Manufacturing Automation Engineer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Manufacturing Automation Engineer designs, programs and improves automated machinery and processes within a manufacturing environment. Are responsible for the design specifications, documentation and troubleshooting of the equipment. Often work within vehicle manufacturing and food processing plants, where robots or machines are used to perform specific functions.
Job Outlook
There were 160 Manufacturing Automation Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 2528 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Manufacturing Engineer industry, which includes the Manufacturing Automation Engineer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2016:
Salary
Many new Manufacturing Automation Engineer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $104,459.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $100,801.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Manufacturing Automation Engineer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $91,339.
Education and Experience
Posted Manufacturing Automation Engineer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 82.91% |
| Master's Degree | 13.77% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.46% |
| Other | 2.57% |
Posted Manufacturing Automation Engineer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 19.51% |
| 3 to 5 years | 50.67% |
| 6 to 8 years | 16.79% |
| 9+ years | 13.04% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Manufacturing Automation Engineer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (62.82%)
- Communication (44.3%)
- Operations (40.74%)
- Problem Solving (34.77%)
- Leadership (26.82%)
- Management (22.19%)
- Innovation (20.73%)
- Planning (13.69%)
- Microsoft Office (10.4%)
- Writing (9.89%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Automation Systems (26.43%)
- Human Machine Interfaces (42.54%)
- Robotics (35.77%)
- Programmable Logic Controllers (51.76%)
- Mechanical Engineering (20.18%)
- Manufacturing Processes (39.53%)
- Project Management (36.6%)
- Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) (24.26%)
- Continuous Improvement Process (31.5%)
- Control Systems (31.06%)
- Automation (87.85%)
- Electrical Engineering (28.22%)
- Systems Engineering (41.79%)
- Industrial Automation (14.68%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Programming Languages (4%)
- Industry Standards (5.86%)
- Programmable Logic Controllers Programming (18.99%)
- Sensors (14.88%)
- Environment Health And Safety (5.94%)
- Root Cause Analysis (9.14%)
- Commissioning (14.64%)
- Process Improvement (18.12%)
- Tooling (10.76%)
- Systems Design (7.2%)
- Systems Integration (7.8%)
- Technical Documentation (2.61%)
- Software Engineering (4.55%)
- SQL (Programming Language) (7.28%)
- Process Control (12.23%)
- Production Equipment (7.12%)
- Production Line (7.24%)
- Production Process (7.64%)
- PROFINET Standards (3.72%)
- Pharmaceuticals (12.98%)
- Pneumatics (5.38%)
- New Product Development (10.8%)
- Manufacturing Execution System (MES) (13.69%)
- Motion Control Systems (9.89%)
- Machine Vision (7.68%)
- Machinery (16.22%)
- Manufacturing Automation (16.78%)
- Manufacturing Engineering (14.36%)
- Manufacturing Operations (13.45%)
- Python (Programming Language) (7.68%)
- Ladder Logic (9.89%)
- Lean Manufacturing (21.13%)
- Industrial Engineering (15.51%)
- Standard Operating Procedure (8.07%)
- Instrumentation (10.29%)
- Electronics (5.14%)
- Process Engineering (10.88%)
- Electrical Systems (7.24%)
- Debugging (13.85%)
- SolidWorks (CAD) (13.34%)
- Cost Reduction (3.64%)
- Data Collection (5.5%)
- Procurement (8.07%)
- Computer Science (12.15%)
- Control Engineering (5.74%)
- Electrical Wiring (7.2%)
- Business Process Automation (7.68%)
- C# (Programming Language) (4.75%)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (18.6%)
- Data Analysis (5.66%)
- Computer-Aided Design (12.35%)
- Six Sigma Methodology (8.71%)
- AutoCAD (16.3%)
- Industrial Internet Of Things (IIoT) (2.61%)
- Project Implementation (6.81%)
- Workflow Management (7.12%)
- Project Engineering (3.44%)
- Industrial Robotics (3.68%)
- Industry 4.0 (4.16%)
- Automation Controls (10.68%)
- Mechanical Design (3.01%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Ultrasonic Welding (3.36%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Industrial Automation (26.44%)
- Automation Systems (47.61%)
- Robotics (64.43%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Manufacturing Automation Engineer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Automation Engineer
- Controls Engineer
- Automation Controls Engineer
- Industrial Automation Engineer
- Process Engineer
- Automation and Controls Engineer
- Process Automation Engineer
- Principal Engineer
- Quality Assurance Automation Engineer
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Manufacturing Automation Engineer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Actalent (81)
- GPAC (67)
- Lonza (44)
- Hireminds (28)
- Cpp Agency (27)
- Kelly Services (27)
- Diedre Moire (25)
- Jabil (24)
- Celestica (21)
- Insight Global (21)
North Carolina
- GPAC (11)
- Corning (11)
- Baxter International (7)
- Jabil (7)
- Insight Global (6)
- Eli Lilly (6)
- Actalent (5)
- Merck & Co. (5)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (4)
- Kyowa Kirin, Inc.- U.S. (4)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.