, critical dimension control, defects and tool availability. BLS does not report the title separately. In May 2025, Engineers, All Other in semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing earned a median of $132,760, with the 10th percentile at $81,230 and the 90th at $211,370. Employers are chipmakers, foundries, research fabs, and the toolmakers and materials suppliers that serve them.

A machine operator sets up, runs and adjusts production equipment in a factory: CNC lathes and mills, stamping presses, injection molding machines, extruders and packaging lines. The operator keeps the machine producing parts to print, measures output against the drawing, handles changeovers and routine care, and reports faults to maintenance. Operators work in metal and plastics shops, food and consumer goods plants, and contract manufacturers, reporting to a shift lead or production supervisor. For multiple machine tool setters, operators and tenders, BLS put the May 2025 median wage at $47,180, with the lowest tenth earning under $35,780 and the top tenth above $74,450.

A Machinist sets up and runs lathes, mills, grinders and CNC machining centers to cut metal stock into precision parts that match an engineering drawing. The job lives on the manufacturing shop floor: contract machine shops, equipment builders, aerospace suppliers and the maintenance departments of plants, where machinists make replacement parts for broken equipment. A shift mixes manual and computer-controlled work, from reading the print and choosing tooling to measuring the finished part. BLS reported a median annual wage of $58,750 for machinists in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $39,200 and the 90th at $80,010.

Maintenance Managers direct all maintenance activities at a manufacturing facility — preventive and corrective maintenance programs, capital repairs, spare parts inventory, and the team of technicians and supervisors who execute them. They own the maintenance budget, are accountable for equipment uptime and overall equipment effectiveness, and are the primary interface between maintenance and production on scheduling conflicts and resource allocation.

Maintenance Supervisors run day-to-day maintenance operations in manufacturing facilities, directing a crew of technicians and mechanics across shifts to execute work orders, respond to breakdowns, and complete scheduled preventive maintenance. They sit between frontline maintenance workers and the Maintenance Manager, accountable for shift execution, safety compliance, CMMS discipline, and team performance. Most come up through the trades themselves, five to ten years as a mechanic, electrician, or multi-craft technician, before stepping into the first-line leadership seat. The role increasingly includes reading condition-monitoring alerts and AI-generated shift handover summaries, not just assigning wrenches to work orders, and translating both into a workable plan for the crew before the shift even starts.

Manufacturing Chemical Engineers design, optimize, and troubleshoot the chemical processes used to manufacture materials, chemicals, fuels, food, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products at industrial scale. They apply principles of thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, mass transfer, and fluid dynamics to processes that convert raw materials into products reliably, safely, and economically.

A Manufacturing Engineer designs, sets up and improves the processes that turn an engineering drawing into a part or product a plant can build repeatably, at rate and at cost. The job sits between product design and the production floor: choosing equipment and tooling, writing routings and work instructions, qualifying new processes, and fixing them when scrap or downtime climbs. O*NET files the title as a detailed occupation under Industrial Engineers, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $102,440 for that group in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $74,370 and the 90th at $159,860.

Manufacturing Financial Analysts in manufacturing build the models, reports, and analysis that help leadership understand how the business is performing and what financial decisions make sense. They prepare variance analyses, capital investment evaluations, cost analyses, and forecasts that connect factory-floor realities — material costs, labor efficiency, overhead absorption — to the financial statements the CFO presents to the board.

Manufacturing Inventory Managers are responsible for the accuracy, availability, and financial performance of inventory in manufacturing and distribution environments. They oversee cycle count programs, manage inventory policies (safety stock, reorder points, ABC classifications), lead teams of inventory control specialists, and work with supply chain and operations leadership to optimize the trade-off between working capital and service levels.

Manufacturing Logistics Coordinators manage the movement of raw materials, components, and finished goods through a manufacturing supply chain — scheduling shipments, coordinating with carriers and freight forwarders, tracking deliveries, and resolving disruptions before they stop production lines. They sit at the intersection of purchasing, production planning, warehouse, and transportation, communicating daily with suppliers, carriers, and internal stakeholders.

Manufacturing Operations Coordinators provide scheduling, documentation, reporting, and cross-functional coordination support to manufacturing operations — bridging the gap between production supervisors, planning, maintenance, quality, and supply chain. They track production metrics, maintain operational records, coordinate meetings and actions, and handle the administrative backbone that keeps manufacturing organizations informed and aligned.

