How to hire a production operations technician

How to hire a production operations technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step production operations 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 operations technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new production operations technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your production operations 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 operations 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a production operations technician to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a production operations technician that fits the bill.

   This list presents production operations technician salaries for various positions.

   Type of Production Operations Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Production Operations Technician		$13-22
   Technician	Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with... Show more	$11-27
   Manufacturing Technician	A manufacturing technician, or often called a manufacturing production technician, is a professional who is responsible for setting and testing manufacturing machinery or equipment. To set up the machines, manufacturing technicians will use electronic, electrical, mechanical, or computer technologies... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sops
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Hand Tools
   • GMP
   • FDA
   • Process Equipment
   • Quality Checks
   • Safety Procedures
   • Product Quality
   • ISO
   • Production Process
   • Data Entry
   • Assembly Line
   • Production Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
   • Train employees on safety hazards in accordance with FDA, ISO, OSHA regulations.
   • Follow strict procedures and polices utilizing GMP and OSHA standards.
   • Dispense raw material packaging components for GMP experimental and human use batches.
   • Enter FDA require tracking data in accordance with government requirements for the medical industry.
   • Advise customers of potential solutions to HVAC issues; answer questions and recommend service solutions with professional insight and courtesy.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your production operations technician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A production operations technician salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, production operations technicians' average salary in oklahoma is 33% less than in oregon.
   • Seniority. Entry-level production operations technicians earn 37% less than senior-level production operations technicians.
   • Certifications. A production operations technician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a production operations technician's salary.

   Average production operations technician salary

   $37,039yearly

   $17.81 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level production operations technician salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a production operations technician job description

   A good production operations technician job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a production operations technician job description:

   Production operations technician job description example

   You will like working for us as we have amazing people and a highly collaborative culture. Global success hasn't changed our tight-knit feel - we've simply grown into a larger, more diverse family. We have thousands of jobs around the globe and encourage all of our associates to chase their dreams without having to find them in another company - it truly is a special place.
   
   While reporting to the Production Supervisor, you will be responsible for the production of cylinders following standard operating procedures and customer specifications. Excellent attendance is crucial for the team to achieve success. You must have a proven record of success in a fast-paced environment. You must have the ability to work with various teams and be an effective problem solver. You will take pride in your personal hands-on and analytical abilities, organizational skills and attention to detail.
   Principles:
   Understands, demonstrates and expects other to demonstrate the behaviors associated with Tridents 4 basic principles:
   Be Safe - Don't take risks with safety Don't let down a colleague - do something to help Don't let down a customer - do something to impress Don't tolerate inefficiencies - make a noise about them
   Day to day responsibilities include:
   Adhere to all Standard Working Practices (SWP's) Follow all Safety rules and risk assessments/JSA's and be an active participant in safety training.Performs all daily/weekly inspections and housekeeping of assigned department Prepares cylinders to customer specifications.Use measuring devices and tools necessary for the role.Accurate and timely completion of any required administrative responsibilities.Assist other team members (as needed) to meet production needs.Follow company protocols, policies and goals while acting on opportunities to optimize the efficiency of the department.Manage your schedule to achieve agreed production timings, liaising with production resources on daily production needs while elevating any concerns should timings prove unachievable.Continued focus on quality (your own, and that of others) to ensure product is produced to the necessary customer/printer/Trident standards.
   This position is in our Trident plant in Richmond, VA
   We expect you to be Sonoco mission driven We want you to have at least 1-3 years' experience working with machine shop equipment You must have a good working knowledge of all types of CNC equipment We want you have prior experience in assembly or fabrication work using blueprints and CAD drawings A technical degree is strongly preferred You have to have a “get it done” attitude and an urgency to resolve problems/tasks.To succeed in this role you will need excellent written and verbal communication skills Working independently and managing multiple tasks simultaneously is needed. You need to have working knowledge of our products and their quality requirements.Being reliable, having good initiative, being committed, and being quality focused is a must.You will need to be able to lift 50 lbs. as needed.Having the ability to effectively work with a team in a fast-paced environment is crucial to success.You will need to have the ability to read and understand manufacturing instructions.You will need to able to perform repetitious duties, including stairs and standing for long periods of time.You will need to have the ability to work quickly while maintaining a high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail.
   We care about the health and wellness of you and your family. That is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package that makes it easier to manage your health and provide financial security for you and your family.
   Apply today and help us get stronger!
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer, and we strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected characteristic.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right production operations technician for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with production operations technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit production operations technicians who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your production operations technician job on Zippia to find and recruit production operations technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting production operations technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 production operations technician

   Once you've selected the best production operations technician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

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