What does a manufacturing associate engineer do?
An associate manufacturing engineer is in charge of creating methods and strategies to optimize the design and development of manufacturing procedures, typically working alongside manufacturing engineers. Among their responsibilities include performing research and analysis, establishing guidelines and specifications, monitoring the budgets and processes, conducting maintenance checks, and keeping an active communication line with team members for a smooth and efficient workflow. Furthermore, an associate manufacturing engineer must promote and enforce the company's safety policies and regulations.
Manufacturing associate engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real manufacturing associate engineer resumes:
- Lead several independent, cross-functional projects and improve manufacturing quality, reduce cost, ensure environment are supported and FDA compliant.
- Design assemblies and components using Solidworks and Catia V5.
- Perform internal quality audits to ensure FDA and ISO compliance.
- Analyze and trend test data by using SPC to determine engine reliability.
- Perform job functions in accordance with applicable GMP, FDA and ISO standards.
- Provide support for new equipment design and procurement utilizing SolidWorks.
- Review, troubleshoot and implement improve part manufacturing processing from machining through final assembly procedures for aerospace components.
- Plan and execute validation protocols including IQ, OQ and PQ.
- Perform validation of tooling and test equipment used for production support, using IQ, OQ, and PQ methods.
- Direct repair of OEM own tooling.
- Provide post sales technical support for a large OEM customer.
- Develop global NPI engineering guidelines for contract manufacturing partners and international inventory and supply plans.
Manufacturing associate engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Manufacturing Associate Engineers are proficient in Process Control, CAD, and Continuous Improvement. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Manufacturing Associate Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Process Control, 8%
Trained production workers in statistical process control and continuous improvement methods.
- CAD, 7%
Supported manufacturing engineering team with CAD updates, project schedules, and stamping information in SharePoint site.
- Continuous Improvement, 7%
Completed continuous improvement projects, equipment replacement, operator training, and design reviews.
- Lean Manufacturing, 6%
Reorganized tooling and fixtures to improve overall process capabilities to achieve and sustain a lean manufacturing environment.
- CNC, 5%
Write custom CNC macro programs for 3 and 5 axis milling applications.
- Engineering Drawings, 5%
Worked from Engineering Drawings and Bills of Material to develop manufacturing methodology for circuit board production.
Common skills that a manufacturing associate engineer uses to do their job include "process control," "cad," and "continuous improvement." You can find details on the most important manufacturing associate engineer responsibilities below.
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a manufacturing associate engineer to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." Additionally, a manufacturing associate engineer resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "conduct studies pertaining to cost control, cost reduction, inventory control and production record system. "
Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling manufacturing associate engineer duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff." According to a manufacturing associate engineer resume, here's how manufacturing associate engineers can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "communicated with pc board vendors to take corrective actions to make quality improvements. "
Math skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of manufacturing associate engineers is math skills. This skill is critical to many everyday manufacturing associate engineer duties, as "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "developed and implemented format for fibersim geometry in catia v5 r17. "
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what manufacturing associate engineers do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to manufacturing associate engineer responsibilities because "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical manufacturing associate engineer tasks: "conducted time studies in the production floor, which solved the labor variance problem that was puzzling the industrial engineers. "
Speaking skills. Another crucial skill for a manufacturing associate engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "speaking skills." A big part of what manufacturing associate engineers relies on this skill, since "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." How this skill relates to manufacturing associate engineer duties can be seen in an example from a manufacturing associate engineer resume snippet: "developed the 747-8i mesow by reviewing boeing blueprints/engineering drawings -represented sub-assembly me department in company meetings, responding to production questions/issues. "
Writing skills. While "writing skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to manufacturing associate engineer responsibilities. Much of what a manufacturing associate engineer does relies on this skill, seeing as "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of manufacturing associate engineers: "transferred autocad drawing into cnc database, troubleshooting and rewriting g code as necessary. "
See the full list of manufacturing associate engineer skills
The three companies that hire the most manufacturing associate engineers are:
- Northrop Grumman10 manufacturing associate engineers jobs
- Quest Global9 manufacturing associate engineers jobs
- Lockheed Martin7 manufacturing associate engineers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable manufacturing associate engineer resume templates
Build a professional manufacturing associate engineer resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your manufacturing associate engineer resume.
Compare different manufacturing associate engineers
Manufacturing associate engineer vs. Design engineer internship
When it comes to a design engineer internship, an intern is primarily responsible for performing support tasks while under the supervision and directives of a manager or a more experienced engineer. Their duties typically revolve around processing documents, updating records and populating databases, responding to inquiries and correspondence, running errands, sharing insights, and even participating in designing projects. Furthermore, as an intern, it is essential to report to the supervising manager and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between manufacturing associate engineers and design engineer internship. For instance, manufacturing associate engineer responsibilities require skills such as "process control," "cad," "continuous improvement," and "lean manufacturing." Whereas a design engineer internship is skilled in "python," "level analysis," "c++," and "verilog." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Design engineer interns earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $62,117. On the other hand, manufacturing associate engineers are paid more in the automotive industry with an average salary of $76,235.design engineer interns tend to reach higher levels of education than manufacturing associate engineers. In fact, design engineer interns are 6.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Manufacturing associate engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that manufacturing associate engineer responsibilities requires skills like "process control," "continuous improvement," "lean manufacturing," and "engineering drawings." But an engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #."
On average, engineers earn a higher salary than manufacturing associate engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, engineers earn the most pay in the automotive industry with an average salary of $97,672. Whereas manufacturing associate engineers have higher pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $76,235.engineers earn higher levels of education than manufacturing associate engineers in general. They're 7.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for manufacturing associate engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Richard Onyancha
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Department Head, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Manufacturing associate engineer vs. Process engineer internship
A process engineering intern performs various tasks for an organization. These include collaborating with the technical team on cost savings, process efficiency improvements, and technology advancement, attending meetings with leadership teams, and participating in customer trials. Additionally, they may assist with the leadership or management teams in creating standard operating procedures. They are responsible for coordinating with engineers and work on projects assigned by the leadership. Ideal candidates for this role must have a degree in mechanical or industrial engineering, excellent communication skills, and knowledge and experience in process observation.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a manufacturing associate engineer is likely to be skilled in "process control," "engineering drawings," "quality standards," and "shop floor," while a typical process engineer internship is skilled in "process engineering," "powerpoint," "python," and "c++."
Process engineer interns typically earn higher educational levels compared to manufacturing associate engineers. Specifically, they're 7.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Manufacturing associate engineer vs. Development engineer
A Development Engineer is responsible for the development and validation of products, systems, and components. They are also responsible for quality control of work and continuous improvement of engineer activities.
Types of manufacturing associate engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