Manufacturing Project Engineers manage the technical and organizational aspects of engineering projects at manufacturing facilities — capital equipment installations, facility upgrades, process changes, and new technology implementations. They coordinate across engineering disciplines, procurement, construction, and operations to deliver projects on schedule, within budget, and to specification.

A Manufacturing Project Manager runs the time-boxed work that changes a plant: new product launches, equipment installs, line moves, capacity additions and automation rollouts. The job sits between engineering, quality, purchasing and production, owning the schedule, budget and risk list until the new process is handed to operations. The closest BLS occupation is project management specialists. In manufacturing, May 2025 wages for that occupation ran from $61,520 at the 10th percentile to $167,380 at the 90th, with a median of $102,640.

A manufacturing quality control manager runs the inspection and measurement function in a manufacturing plant: the inspectors, gauges, sampling plans and nonconformance records that decide whether product ships. The job sits between production, engineering and the customer, and in a certified plant it answers to an ISO 9001, IATF 16949 or FDA quality system. BLS counts the role inside industrial production managers, a group it says is often called quality control systems managers. Across manufacturing, that occupation's median pay was $125,280 in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $78,120 and $198,880.

Manufacturing Research and Development Engineers design experiments, develop prototypes, and evaluate new materials or processes to advance product performance, reduce manufacturing cost, or create entirely new product lines. They sit at the boundary between research and production, translating scientific findings into manufacturable designs and working closely with manufacturing, quality, and commercial teams to bring innovations to market.

Manufacturing Safety Coordinators support and implement environmental, health, and safety (EHS) programs at manufacturing facilities. They conduct safety inspections, lead incident investigations, deliver training, maintain OSHA compliance records, and work with supervisors and employees to identify and correct hazards before injuries occur.

Manufacturing Safety Managers lead the environmental, health, and safety function at manufacturing facilities, setting safety strategy, managing compliance with OSHA and environmental regulations, directing safety staff, and building the management systems and cultural practices that drive injury rates toward zero. They are accountable for safety performance metrics and serve as the primary regulatory interface for OSHA inspections and environmental reporting.

Manufacturing Sales Managers in manufacturing lead sales teams that sell industrial products, components, or equipment to OEMs, distributors, or end users. They set revenue targets, coach sales representatives, manage key accounts, develop pricing strategy, and work closely with engineering and operations to translate customer requirements into product and delivery commitments.

Manufacturing Shipping and Receiving Clerks process all inbound and outbound freight at manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and distribution centers. They verify incoming deliveries against purchase orders, prepare outbound shipments with accurate documentation, maintain shipping records, and coordinate with carriers and internal departments to keep material flow moving without delays.

Manufacturing Shipping Supervisors manage the outbound freight function at manufacturing facilities and distribution centers, overseeing shipping clerks, coordinating carrier pickups, verifying shipment accuracy, and ensuring on-time delivery performance to customers. They are accountable for shipping accuracy, documentation compliance, labor productivity, and safety on the dock.

Manufacturing Technical Support Specialists in manufacturing provide product and application support to customers, field sales teams, and distributors — diagnosing installation or performance issues, answering technical questions, resolving warranty claims, and feeding customer failure data back to engineering for product improvement. They bridge the gap between the factory's engineering knowledge and the customer's operational reality.

A Manufacturing Technician is the hands-on technical person on a production line: the one who runs trials, checks parts against the drawing, records process data and works with engineers to fix what keeps going wrong. BLS files this work under Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians, and O*NET now points its retired Manufacturing Production Technicians code to that occupation. In the manufacturing sector, BLS reports a median annual wage of $64,480 for the occupation as of May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $47,200 and the 90th at $96,150. Employers range from aerospace and auto parts plants to medical device and electronics makers.

A Manufacturing Warehouse Worker receives, stores, issues and ships the materials a factory runs on: raw stock and purchased components coming in, kits and replenishment going out to the production line, and finished goods going onto trucks. The job sits between purchasing, production and shipping, and it runs on an ERP or warehouse management system, RF scanners and powered industrial trucks. For pay, this page uses the BLS occupation Stockers and Order Fillers. In manufacturing, that occupation's May 2025 pay ran from $34,180 at the 10th percentile to $59,540 at the 90th, with a median of $44,680.

