Manufacturing Process Engineer Duties and Responsibilities

No two manufacturing process engineers are exactly alike, as specific responsibilities vary from employer to employer. However, after analyzing online job postings, we identified several core duties and responsibilities common to the job:

Analyze Current Production Procedures

One of the primary responsibilities of a manufacturing process engineer is to analyze current production procedures and standards to identify inefficiencies. They often spend time on the production floor analyzing both employee and machinery workflow to find out where the process can be streamlined for lower costs and higher productivity.

Create Plans to Eliminate Inefficiencies

Manufacturing process engineers use their research on the production floor to create strategic plans that eliminate the inefficiencies they identified. This planning often requires research of current best practices in the manufacturing industry and preparing presentations so they can inform key stakeholders.

Maintain Production Documentation

Manufacturing process engineers are responsible for maintaining all production documentation, including owner manuals and relevant documentation for machinery. This responsibility includes updating all documentation when processes change.

Report to Production Managers

After plans have been implemented, manufacturing process engineers are responsible for monitoring the new procedures and reporting successes and failures to the production manager. At times, manufacturing process engineers may need to give these reports as full presentations to key stakeholders.

Manufacturing Process Engineer Skills and Qualifications

Manufacturing process engineers are highly technical and intimately familiar with the overall manufacturing process. They can see the big picture and how each individual part of a process affects other pieces. Employers look for candidates with a few years of experience in a manufacturing position as well as the following skills and qualifications:

• Experience working with industrial machinery – manufacturing process engineers must be familiar and have experience working with industrial machinery. They should understand how each piece of machinery contributes to the overall process
• Strategic planning skills – manufacturing process engineers know how to think ahead and can see the big picture when planning new manufacturing processes. They can identify strategic changes that will have big impacts
• Project management experience – manufacturing process engineers know how to run a project from start to finish. This often includes working with other teams, which is crucial for manufacturing process engineers
• Critical thinking – manufacturing process engineers can approach a process while considering it from all angles. They know how to dig deep and understand the implications of what they find
• Interpersonal communication skills – manufacturing process engineers communicate clearly and efficiently with teammates and management so everyone understands what processes are changing

Pay Range: $80k-90k annually