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What is a senior industrial engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
James Swisher

A senior industrial engineer generally works in the manufacturing industry to develop improvements to, and maintain the efficiency of, a company's manufacturing process. This involves carrying out feasibility analyses, creating prototypes, improving process methods, and more.

Senior industrial engineers collect data and identify opportunities to streamline, improve, and increase standardization. Moreover, they train and mentor teams and individuals in workflows, quality assurance, and other tasks, as well as facilitate cross-team changes and interactions, communicating goals. Furthermore, they evaluate workflow and supply processes to improve safety and efficiency. Educational requirements include at least a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering or a related discipline, although most employers prefer a master's degree and work experience of over five years.

The average hourly salary for this position is $45.34, which amounts to $94,316 annually. In addition, the career is expected to grow further in the near future and create new opportunities across the United States.

What general advice would you give to a senior industrial engineer?

James SwisherJames Swisher LinkedIn profile

Director of Continuing Education, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers

It's truly an exciting time to be an Industrial and Systems Engineer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects demand for ISEs to grow by 10% over the next ten years, which is much faster than the rate for all occupations. Firms across a broad range of industries will continue to focus on the skills that ISEs bring to improve efficiencies, enhance quality, and lower costs. In addition, ISEs bring skills in the related fields of big data, artificial intelligence, and project management that make them extremely valuable to organizations. ISEs ability to quickly make an impact in an organization also means that their potential for promotion is very good. It's a great profession to be in.
ScoreSenior Industrial EngineerUS Average
Salary
6.9

Avg. Salary $87,816

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 11.16%

Black or African American 4.95%

Hispanic or Latino 12.17%

Unknown 3.98%

White 67.57%

Gender

female 14.82%

male 85.18%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior industrial engineer career paths

Key steps to become a senior industrial engineer

  1. Explore senior industrial engineer education requirements

    Most common senior industrial engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    77.8 %

    Master's

    14.0 %

    Associate

    6.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior industrial engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Project Management9.64%
    Lean Manufacturing8.53%
    Lean Six Sigma8.10%
    Sigma7.80%
    Facility Layout3.90%
  3. Complete relevant senior industrial engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior industrial 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 senior industrial engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior industrial engineer resumes.
  4. Research senior industrial engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Used SMED methodology to achieve quick changeovers of tooling.
    • Implement a highly automate distribution network in food logistics.
    • Project manager for Gerber cad application to improve materials utilization.
    • Premier global security company providing systems, products, logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers.
  5. Get senior industrial engineer experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior industrial engineer. The most common roles before becoming a senior industrial engineer include industrial engineer, manufacturing engineer team lead and process engineer.
  6. Prepare your senior industrial engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior industrial 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 senior industrial 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 senior industrial engineer resume templates

    Build a professional senior industrial 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 senior industrial engineer resume.
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
    Senior Industrial Engineer Resume
  7. Apply for senior industrial engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior industrial engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior industrial engineer job

Zippi

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Average senior industrial engineer salary

The average senior industrial engineer salary in the United States is $87,816 per year or $42 per hour. Senior industrial engineer salaries range between $68,000 and $113,000 per year.

Average senior industrial engineer salary
$87,816 Yearly
$42.22 hourly

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How do senior industrial engineers rate their job?

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Senior industrial engineer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Improve 5's & increase productivity, manpower reduction...n+/- concept..

Cons

Can be managed accordingly situation.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

The diversity of tasks, interaction with all stakeholders, continuous learning process, communication. Allows great progression in many technical skills

Cons

Stakeholders missing deadlines


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Cons

Un cleared management system

Pros

To maximize company's productivity,reducing wastes, avoiding un necessary costs,setting the proper work flow


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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