Manufacturing Welding Supervisors direct the daily work of welders and welder fabricators, ensuring that production schedules are met, weld quality meets specifications, safety rules are followed, and the welding team has the equipment, materials, and procedures needed to do the work. They combine hands-on welding knowledge with supervisory and administrative responsibilities.

A material handler keeps a factory supplied: receiving inbound freight, putting it away, feeding parts and raw stock to production lines, and moving finished goods to shipping. The role sits between the warehouse and the plant floor, usually reporting to a materials, logistics or shipping supervisor, and runs on scanners, pallet jacks and forklifts. O*NET lists material handler as a reported title for the federal occupation Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand. For that occupation, BLS reported a May 2025 median of $40,240, with the 10th percentile at $31,270 and the 90th at $55,140.

A material planner schedules the purchased parts and raw materials a factory needs, turning the production plan into dated purchase orders through MRP and keeping inventory lean without starving the line. The role sits between production control, purchasing and the warehouse, and the planner answers for both shortages and excess stock. BLS groups planners under production, planning, and expediting clerks; in manufacturing, that occupation's May 2025 pay ran from $41,770 at the 10th percentile to $88,850 at the 90th, with a median of $60,970. ERP fluency, clean master data and ASCM's CPIM credential carry from plant to plant.

A Materials Manager runs the flow of purchased parts and raw materials through a manufacturing plant, from the purchase order to the production line to the shipping dock. The role reports to a plant manager or operations director and leads buyers, planners, inventory analysts and warehouse staff. BLS does not report materials managers separately; its closest occupation, Purchasing Managers, earned a median of $136,610 in manufacturing in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $91,620 and $211,670. The job balances two pressures: keep the line supplied and keep inventory dollars down.

Mechanical Designers create detailed 3D models and 2D engineering drawings for mechanical parts, assemblies, and systems using CAD software. They translate engineering concepts and requirements into manufacturable designs — applying GD&T standards, material specifications, and manufacturing process knowledge to produce drawings that shops can actually build from. They work closely with engineers, machinists, and fabricators throughout the design and production process.

A Mechanical Engineer designs, analyzes and tests machines, tools, engines and thermal devices, then works with production teams so those designs can be built at volume and at cost. In manufacturing, the job spans product design, production equipment, tooling and fixtures, and failure investigation, sitting between R&D, quality and the shop floor. Day to day, the work runs from CAD models and simulation through prototype testing to the engineering change orders that put a revision on the floor. The national median was $104,110 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $73,990 and the 90th percentile at $164,340, according to federal wage data.

Mechanical Technicians build, test, install, maintain, and troubleshoot mechanical systems and equipment in manufacturing, R&D, and field service environments. They work from engineering drawings and specifications to assemble components, run functional tests, diagnose mechanical failures, and perform precision work that bridges the gap between engineering design and production reality.

Operations Directors lead manufacturing operations across multiple sites, product lines, or business units — owning the P&L, operational strategy, capital investment, and organizational development for their scope. They are the senior executive accountable for production output, operating costs, quality performance, and safety across large manufacturing organizations, bridging strategic direction from the C-suite with operational execution by plant managers and their teams.

An operations manager in manufacturing runs the production side of a plant: the crews, machines, schedule and spending that turn customer orders into shipped product. The seat usually sits above the shift supervisors and reports to a plant manager or a regional director of operations, with authority over production planning, staffing, maintenance coordination and the department budget. BLS files the work under Industrial Production Managers, where the May 2025 median wage was $126,060, the lowest 10 percent earned under $78,000 and the top 10 percent earned above $205,520. Success is measured on safety, quality, delivery and cost.

A Packaging Engineer designs, tests and specifies the containers, cases and pallet loads that carry manufactured goods from the plant to the customer. The role sits in packaging development, operations or R&D at food, pharmaceutical, consumer goods and industrial manufacturers, and at the converters that supply them. The engineer picks materials, builds samples, runs transit tests such as ISTA and ASTM D4169, writes specifications and supports line trials. BLS files the title under Industrial Engineers, whose May 2025 pay ran from $74,370 at the 10th percentile to $159,860 at the 90th, with a median of $102,440.

A Photonics Engineer designs devices and systems that generate, guide, modulate and detect light: silicon photonic integrated circuits, lasers, modulators, photodetectors, electro-optic sensors and the optical assemblies around them. In manufacturing, the job sits between physics and the fab, turning simulation results into layouts a foundry can build and a factory can package. BLS files the title under Engineers, All Other (SOC 17-2199); in computer and electronic product manufacturing, that group's May 2025 pay ran from $78,950 at the 10th percentile to $189,130 at the 90th, with a median of $125,950.

