How to hire a senior manufacturing engineer

How to hire a senior manufacturing engineer, step by step

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

What does a senior manufacturing engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior manufacturing engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A senior manufacturing engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior manufacturing engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior manufacturing engineers.

   Type of Senior Manufacturing Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Manufacturing Engineer	A Senior Manufacturing Engineer works in a company’s production operations and is responsible for developing and improving manufacturing processes. They analyze and propose solutions to engineering problems.	$34-59
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62
   Process Engineer	A Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations... Show more	$29-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Sigma
   • Project Management
   • CAD
   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Solidworks
   • Process Control
   • Process Improvement
   • Corrective Action
   • Product Quality
   • CNC
   • SR
   • Product Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Implement a KANBAN system for manufacturing which reduce wasteful production activities and achieve labor reductions.
   • Plan and manage process-improvement projects and support production methods and processes for manufacturing center and CNC processes.
   • Utilize the latest techniques in J.I.T., KANBAN, and KAIZEN philosophies.
   • Facilitate technical information and background support to KAIZEN events.
   • Generate and release ECO's and ECR's using auto cad.
   • Design new fixtures, conveyor upgrades to existing equipment, which comply with ASME, NFPA, and OSHA standards.

   More senior manufacturing engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior manufacturing engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior manufacturing engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a senior manufacturing engineer in Iowa may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior manufacturing engineer. Additionally, a senior manufacturing engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior manufacturing engineer salary

   $93,853yearly

   $45.12 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior manufacturing engineer salary

   $71,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average senior manufacturing engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$122,577	$59
   2	Arizona	$105,646	$51
   3	Texas	$105,091	$51
   4	Washington	$101,758	$49
   5	Delaware	$100,041	$48
   6	Colorado	$98,549	$47
   7	New Jersey	$95,433	$46
   8	Massachusetts	$95,314	$46
   9	Alabama	$92,583	$45
   10	Nevada	$87,794	$42
   11	Minnesota	$85,467	$41
   12	Florida	$83,389	$40
   13	Ohio	$83,306	$40
   14	Georgia	$83,117	$40
   15	North Carolina	$82,034	$39
   16	Michigan	$81,455	$39
   17	New York	$81,084	$39
   18	New Hampshire	$79,625	$38
   19	Tennessee	$75,540	$36
   20	Indiana	$65,264	$31

   Average senior manufacturing engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$130,830	$62.90	76
   2	Intuitive Surgical	$120,290	$57.83	34
   3	Biogen	$116,914	$56.21	11
   4	Genentech	$116,748	$56.13	23
   5	Amazon	$113,833	$54.73	325
   6	Waters	$112,816	$54.24	16
   7	JUUL	$112,097	$53.89
   8	Netgear	$112,037	$53.86
   9	Microsoft	$111,963	$53.83	63
   10	Applied Materials	$111,010	$53.37	101
   11	Infineon Technologies	$110,297	$53.03	20
   12	Abiomed	$108,761	$52.29
   13	Edwards Lifesciences	$108,574	$52.20	33
   14	Baker Hughes	$108,247	$52.04	18
   15	Faraday Technology	$107,244	$51.56
   16	Koch Industries	$107,056	$51.47	5
   17	Nike	$105,372	$50.66	5
   18	Harley-Davidson	$105,114	$50.54	12
   19	Tesla	$104,952	$50.46	28
   20	Seagate Technology	$104,887	$50.43	15

4. Writing a senior manufacturing engineer job description

   A job description for a senior manufacturing 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 senior manufacturing engineer job description:

   Senior manufacturing engineer job description example

   Summary:Assumes manufacturing engineer responsibilities, based on demonstrated performance and experience. Responsible for successfully coordinating project work and problem solving activities as they relate to present or new manufacturing processes and products. Must be familiar with all phases of planning and costing, but is primarily concerned with robotics, tooling and fabrication, finishing, assembly, machine design, etc. Primary responsibility is to manage and facilitate orderly transformation of the manufacturing facilities to accommodate changing products and manufacturing technology.
   Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
   1. Responsible for providing direct interface to customers, suppliers and product. Engineering organization, specially focused on Seat Assembly, Overhead system assembly, Tube Bending and diverse Welding Processes.
   2. Develops and implements Metals and Assembly Related processes, methods, tools, equipment, and controls for the manufacturer of products and components consistent with obtaining and maintaining design integrity, optimum costs, quality, inventories, and investment in facilities. Activities will include all aspects of prototype development and builds.
   3. Actively applies new manufacturing technologies and aggressively evaluates and reports on manufacturing opportunities which will contribute to the plant's objectives and goals.
   4. Participates in the product design activity to assure optimum productivity and costs. Suggests alternative designs, materials, or processes. Must be capable of resolving all problems while maintaining good rapport with customers.
   5. Maintains effective communications with all people affected by projects and issues operating instructions when required. Issues periodic status reports to keep affected personnel informed.
   6. Prepares manufacturing studies to determine optimum manufacturing costs, quality, and inventories and/or evaluates feasibility for new or existing products, processes or materials.
   7. Recommends changes for the most practical and economical manufacturing processes, including material, labor, tooling, equipment, and ancillary factors.
   8. Participates in selecting, approving, and developing tooling and equipment to satisfy manufacturing requirements and product design intent.
   9. Provides customer liaison as relates to product design and engineering matters.
   10. Coordinates new processes implementation and training. Insures that all relevant tooling is capable of making required product to meet all timing goals.
   11. Serves as resource person to process changes, problem solving committee, etc., to insure product design intent is not jeopardized.
   12. Actively pursues quality improvements in the manufacturing process.
   13. Serves as champion of Pre-Launch Team of all new programs. Issue minutes of the meetings. Maintain and issue status of all required reports of new programs, ie, A.Q.P. checklist, issues lists and feasibility assessments. Creates and maintains new program review documentation.
   14. Researches and implements state of the art technology to assure that product design is manufactured in most capable/cost effective manner possible. Insures that product design allows for these state of the art technologies.
   15. Works closely with Manufacturing Group in Plymouth to provide direction to ensure plants are pursuing the latest technology.
   16. Work closely with lean manufacturing teams to update key process indicators such as:
   • Quick Tool Change
   • Weld cell Utilization
   • Tool performance
   • OEE.
   • Jobs per hour
   • Lean Manufacturing Implementation.
   • Line balance charts
   17. Performs other duties and special projects as assigned.
   
   Environmental, Health & Safety:
   
   Ensure the protection of the environment, prevention of pollution and the continual improvement of the Environmental Management System. Providing leadership in developing measures and practices that prevent accident and ensure compliance with OSHA and EPA/TCEQ standards. This includes: continuously monitor the workplace for hazardous environmental, health, and safety conditions.Ensure environmental, health and safety hazards are corrected, eliminated or guarded Assessing engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE on an on-going basis Assisting in the investigation of accidents. This includes:Identifying hazardous situations that are associated with the accident Having the authority to: Stop and prevent unsafe actions; stop the use of unsafe equipment and tools, stop work and/or have employees leave a work area Investigate all near misses and other environmental/safety-related incidents that have occurred within the incident area Ensure the results of environmental/safety audits are documented; monitoring the investigation of accidents and injuries; ensuring that corrective actions are taken; and providing recommendations for ways to prevent similar accidents Ensure that all incident reports are completed in a timely and accurate manner
   
   PRIMARY LOCATION
   
   Avanzar San Antonio Facility

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior manufacturing engineer 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 senior manufacturing engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior manufacturing engineers 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 senior manufacturing engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior manufacturing engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior manufacturing engineers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 senior manufacturing engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior manufacturing 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior manufacturing 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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