How To Become An Associate Process Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is an associate process engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Associate process engineers help organizations optimize their business operations by developing efficient machinery and equipment. To do this, they conduct research on relevant technology, determine weaknesses in operations through thorough analyses, develop strategies to increase performance, and then creating or suggesting equipment to meet improvement goals.

Besides these duties, an associate process engineer may also be responsible for installing new equipment or components, testing new systems, revolving malfunctions, and leading the maintenance of equipment and machines. Aside from helping optimize business processes, a big part of their job is to also help ensure the safety of everyone in the workplace.

Before you can become an associate process engineer, you must have an engineering degree in a field that is relevant to your chosen industry of employment. Depending on your employer, you may also need to hold a state license to practice engineering. Furthermore, prior work experience may also be a requirement.

On average, associate process engineers make $81,000 per year, much like other types of engineers. You can find plenty of opportunities in the manufacturing industry, but you can also consider automotive and technology companies.

ScoreAssociate Process EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.2

Avg. Salary $79,046

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 20.38%

Black or African American 3.84%

Hispanic or Latino 9.87%

Unknown 5.63%

White 59.90%

Gender

female 29.34%

male 70.66%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an associate process engineer

Explore associate process engineer education requirements

Most common associate process engineer degrees

Bachelor's

76.4 %

Associate

11.9 %

Master's

7.2 %

Start to develop specific associate process engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Process Engineering	8.42%
Lean Manufacturing	7.11%
Continuous Improvement	5.36%
Process Improvement	5.29%
Sigma	5.10%

Complete relevant associate process engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate process engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an associate process engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate process engineer resumes.

Research associate process engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead and assist maintenance in resolving equipment malfunctions, troubleshoot process problems, and organize and implement preventative maintenance procedures.
Develop and characterize one-off GMP process equipment.
Conduct experiments and testing on non woven media and perform thorough statistical analysis using Minitab software.
Update facility maps on AutoCAD.

Prepare your associate process engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your associate process engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an associate process engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable associate process engineer resume templates

Build a professional associate process engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your associate process engineer resume.

Apply for associate process engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an associate process engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do associate process engineers rate their job?

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Associate process engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

Being on the field doing running inspections and learning from the technicians

Cons

Being expose to bad weather that compromise the safety of operations.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019