A Photonics Test Engineer builds and runs the measurement systems that prove photonic chips, lasers, modulators and optical modules work: wafer probers, fiber-alignment stages, optical spectrum analyzers and bit error rate testers tied together by test software. The job sits between device design and the factory floor, turning a specification into a test plan, a characterization data set and a production test station. BLS does not track the title, so pay is taken from Engineers, All Other in semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, where BLS put the May 2025 median at $132,760 and the 10th and 90th percentiles at $81,230 and $211,370.

Plant Engineers manage the engineering infrastructure of a manufacturing facility — equipment reliability, capital projects, utility systems, and regulatory compliance. They bridge the gap between production operations and engineering discipline, ensuring that the physical plant supports production targets at sustainable cost.

A Plant Human Resources Manager runs the HR function for a single factory or production site: hiring operators and technicians, administering union contracts or the employee handbook, handling discipline and investigations, and managing the leave, benefits and injury paperwork that a shift-based workforce generates. The role reports to the plant manager and to a corporate HR leader. BLS groups it with all human resources managers (SOC 11-3121) and does not report plant HR managers separately. In manufacturing, the occupation's May 2025 median wage was $145,680, with a 10th percentile of $94,650 and a 90th percentile of $240,270.

A Plant Maintenance Technician keeps a factory's production equipment, utilities and building systems running, working across mechanical, electrical and basic controls repairs instead of staying in one trade. The technician sits inside the plant maintenance department, takes work orders from a planner or supervisor, runs preventive maintenance routes and answers breakdown calls from the production floor. BLS classifies the title under Maintenance and Repair Workers, General. In manufacturing, that occupation's May 2025 pay ran from $42,380 at the 10th percentile to $81,680 at the 90th, with a median of $61,500.

A Plant Manager is the senior operations leader at a single manufacturing site, answerable for safety, quality, output, cost and the workforce inside the fence line. The job reports to a division or regional operations executive and directs the heads of production, maintenance, quality, engineering and site HR. BLS classifies it under Industrial Production Managers (SOC 11-3051), and O*NET lists plant manager among that occupation's reported job titles. For the occupation in the manufacturing sector, BLS put the May 2025 median wage at $125,280, with the 10th percentile at $78,120 and the 90th at $198,880. BLS does not report site heads separately from other production managers.

A Predictive Maintenance Engineer builds and runs the condition monitoring program that tells a plant which machines are degrading and how long they have before they fail. The role sits between reliability engineering and data analysis: it owns the sensors, the vibration, thermal and oil data, the alarm limits and the failure prediction models, and hands maintenance planners a ranked list of work. BLS does not report the title separately. Its closest occupation, Mechanical Engineers, paid a median of $104,110 in May 2025, with a 10th to 90th percentile range of $73,990 to $164,340.

A process engineer in manufacturing owns how a product gets made: the parameters, sequence, equipment settings and controls that turn raw material into parts meeting specification at the planned rate and cost. The role sits between production, quality and maintenance, and it usually reports into plant engineering or operations. O*NET lists process engineer among the reported job titles for industrial engineers, and BLS data for that occupation put the May 2025 median wage at $102,440, with the 10th percentile at $74,370 and the 90th at $159,860.

A Process Improvement Engineer is a manufacturing engineer who finds waste, variation and delay in plant processes and leads the projects that remove them, using lean tools such as value stream mapping, 5S and kanban alongside Six Sigma statistics. The role sits between production, quality and plant leadership, and O*NET lists continuous improvement engineer among the reported titles for its occupation, Industrial Engineers. In manufacturing, that occupation's May 2025 wages ran from $73,960 at the 10th percentile to $150,350 at the 90th, with a median of $101,160. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for industrial engineers.

Product Development Engineers design new products and improve existing ones, taking concepts from initial specification through prototyping, testing, and production launch. They work at the boundary between what customers need and what manufacturing can produce, translating requirements into physical designs that are functional, manufacturable, and cost-effective.

A Production Assistant in manufacturing is an entry-level floor helper who supports machine operators and production supervisors. The job covers staging components, moving material with hand trucks and pallet jacks, loading and unloading machines, counting and recording output, running cycle counts, and helping with changeovers under an operator's direction. It is the support layer of the line rather than a station owner or a scheduler. The closest BLS occupation is Helpers--Production Workers, and in the manufacturing sector the May 2025 wage survey put the occupation's median at $39,340, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $32,220 and $53,730.

