What Does a Packaging Operator Do?

The primary job of a packaging operator is to take the finished product and ensure that it is packaged based on the company and industry standards. You will be responsible for operating the machinery used in packaging and conducting routine inspection and preventative equipment maintenance. Other duties include product labeling, troubleshooting equipment issues on time to prevent delays, and completing packaging orders on time. As a packaging operator, you are also responsible for ensuring compliance with safety standards and operational policies.

Take a few minutes to create or upgrade your resume. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Packaging Operator resume.

Packaging Operator Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real packaging operator resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Manage the receipt and tracking of control substances as well as the DEA biennial inspection.
Print, inspect and fill iv bags.
Use of calipers and plug gauge for machine measuring.
Print and complete all paperwork according to DEA regulations.
Fill iv bags with solution clean very sanitary place.
Participate in basic ISO training for all hourly and salary employees.
Operate and monitor packaging machine and support machines for dry pet food.
Skil operator of granulators, sifters, dryers, stokes and forklifts.
Maintain area cleanliness in compliance with state and local hygiene laws and procedures.
Assure cGMP and good document practices (GDP's) are follow daily.
Mount supplies on spindles and place supplies in hopper or other feeding devices.
Utilize PPE and aseptic techniques to execute filling and packaging of clinical supplies in clean room environments.
make sure there are no dents, cap/ straw placement is correct according to SQF standards).
Measure, with calipers and scoops, mill human bone grafts and bone powder in the clean rooms.
Utilize various regulations such as DOD 4500.9R and AFI 24-203 in the movement of military property and equipment.

Packaging Operator Job Description

A packaging operator annual salary averages $34,269, which breaks down to $16.48 an hour. However, packaging operators can earn anywhere from upwards of $27,000 to $42,000 a year. This means that the top-earning packaging operators make $15,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

Once you've become a packaging operator, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a cell operator, lining machine operator, technical machine operator, and filler operator.

Learn More About Packaging Operator Job Descriptions

Find Better Talent in Less Time

Post a Job on Zippia and take the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Packaging Operator Jobs You Might Like

12 Packaging Operator Resume Examples

Build a professional packaging operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your packaging operator resume.


David Hawkins Packaging Operator Contact Information Moultrie, GA (530) 555-4711 dhawkins@example.com Skills FDA Debone Product Quality Assembly Line Inspect Parts Usda Poultry Products Raw Materials Customer Orders Safety Standards Employment History Packaging Operator 2018 - Present Sanderson Farms Moultrie, GA Worked on an industrial food processing assembly line with a team of workers. Obtain, move, and sort products, materials, containers, and orders, using hand tools. Assemble, line, and pad cartons, crates, and containers, using hand tools. Set up machinery and ensure all production materials are available. Maintain accurate batch records required for various processes. Handle Machine Operator 2017 - 2018 Sanderson Farms Moultrie, GA Work on a assembly line with chicken meat passing by making sure the meat is straight. Transferred fresh and frozen poultry between loading and unloading, processing, and storage areas. Deboner 2016 - 2017 Sanderson Farms Moultrie, GA Cut meat away from bone as it goes down the assembly line. cut chicken parts off chicken and debone them on a line. Pack breast at a rate of 52 pieces a meat per minute on an assembly line. Position chickens to pull varies parts off of like breast,legs,tenders and also debone each breast for bones Education High School Diploma 2016 - 2016


Arthur Greene Packaging Operator Contact Info New York, NY (720) 555-2906 agreene@example.com Skills Safety StandardsAutomotive PartsAssembly LineFood ProductsDifferent DepartmentsRight OrderRaw MaterialsProceduresSurface MountEmergency Employment History Packaging Operator 2018 - Present Pfizer New York, NY End of order completion to include batch records. Maintained records and logs in compliance with regulatory requirements and performed inspection and quality checks, verifying component and product. Packaging Specialist 2016 - 2018 Apple New York, NY Inspired a whole new generation of Apple enthusiasts with our training and support services. Train customers in 1-1 training sessions on Apple products and software. Encouraged to be well knowledge with product knowledge and all products Recommended and sold Apple products to customers * Taught classes and workshops on weekends Assembly Line Operator 2014 - 2016 Ford Motor Company Dearborn, MI Perform product manufacturing tasks on assembly lines. Assembled cars on assembly line using power tools. Assist the factory manager in planning assembly lines that ensure time and cost effectiveness. Needed the ability to work in a fast paced assembly line environment and to multitask. Education High School Diploma 2014 - 2014


