Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a process/product engineer and how to become one
A process/product engineer is involved in every step of a product's design and manufacturing. They do the job of a process engineer, who optimizes the industrial machinery that processes raw materials, and a product engineer, who designs the products themselves. A process/product engineer uses their considerable engineering skills to research product requirements, develop blueprints, and test prototypes before implementing production. Besides their technical knowledge, process/product engineers need to be familiar with management techniques such as lean manufacturing or Kaizen. They also need strong communication skills since they often work with a whole production team to bring concepts to life.
Process/product engineers usually start their careers by getting a bachelor's degree in engineering. However, some are able to succeed with only a high school diploma and many years of practical experience. Many start off in other engineering fields, such as manufacturing or product engineering, before taking on this hybrid role.
Process/product engineers are in demand at many manufacturing companies. Their skills are so valued that they make an average salary of $74,409 a year.
What general advice would you give to a process/product engineer?
James Swisher
Director of Continuing Education, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers
Avg. Salary $84,709
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 10%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%
Asian 11.23%
Black or African American 4.93%
Hispanic or Latino 12.11%
Unknown 3.98%
White 67.58%
Genderfemale 23.87%
male 76.13%
Age - 41American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 41Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Process/product engineer career paths
Key steps to become a process/product engineer
Explore process/product engineer education requirements
Start to develop specific process/product engineer skills
Skills Percentages Product Quality 14.23% R 6.07% Process Engineering 5.64% Technical Support 5.08% Sigma 4.23% Complete relevant process/product engineer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New process/product 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 process/product engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real process/product engineer resumes.Research process/product engineer duties and responsibilities
- Lead development and implementation of ISO 9001/9002 and lean manufacturing assembly for new and existing products.
- Lead and assist maintenance in resolving equipment malfunctions, troubleshoot process problems, and organize and implement preventative maintenance procedures.
- Fulfill role of ISO 9000 -2000 internal auditor supporting the quality system.
- Ensure that all FMEA documentation and work instructions are up to date.
Prepare your process/product engineer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your process/product 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 process/product 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 process/product engineer resume templates
Build a professional process/product 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 process/product engineer resume.
Apply for process/product engineer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a process/product 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 did you land your first process/product engineer job
Are you a process/product engineer?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average process/product engineer salary
The average process/product engineer salary in the United States is $84,709 per year or $41 per hour. Process/product engineer salaries range between $63,000 and $112,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do process/product engineers rate their job?
Process/product engineer reviews
The diversity of tasks, interaction with all stakeholders, continuous learning process, communication. Allows great progression in many technical skills
Stakeholders missing deadlines
Being on the field doing running inspections and learning from the technicians
Being expose to bad weather that compromise the safety of operations.
Schedules my co worker where to work each day and making sure the process is flowing with the machines, materials and the needed information to make the products and service come out right.
The pay grade is low keyed for the type of production we produce. Average salary is $78,540 dollars...
Updated January 8, 2025