A Production Associate in manufacturing is the hourly plant-floor worker who builds, packs, inspects and moves product through a factory's process, from fastening subassemblies on an auto parts cell to feeding a bottling or blister-pack line in a food or drug plant. The job reports to a team lead or line supervisor and works beside machine operators, material handlers and quality technicians. BLS does not report the title separately. For Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, the federal occupation that holds team assemblers, the May 2025 median wage in the manufacturing sector was $46,140, with the 10th percentile at $35,200 and the 90th at $69,780.

A Production Control Supervisor leads the manufacturing team that turns customer orders and forecasts into a buildable schedule: the planners, schedulers and expediters who release work orders, chase shortages and sequence jobs across work centers. The role sits between the shop floor, purchasing, sales and plant leadership, and owns the numbers on schedule attainment and on-time delivery. BLS does not report the title separately. For first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers in manufacturing, one of two occupations O*NET lists it under, the May 2025 median wage was $76,320, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $49,390 and $112,800.

A production coordinator keeps a manufacturing plant's schedule, materials and paperwork moving in step. The job sits between the planners who build the schedule and the supervisors who run the floor: releasing work orders, chasing late parts, updating ERP records and reporting where each job stands. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts the work under production, planning, and expediting clerks, an occupation that held 390,160 jobs in May 2025. National pay for that group runs from $40,080 at the 10th percentile to $86,000 at the 90th, with a median of $59,650. The desk is a plant office, close enough to walk the line when a job stalls.

A production engineer is the plant-floor engineer who keeps running manufacturing processes in specification: chasing down defects and downtime, adjusting equipment and settings, pushing changes through formal change control, and bringing new products onto lines that are already in operation. The role sits between production supervision and design or manufacturing engineering. BLS does not report production engineers separately; the nearest occupation is Industrial Engineers, which O*NET uses to house manufacturing engineers. In the manufacturing sector, that occupation paid $73,960 at the 10th percentile, $101,160 at the median and $150,350 at the 90th percentile in May 2025.

A production manager runs the manufacturing output of a plant or a defined part of one: a department, a product line, a shift. The role sits between the plant manager and the front-line supervisors, and it owns the numbers the floor lives by: schedule attainment, scrap, labor cost and safety. BLS classifies the job as industrial production manager, an occupation that employed 246,250 people in May 2025. Pay runs from $78,000 at the 10th percentile to $205,520 at the 90th, with a median of $126,060. BLS notes that the job usually requires years in supervisory or other leadership roles, and some managers start as production workers.

A production operator runs the machines and lines that turn raw material into finished goods: filling lines in a food plant, extruders in a plastics shop, reactors and blenders in a chemical or pharmaceutical facility. The job sits on the plant floor between material handlers and maintenance technicians, reporting to a shift supervisor or lead operator. Operators set up equipment, hold the process inside its specification, check product at set intervals and record what the line produced. BLS does not track the title on its own; for packaging and filling machine operators and tenders, a close operator category, its May 2025 wage survey put the median at $43,220, with the 10th percentile at $33,390 and the 90th at $60,030.

A production planner decides what a factory builds, in what order and on which line, turning customer orders, forecasts and material availability into a schedule the plant can actually run. The role sits between sales, purchasing and the shop floor, inside a production control or supply chain group, and much of the day is spent in the ERP system's MRP and scheduling screens. BLS counts planners under Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks; in manufacturing, that occupation's May 2025 pay ran from $41,770 at the 10th percentile to $88,850 at the 90th, with a median of $60,970.

A Production Scheduler in manufacturing turns released work orders into a timed, machine-by-machine sequence that the plant floor can run shift by shift. The job sits in production control, between the planners who decide what to build and the supervisors who run the lines, and it is judged on whether the schedule holds. BLS files the title under production, planning, and expediting clerks; in the manufacturing sector that occupation earned a median of $60,970 in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $41,770 and $88,850. Schedulers work in food, metal, electronics, pharmaceutical and aerospace plants alike.