Keith Freeman Packaging Operator Clayton, NC (950) 555-8686 kfreeman@example.com Experience Packaging Operator2020 - Present Hospira•Clayton, NC Stay up to date on iso training Watch assembly line for reject bags and remove them from the line. Learn ISO train technique and procedures. Keep equipment supplied with product, clear jams and or misfeeds to meet production goals. Lining Machine Operator2016 - 2020 Michelin•Columbia, SC Run top quality product In a production environment * Forklift operator * MET Team Member Planned, directed, coordinated and assigned manpower to meet aggressive production schedules. Prepare tooling for changeovers using hand tools and measuring tools. Load and unload machines, Quality checks, keep machine running hitting a target amount daily, and small maintenance Die Caster Operate aluminum molding and casting, machines to mold or cast metal products. Run the assembly line where we made large containers for toxic chemicals. Truck Unloader2015 - 2016 Walmart•Columbia, SC Stock shelves with merchandise when needed. Stock shelves Loaded and unloaded pieces into boxes for shipment. Attend to customer service needs in a friendly and helpful manner when approached. Skills Order InformationProduct QualityCustomer ServiceSafety StandardsQuality StandardsLoad PackagesISOSize ChangesHeavy MachineryOral Instructions Education High School Diploma 2015 - 2015

Create My Resume

Build a professional resume in minutes using this template.

Packaging Operator Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 9% of Packaging Operators are proficient in Basic Math, Math, and GMP.

We break down the percentage of Packaging Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Basic Math, 9%
Glue boxesfor nutrition bar filling, use basic math skills to correctly package nutrition bars.
Math, 8%
Solve math equations quickly and accurately without calculator.
GMP, 8%
Worked independently as well as a team in a GMP manufacturing/packaging environment.
Quality Checks, 5%
Monitor and accurately record production line quality checks as required Visually monitor product and packing to maintain its quality and integrity.
Safety Procedures, 4%
Adhered to Health and safety procedures OH and S Act, and followed the proper use of process equipment.
Pallets, 4%
Hand-stacked product onto pallets in a fast-paced, team oriented environment using automated packaging equipment.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Packaging Operator Resume templates

Build a professional Packaging 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 Packaging Operator resume.

"basic math," "math," and "gmp" aren't the only skills we found packaging operators list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of packaging operator responsibilities that we found, including:

See the full list of packaging operator skills.

Before becoming a packaging operator, 24.1% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 2.0% packaging operators went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, some packaging operators have a college degree. But about one out of every three packaging operators didn't attend college at all.

The packaging operators who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied business and general studies, while a small population of packaging operators studied criminal justice and biology.

Once you've obtained the level of education you're comfortable with, you might start applying to companies to become a packaging operator. We've found that most packaging operator resumes include experience from FedEx, TPI, and Anheuser-Busch. Of recent, FedEx had 2,482 positions open for packaging operators. Meanwhile, there are 33 job openings at TPI and 27 at Anheuser-Busch.

But if you're interested in companies where you might earn a high salary, packaging operators tend to earn the biggest salaries at Nestlé, SunOpta, and BD. Take Nestlé for example. The median packaging operator salary is $46,808. At SunOpta, packaging operators earn an average of $46,332, while the average at BD is $45,906. You should take into consideration how difficult it might be to secure a job with one of these companies.

View more details on packaging operator salaries across the United States.

If you earned a degree from the top 100 educational institutions in the United States, you might want to take a look at FedEx, Metro Chrysler Centre, and Eli Lilly and Company. These three companies have hired a significant number of packaging operators from these institutions.

