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

What is a fermentation 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 fermentation operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.25 an hour? That's $42,116 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -8,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreFermentation OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,116

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.58%

Asian 1.46%

Black or African American 8.36%

Hispanic or Latino 17.04%

Unknown 4.89%

White 67.67%

Gender

female 8.70%

male 91.30%

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

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a fermentation operator

Explore fermentation operator education requirements

Most common fermentation operator degrees

Bachelor's

46.7 %

High School Diploma

22.2 %

Associate

17.8 %

Start to develop specific fermentation operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Harvest	57.96%
Fermenters	12.04%
GMP	7.51%
PLC	5.97%
Process Equipment	3.95%

Complete relevant fermentation operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fermentation 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 fermentation operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fermentation operator resumes.

Research fermentation operator duties and responsibilities

Manage distillation process to determine product specification compliance, and prepare unit for shutdown or turnaround process.
Monitor equipment and process; troubleshoot mechanical and electrical problems that affect quality or production and direct maintenance in repairs.
Move to the assembly department building electrical panels, installing electrical panels, installing various electrical devices on new centrifuges.

Prepare your fermentation operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fermentation 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 fermentation 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 fermentation operator resume templates

Build a professional fermentation 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 fermentation operator resume.