Production Supervisors manage a team of production operators during a shift, ensuring that safety, quality, output, and housekeeping standards are met. They are the first-line management layer in manufacturing, the person accountable when a shift misses schedule, generates a quality issue, or has a safety incident, and the person who develops and holds accountable the hourly workforce on their team. The role demands consistent application of standards, real-time intervention when performance deviates, and thorough documentation of every shift event, from downtime logs to corrective action records. Supervisors who apply the same expectations to every team member build credibility faster than those who are unpredictable, and they coordinate with maintenance, quality, and material replenishment to keep the shift on target.

Quality Assurance Analysts design and run the inspection plans, audits, and nonconformance processes that verify manufactured products match design specifications and regulatory requirements. They pull production data to trace defects to a root cause, write corrective action reports, and work with engineering and operations to close the gap between what was planned and what actually got built. As machine vision and inline measurement systems take over repetitive visual checks, the job is shifting toward configuring those systems, validating their output, and investigating the defects that still slip through.

A quality assurance technician checks incoming materials, parts in process and finished goods against drawings and specifications, records what the gauges say, and holds anything that fails until engineering decides what happens to it. BLS counts the job within Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers (SOC 51-9061), and O*NET lists QA Technician (Quality Assurance Technician) among that occupation's reported titles. In manufacturing, which employed 382,920 people in the occupation in May 2025, BLS put the median wage at $49,270, with the 10th percentile at $36,960 and the 90th at $77,090. The work sits between production, which wants parts moving, and quality engineering, which owns the rules.

A Quality Engineer in manufacturing designs the controls that keep defective parts from being made or shipped: failure mode analyses, control plans, measurement system studies, capability studies, and corrective action. The role sits between production, design engineering, suppliers, and the customer's quality team, and usually reports to a plant or division quality manager. BLS does not track quality engineers as a separate occupation; O*NET files the title under Industrial Engineers, where the May 2025 median wage was $102,440, with the 10th percentile at $74,370 and the 90th at $159,860. The standards a plant is audited against shape much of the daily work.

A Quality Inspector in manufacturing decides whether incoming material, parts in process and finished products match the drawing, the specification and the customer's requirements, then records that decision so it survives an audit. The work happens at the receiving dock, at checkpoints on the line and at final inspection, with calipers, micrometers, gauges and electronic test equipment. The job maps to SOC 51-9061, where O*NET records Quality Inspector as a reported title. For the manufacturing sector, BLS May 2025 data put the occupation's median wage at $49,270, the 10th percentile at $36,960 and the 90th percentile at $77,090.

A Quality Manager in manufacturing owns a plant's quality management system: the procedures, internal audits, corrective actions, supplier controls and customer quality commitments that keep a site certified and its products shipping. The role directs the inspectors, technicians and quality engineers who carry out that system day to day and reports results to plant leadership. O*NET files quality manager and quality assurance manager under quality control systems managers, which BLS counts within industrial production managers. Its May 2025 pay in the manufacturing sector ran from $78,120 at the 10th percentile to $198,880 at the 90th, with a median of $125,280.

A robotics technician installs, programs, troubleshoots and repairs the industrial robots and automated cells on a factory floor: the arm, its controller and teach pendant, the end-of-arm tooling, the safety devices and the conveyors and PLC-driven equipment around it. The job sits between plant maintenance and the engineers who design the cell, and the work is hands-on and done on the production schedule. BLS counts the job inside electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians; in manufacturing, that occupation earned a median of $70,810 in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $49,610 and $100,740.

A Semiconductor Process Engineer owns one or more steps inside a wafer fab, such as thin-film deposition, plasma etch or chemical mechanical planarization, and answers for keeping that step on target, stable and high-yielding. The engineer writes and tunes tool recipes, runs designed experiments, watches control charts and chases defects back to a root cause with equipment, integration and yield teams. BLS has no line for the title. Its closest fit, Engineers, All Other working in semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, earned a May 2025 median of $132,760, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $81,230 and $211,370.

Senior Manufacturing Engineers lead technically complex process development, capital equipment justification, and production improvement initiatives at manufacturing facilities. They mentor junior engineers, own significant capital projects, drive cost reduction programs, and serve as the technical authority on process capability and manufacturing feasibility for new and existing products.

Senior Manufacturing Project Managers in manufacturing lead the most complex, high-value, or strategically important projects at a facility or across multiple sites — capital expansions, new product program launches, facility relocations, ERP implementations, or major customer program wins. They manage cross-functional teams, substantial budgets, tight schedules, and senior stakeholder relationships simultaneously.