The industries that packaging operators fulfill the most roles in are the transportation and manufacturing industries. But the highest packaging operator annual salary is in the manufacturing industry, averaging $39,011. In the finance industry they make $38,891 and average about $38,255 in the pharmaceutical industry. In conclusion, packaging operators who work in the manufacturing industry earn a 8.9% higher salary than packaging operators in the professional industry.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious packaging operators are:

FedEx2,482 Packaging Operators Jobs
TPI33 Packaging Operators Jobs
Anheuser-Busch27 Packaging Operators Jobs

Build a professional resume in minutes.

Our AI resume builder helps you write a compelling and relevant resume for the jobs you want. See 10+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Don't Have A Professional Resume?

What Cell Operators Do

A Cell Operator is someone who handles a production cell in a company or factory. This position ensures that a cell unit of the production functions properly and efficiently. The position also does other miscellaneous tasks related to production, such as inspection, sorting, and other assembly operations, depending on the type of company, business, or manufactured product. This person generally has strong organizational and problem-solving skills and has a knack for troubleshooting.

In this section, we compare the average packaging operator annual salary with that of a cell operator. Typically, cell operators earn a $3,597 higher salary than packaging operators earn annually.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both packaging operators and cell operators positions are skilled in math, gmp, and quality checks.

There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a packaging operator responsibilities require skills like "basic math," "pallets," "safety rules," and "dexterity." Meanwhile a typical cell operator has skills in areas such as "cnc," "calipers," "micrometers," and "light fixtures." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

Cell operators tend to make the most money in the technology industry by averaging a salary of $41,770. In contrast, packaging operators make the biggest average salary of $39,011 in the manufacturing industry.

The education levels that cell operators earn is a bit different than that of packaging operators. In particular, cell operators are 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a packaging operator. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Lining Machine Operator?

A filler operator works with the packaging end of a production line. The filler's task is to fill containers with the required number of products before packaging and shipping. The filler also operates filling machines and makes the necessary adjustments to ensure consistency. They are also responsible for inventory and maintenance of filling process equipment. They must work well under pressure and be scrupulously accurate.

Next up, we have the lining machine operator profession to look over. This career brings along a higher average salary when compared to a packaging operator annual salary. In fact, lining machine operators salary difference is $1,944 higher than the salary of packaging operators per year.

A similarity between the two careers of packaging operators and lining machine operators are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "basic math," "gmp," and "quality checks. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that packaging operator responsibilities requires skills like "math," "pallets," "dexterity," and "hand tools." But a lining machine operator might use skills, such as, "product quality," "machine operation," "cnc," and "line production."

It's been discovered that lining machine operators earn higher salaries compared to packaging operators, but we wanted to find out where lining machine operators earned the most pay. The answer? The automotive industry. The average salary in the industry is $39,210. Additionally, packaging operators earn the highest paychecks in the manufacturing with an average salary of $39,011.

On the topic of education, lining machine operators earn similar levels of education than packaging operators. In general, they're 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Technical Machine Operator Compares

Let's now take a look at the technical machine operator profession. On average, these workers make lower salaries than packaging operators with a $457 difference per year.

While looking through the resumes of several packaging operators and technical machine operators we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "basic math," "math," and "gmp," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a packaging operator is likely to be skilled in "pallets," "safety rules," "dexterity," and "hand tools," while a typical technical machine operator is skilled in "cnc," "machine operation," "continuous improvement," and "trouble shoot."

Additionally, technical machine operators earn a higher salary in the manufacturing industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $35,834. Additionally, packaging operators earn an average salary of $39,011 in the manufacturing industry.

When it comes to education, technical machine operators tend to earn similar education levels than packaging operators. In fact, they're 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Filler Operator

Filler operators tend to earn a higher pay than packaging operators by about $3,460 per year.

According to resumes from both packaging operators and filler operators, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "basic math," "math," and "gmp. "

Each job requires different skills like "dexterity," "hand tools," "data entry," and "preventative maintenance," which might show up on a packaging operator resume. Whereas filler operator might include skills like "food safety," "restraints," "ppe," and "filling equipment."

In general, filler operators make a higher salary in the health care industry with an average of $41,472. The highest packaging operator annual salary stems from the manufacturing industry.

In general, filler operators reach similar levels of education when compared to packaging operators resumes. Filler operators are 1.3% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020