How to hire a production engineering technician

How to hire a production engineering technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step production engineering technician hiring guide:

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

Post a production engineering technician job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your production engineering technician job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a production engineering technician for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect production engineering technician 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.

   This list presents production engineering technician salaries for various positions.

   Type of Production Engineering Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Production Engineering Technician	Industrial engineering technicians help industrial engineers implement designs to use personnel, materials, and machines effectively in factories, stores, healthcare organizations, repair shops, and offices. They prepare machinery and equipment layouts, plan workflows, conduct statistical production studies, and analyze production costs.	$17-75
   Validation Technologist	A validation technologist works with a process chief and applies validation methods to complete tasks and carry out installations. They perform operational protocol duties and do reviews daily... Show more	$18-31
   Quality Technician Engineer	Quality specialists are quality assurance professionals who make sure that the organization's standards are constantly maintained in their products. They are employed in various industries, like technology and manufacturing... Show more	$30-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Troubleshoot
   • Process Improvement
   • R
   • Test Procedures
   • Production Engineering
   • CAD
   • Test Equipment
   • AFE
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • CNC
   • Production Equipment
   • Technical Problems
   • ISO
   • Test Fixtures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
   • Programme and configure PLC compression molding, CNC milling equipment and non-contact metrology systems.
   • Test and troubleshoot engineering prototypes.
   • Test, troubleshoot and resolve outstanding issues by interfacing with sales engineering, application engineering and customers to ensure timely resolution.
   • Perform tests on RF and digital electronic assemblies and systems to characterize performance, uncover specification deficiencies and repair damage circuitry.
   • Second largest account on Columbus AFB.

   More production engineering technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your production engineering technician job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A production engineering technician can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, production engineering technicians' average salary in iowa is 43% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level production engineering technicians 77% less than senior-level production engineering technicians.
   • Certifications. A production engineering technician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a production engineering technician's salary.

   Average production engineering technician salary

   $75,513yearly

   $36.30 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level production engineering technician salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average production engineering technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$100,251	$48
   2	Washington	$86,199	$41
   3	Nevada	$76,284	$37
   4	Michigan	$74,499	$36
   5	Texas	$72,102	$35
   6	New Jersey	$71,975	$35
   7	Utah	$68,936	$33
   8	Kansas	$68,476	$33
   9	Nebraska	$65,057	$31
   10	New York	$64,292	$31
   11	Wisconsin	$63,298	$30
   12	Minnesota	$62,084	$30
   13	Florida	$59,304	$29
   14	Missouri	$56,948	$27

   Average production engineering technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Goldman Sachs	$134,115	$64.48	10
   2	Yahoo	$113,084	$54.37
   3	Tesla	$112,937	$54.30
   4	Daimler Trucks North America	$106,107	$51.01	3
   5	Centra	$91,669	$44.07
   6	Gentex	$88,986	$42.78	6
   7	IDEX	$88,951	$42.76	11
   8	Dongwon Ga	$86,602	$41.64
   9	Chris-Craft	$85,455	$41.08
   10	Kohler Co.	$76,437	$36.75	1
   11	PCB Piezotronics	$75,979	$36.53	4
   12	Chromalloy Gas Turbine LLC	$71,726	$34.48	26
   13	Amazon	$70,058	$33.68	260
   14	ILC Dover	$69,398	$33.36
   15	Reliable Robotics	$63,727	$30.64	1
   16	Serco	$63,725	$30.64
   17	Cretex Companies, Inc.	$62,161	$29.89	22
   18	Bullfrog Spas	$53,249	$25.60
   19	Flowers Baking Co. of San Antonio, LLC	$49,480	$23.79
   20	CPI Card Group	$46,962	$22.58	5

4. Writing a production engineering technician job description

   A production engineering technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a production engineering technician job description:

   Production engineering technician job description example

   A-Shift - 7AM - 7PM - Front End DaysB-Shift - 7PM - 7AM - Front End Nights (12% Differential) C-Shift - 7AM - 7PM - Back End DaysD-Shift - 7PM - 7AM - Back End Nights (17% Differential)
   Status: Non-exempt (Hourly)
   Department: Operations
   
   Production Engineering Technician
   
   Shift Options: 12 Hour Shift Options:
   A-Shift - 7AM - 7PM - Front End DaysB-Shift - 7PM - 7AM - Front End Nights (12% Differential) C-Shift - 7AM - 7PM - Back End DaysD-Shift - 7PM - 7AM - Back End Nights (17% Differential)
   
   Status: Non-exempt (Hourly)
   Department: Operations
   
   Position Summary
   The Production Engineering Technician plays a key support role within the Production Engineering organization. This individual supports production equipment within a culture of continuous improvement focused on achieving the highest possible levels of production up-time, product quality and operational excellence.
   
   Principle Accountabilities
   Provides hands-on support, troubleshooting, and maintenance of production and test equipment to maximize overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Services equipment for Predictive and Preventive Maintenance.Supports production quality, production capacity, and cost reduction initiatives.
   
   Core Duties and Responsibilities
   Develops and maintains a detailed understanding of Plug Power products, processes and production equipment.Supports the implementing of continuous process improvement projects, Kaizen and training events using Lean-Sigma tools, including safety, ergonomics, quality, 5S, Kanbans, statistical process control, standard work, and visual controls.Monitors process improvement progress and supports team problem solving projects.Supports the development and maintenance of manufacturing process key performance indicators (KPI's).Supports the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures (SOP's).Leads and conducts process audits to ensure process discipline is consistent with guidelines.Works closely with production cells to meet productivity goals and resolve process constraints.Supports variability reduction and lean manufacturing initiatives and best practices.Trains team to Standard Operating Procedures.Represents Plug Power in a professional manner at all times.Performs all other duties as assigned.
   
   Education and Experience
   Associates in engineering with 2 years related work experience or mechanical/electrical technical certification or High School Diploma with Five (5) or more years of related work experience within a high-tech manufacturing operation.Proficient in troubleshooting mechanical and electrical equipment.Detail oriented with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.Excellent organizational, communication, and time management skills Ability to write production assembly, equipment setup and maintenance procedures.Demonstrated critical thinking and creative problem solving.Proficient with Microsoft Office software.Ability to multi-task effectively. Ability to work independently and as part of a team.Perform other projects or responsibilities as necessary.Must be driven and self-motivated.
   
   Plug Power, Inc. is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right production engineering technician 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 production engineering technician job on Zippia to find and recruit production engineering technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit production engineering technicians, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 production engineering technician

   Once you have selected a candidate for the production engineering technician 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new production engineering technician. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a production engineering technician?