Operations Engineer Senior Staff - Level 5

From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026

Production Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $130k–$179k.

Median of the low and high ends of 63 live postings that list pay, out of 145 production engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 144 other live production postings in California.

Base pay

Not listed in this posting

Typical $119k–$170k, from 49 postings that list pay.

Experience asked

Not stated

Similar roles usually ask 6+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

• New product launch 37%
• Lean 29%
• Root cause 28%
• Team leadership 26%
• Automation 24%
• Python 20%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1. 1

   Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at Lockheed Martin

   Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

2. 2

   Send a short, curious note

   One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

3. 3

   Turn a reply into a short call

   Questions worth asking about this team:

   • What does a normal week look like on your team?
   • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4. 4

   Apply with someone vouching for you

   If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

5. 5

   Bring proof to the interview

   One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Lockheed Martin in Palmdale

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• Industrial Engineer Staff - Level 4 · Industrial · Senior
• Skunk Works Manufacturing Engineering Manager Level 5 · Manufacturing · Manager

Operations Engineer Senior Staff - Level 5 at Lockheed Martin in other locations

Lockheed Martin lists this title in 2 places. Pick the plant you can get to.

• Fort Worth, TX