How To Become A Contractor, Manufacturing Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a contractor, manufacturing engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Michael Buechler

The average contractor, manufacturing engineer salary is $88,040. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an mechanical engineering major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a contractor, manufacturing engineer. Contractor, manufacturing engineers with a Six Sigma Green Belt certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 30,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a contractor, manufacturing engineer?

Michael Buechler

Professor Manufacturing Technology

I counsel my students to know their worth and know the job market. Most important is starting out in a position that challenges you and provides training for future wage and skill growth. Many graduates can get caught in a job that pays the bills but may not provide a path to the next career step. Be ambitious and seek to attain the advanced skills quickly but keep in mind the field is complex and there is a lot to learn. If you are in a high wage position but it does not provide the training or room for advancement it might not be the best career option.

ScoreContractor, Manufacturing EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.9

Avg. Salary $88,040

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 10.26%

Black or African American 4.76%

Hispanic or Latino 11.71%

Unknown 3.95%

White 69.15%

Gender

female 13.13%

male 86.87%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a contractor, manufacturing engineer

Explore contractor, manufacturing engineer education requirements

Most common contractor, manufacturing engineer degrees

Bachelor's

70.6 %

Associate

14.3 %

Master's

9.8 %

Start to develop specific contractor, manufacturing engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Assembly Line	5.67%
Test Procedures	5.26%
R	5.11%
Shop Floor	4.89%
Lean Manufacturing	4.52%

Complete relevant contractor, manufacturing engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New contractor, manufacturing 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 a contractor, manufacturing engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real contractor, manufacturing engineer resumes.

Research contractor, manufacturing engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage implementation of improve paste compounding (including extrusion) process.
Analyze machining departments & provide complete & comprehensive written plan for short run CNC facility.
Convert CNC programming from a batch system to an on-demand nesting process, resulting in reduce setups.
Prepare soil data in geotechnical software and graphical figures to be used and review by professional engineering project managers.

Prepare your contractor, manufacturing engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your contractor, manufacturing 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 a contractor, manufacturing 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 contractor, manufacturing engineer resume templates

Build a professional contractor, manufacturing 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 contractor, manufacturing engineer resume.

Apply for contractor, manufacturing engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a contractor, manufacturing 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 contractor, manufacturing engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Contractor, manufacturing engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

The diversity of tasks, interaction with all stakeholders, continuous learning process, communication. Allows great progression in many technical skills

Cons

Stakeholders missing deadlines

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019