Senior Mechanical Engineers lead the design and development of complex mechanical systems and products, providing technical direction to project teams, mentoring junior engineers, and taking ownership of design decisions from concept through production. They apply advanced analysis, testing methodology, and design for manufacturability principles to solve problems that exceed the scope of less experienced engineers.

A Senior Process Engineer in manufacturing owns how a product gets made: the recipe, equipment settings, control strategy and qualification evidence behind each production step, plus the hardest problems when a step drifts. The role sits above process engineers on the technical ladder and below principal engineers or engineering managers, working daily with quality, operations, maintenance and R&D. BLS does not report senior process engineers separately. Industrial engineers, one of the occupations O*NET lists process engineer under, earned a national median of $102,440 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $74,370 and the 90th at $159,860.

Supplier Quality Engineers manage the quality performance of a manufacturer's supply chain: qualifying new suppliers, approving production parts, conducting supplier audits, managing corrective actions on nonconforming incoming material, and building the supplier quality systems that prevent defects from entering the production line. The role combines technical quality engineering depth with direct supplier-facing relationship management, and ASQ recognizes it as a distinct credentialed specialty through its Certified Supplier Quality Professional (CSQP) certification, separate from the general Certified Quality Engineer track. Most SQEs split their week between desk-based PPAP review and travel to supplier plants.

A Supply Chain Analyst in manufacturing turns ERP, purchasing and inventory data into decisions about what a plant buys, stocks and builds. The analyst sits between buyers, planners, finance and plant leadership, building supplier scorecards, MRP reviews, landed cost models and shortage investigations. Federal statistics count the title within Logisticians, and O*NET lists supply chain analyst as a reported title for logistics analysts. In May 2025, BLS reported that logisticians in manufacturing earned a median of $83,990, with the 10th percentile at $54,660 and the 90th at $131,710. The work suits people who like reconciling data with what is physically on the shelf.

A Supply Chain Manager in manufacturing runs the flow of materials and finished goods for a plant or business unit, tying purchasing, production planning, inventory, warehousing and freight into one plan that keeps the lines running and orders shipping. The role reports into operations or a supply chain director and works daily with sales, finance and quality. O*NET files Supply Chain Managers under Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers, and BLS does not report them separately. In manufacturing, that occupation paid a median of $117,660 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $71,760 and the 90th at $199,910.

A Tool and Die Maker builds and repairs the dies, molds and related tooling that production machines use to cut, stamp and shape metal and plastic parts. The work sits in the toolroom of a stamping plant, mold shop or contract tool builder, one step upstream of the press line: reading the CAD model, machining die sections on CNC and manual equipment, fitting the components by hand, and proving the finished tool on a tryout press. BLS reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $64,050 for tool and die makers, with the 10th percentile at $44,680 and the 90th at $92,680.

A Tool Maker builds, repairs and calibrates the production aids a factory runs on: drill jigs, weld and assembly fixtures, inspection gauges, special cutting tools and one-off machines that let other workers make parts. The job sits in the toolroom, between the manufacturing engineers who define a part and the machinists and assemblers who produce it. O*NET lists Tool Maker as a reported title within the Tool and Die Makers occupation, and BLS reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $64,050 for that occupation, with the 10th percentile at $44,680 and the 90th at $92,680.

A Warehouse Manager runs a storage facility or distribution center: receiving, put-away, storage, picking, packing and shipping, plus the people, equipment and inventory records behind them. In a manufacturing company the role sits between purchasing, production and customer shipping, controlling raw materials coming in and finished goods going out. BLS counts the job inside Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers. In the Warehousing and Storage industry, that occupation paid a median of $99,330 in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $75,540 and $165,720.

Welders join metal components by applying controlled heat and filler material using MIG, TIG, stick, flux-core, and other arc welding processes. They work from blueprints and weld procedure specifications across industries including manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding, pipeline, and aerospace, producing welds that must meet visual and sometimes radiographic or ultrasonic inspection standards.

A welder fabricator turns plate, tube and structural shapes into finished assemblies, handling layout, cutting, fit-up, welding and finishing from a single drawing. The job sits on the floor of fabricated metal shops, machinery plants and structural steel fabricators, between the engineer who issues the print and the inspector who signs off on the welds. BLS classifies the work under welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers. In May 2025 that occupation's national median wage was $53,750, with the 10th percentile at $39,240 and the 90th percentile at $77,530.