How to hire a process improvement engineer

How to hire a process improvement engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step process improvement engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a process improvement engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new process improvement engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a process improvement engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The process improvement engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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   Hiring the perfect process improvement engineer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of process improvement engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Process Improvement Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Process Improvement Engineer	Industrial engineers find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. They devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service.	$29-52
   Industrial Engineering Internship	An industrial engineer intern is a student working in a company to do industrial engineering tasks. Industrial engineering interns assist industrial engineers... Show more	$13-25
   Manufacturing Engineering Internship	A manufacturing engineering intern is responsible for assisting the manufacturing engineers on the plant's daily operations, analyzing the manufacturing process and procedures, and recommending strategic solutions to maximize productivity and minimize costs. Manufacturing engineering interns shadow the production staff, inspect the tools and equipment of the manufacturing, analyze the quality control documentation, and perform related administrative tasks to familiarize themselves with the plant structure... Show more	$19-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Sigma
   • Project Management
   • Healthcare
   • Data Analysis
   • Performance Improvement
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Patients
   • Process Improvement
   • Business Process
   • Data Collection
   • Performance Metrics
   • Visio
   • Process Changes

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Utilize PMO best practices to identify and manage timelines, risks, dependencies, resource utilization and escalation points.
   • Implement appropriate process validation procedures and documentation to achieve operating efficiency while meeting FDA regulations.
   • Lead and assist maintenance in resolving equipment malfunctions, troubleshoot process problems, and organize and implement preventative maintenance procedures.
   • Migrate legacy systems into a single CRM system.
   • Complete basic lean training to department heads and assign projects align to meet GBU KPIs.
   • Created/Present an innovative ERP and CRM decision support model for business investments to global CEOs.

   More process improvement engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your process improvement engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A process improvement engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a process improvement engineer in South Dakota may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level process improvement engineer usually earns less than a senior-level process improvement engineer. Additionally, a process improvement engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average process improvement engineer salary

   $82,473yearly

   $39.65 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level process improvement engineer salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average process improvement engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$105,021	$50
   2	Arizona	$101,363	$49
   3	California	$99,885	$48
   4	New York	$96,607	$46
   5	Virginia	$95,213	$46
   6	Michigan	$90,054	$43
   7	New Jersey	$89,622	$43
   8	Illinois	$87,285	$42
   9	Texas	$86,717	$42
   10	District of Columbia	$85,492	$41
   11	North Carolina	$84,196	$40
   12	Kentucky	$83,254	$40
   13	Georgia	$81,124	$39
   14	Colorado	$80,926	$39
   15	Florida	$80,577	$39
   16	Tennessee	$80,104	$39
   17	Minnesota	$79,839	$38
   18	Pennsylvania	$79,662	$38
   19	Ohio	$77,803	$37
   20	South Carolina	$77,194	$37

   Average process improvement engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$125,884	$60.52	150
   2	Amazon	$121,018	$58.18	211
   3	Parsons	$114,693	$55.14	14
   4	OraSure Technologies	$106,199	$51.06
   5	Zulily	$105,541	$50.74
   6	Ocwen Financial	$104,701	$50.34
   7	Citi	$102,742	$49.40	15
   8	Arkema	$102,379	$49.22	3
   9	BNY Mellon	$102,239	$49.15	9
   10	Cargill	$102,197	$49.13	24
   11	Audible	$101,027	$48.57
   12	Celanese	$100,190	$48.17	3
   13	Intuit	$99,613	$47.89
   14	MathWorks	$99,333	$47.76
   15	The Dow Chemical Company	$99,305	$47.74	3
   16	Ball	$99,146	$47.67
   17	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$98,988	$47.59
   18	DXC Technology	$97,978	$47.10	1
   19	Mueller Water Products	$95,089	$45.72	9
   20	Tesla	$94,829	$45.59	20

4. Writing a process improvement engineer job description

   A job description for a process improvement engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a process improvement engineer job description:

   Process improvement engineer job description example

   Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe.
   Responsibilities Location: Kinston,NC Summary :
   Defines improvement projects aligned with business strategies through the use of Lean, Six Sigma, and ToC manufacturing tools and techniques. Facilitates and coaches projects of continuous improvement (CI) activities from inception through completion and acts as primary customer contact to meet project objectives. Catalyst for initiating change activities and coaches for sustaining momentum. Develops and implements CI improvement plans and schedules, ensuring accuracy and timely completion, conducting reviews and overseeing improvement activities (i.e. 5S, kitting, Lean and flow). Disciplines are related to project management, communication, training, program governance and problem solving skills.
   Key Accountabilities :
   • Identify process waste and develop opportunities to eliminate the waste
   • Prioritize CI initiatives utilizing simple logic (ease of implementation vs benefit)
   • Develop & project manage CI plans and schedules
   • Understand interdependencies of a system
   • Ability to influence leaders and educate them on CI principles to gain buy-in on improvements
   • Ability to network and build relationships
   • Ability to access to data/information needed
   • Integrate with operations and the support teams regularly Qualifications Requirements :
   • Proven Continuous Improvement projects and initiatives
   • 5+ plus years related work experience Preferred Qualifications :
   • Bachelor's degree in an IE, ME, Project Management or related study
   • Project Management
   • Leading through Influence mindset
   • Ability to make transformational change
   • Ability to take a team from inception to goal
   • SAP Experience Spirit AeroSystems is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law. Not ready to apply? Connect with us for general consideration.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right process improvement engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your process improvement engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit process improvement engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with process improvement engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new process improvement engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the process improvement engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new process improvement engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a process improvement engineer?