How To Become A Validation Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a validation engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Primarily, their job is to maintain, evaluate, and test engineering systems. They test the systems used for developing or manufacturing products like pharmaceuticals or automobiles. They measure, evaluate and calibrate the equipment and procedures used in development and production to ensure the products created are of the highest quality.

These professionals can be found in the aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, computer software, and pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, they establish validation standards, develop testing protocols, purchase equipment, document test results and maintain records for future analysis. Also, they work with other personnel or departments to resolve the effects of testing. Additionally, they maintain testing equipment and keep the inventory of validation supplies.

To pursue a career as a Validation Engineer, you need a bachelor's degree in software, electrical, or mechanical engineering. The skillset includes maths, problem-solving, analytical, collaboration, documentation, adaptability, and time management skills. You'd be earning $82,891 annually, which falls between the range of $61,000 and $112,000.

What general advice would you give to a validation engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.

ScoreValidation EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $82,004

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 22.85%

Black or African American 4.11%

Hispanic or Latino 10.24%

Unknown 4.69%

White 57.82%

Gender

female 21.47%

male 78.53%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a validation engineer

Explore validation engineer education requirements

Most common validation engineer degrees

Bachelor's

72.3 %

Master's

17.9 %

Associate

6.8 %

Start to develop specific validation engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	7.39%
FDA	6.11%
GMP	5.76%
Medical Devices	4.64%
Test Results	3.86%

Complete relevant validation engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New validation 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 validation engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real validation engineer resumes.

Gain additional validation engineer certifications

Validation engineer certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific validation engineer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for validation engineers include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Certified Quality Engineer (CQE).

More About Certifications

Research validation engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage the DFMEA and risk assessment/mitigation as development are on-going.
Manage a team of 15 technicians testing Intel's wireless products across all Microsoft's OS offerigns.
Coordinate a division of labor and manage next steps to validate SVM on Broadwell (BDW) client CPU.
Manage CSV quality compliance by meeting factory, corporate, federal and foreign inspections demonstrating regulatory control with no major findings.

Prepare your validation engineer resume

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

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