How To Become A Senior Production Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior production technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

John Irwin EdD

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a senior production technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.78 an hour? That's $64,014 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 2,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a senior production technician?

John Irwin EdD

Chair, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Michigan Technological University

Engineering technology graduates are masters of technology, gaining a broad and deep understanding of the processes, systems, tools, and techniques necessary to construct, modify, operate, and maintain an engineering design. They act as technological integrators, bridging the gap between the skilled trades and engineering fundamentals. This is a great career path for those who enjoy engineering concepts but would rather spend time working with their hands solving specific technical issues than tackling broader, more complex design challenges.

ScoreSenior Production TechnicianUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $64,014

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 7.78%

Black or African American 9.46%

Hispanic or Latino 16.69%

Unknown 4.88%

White 60.51%

Gender

female 22.28%

male 77.72%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior production technician

Explore senior production technician education requirements

Most common senior production technician degrees

Bachelor's

41.3 %

Associate

36.4 %

High School Diploma

9.5 %

Start to develop specific senior production technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Regulations	9.04%
Technical Support	7.33%
GMP	6.67%
Sops	6.32%
Test Procedures	6.14%

Complete relevant senior production technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior production technicians 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 production technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior production technician resumes.

Research senior production technician duties and responsibilities

Assist PMs in establishing effective project oversight and control, and in proactively identifying and managing project risks.
Review HACCP plans with USDA.
Assist QA, Shipping/Receiving and assemblers when necessary.
Assist utilities in plant maintenance to abide by strict OSHA rules.

Get senior production technician experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior production technician. The most common roles before becoming a senior production technician include production technician, technician team lead and field service technician.

Prepare your senior production technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior production technician 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 production technician 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 production technician resume templates

Build a professional senior production technician 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 production technician resume.