How To Become A Cold Header Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cold header operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a cold header operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.07 an hour? That's $62,538 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCold Header OperatorUS Average

Salary

4.9

Avg. Salary $62,538

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 2.31%

Black or African American 9.74%

Hispanic or Latino 12.05%

Unknown 2.82%

White 72.31%

Gender

female 1.49%

male 98.51%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cold header operator

Explore cold header operator education requirements

Most common cold header operator degrees

High School Diploma

47.8 %

Bachelor's

21.7 %

Diploma

21.7 %

Start to develop specific cold header operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Calipers	62.45%
Grinders	18.64%
SPC	16.53%
Formax	2.38%

Complete relevant cold header operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cold header operators 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 a cold header operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cold header operator resumes.

Research cold header operator duties and responsibilities

Use measuring equipment (calipers, micrometers, etc . )
Enforce QMS compliance fulfilling BSI regulate certification.
Maintain parts to blue-print specifications using micrometers, vernier calipers and measuring gages.
Enforce QMS compliance fulfilling BSI regulate certification.

Prepare your cold header operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cold header operator 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 a cold header operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable cold header operator resume templates

Build a professional cold header operator 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 cold header operator resume.