What Alabama plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 235 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Alabama, week of October 19, 2026. Each one shows how many postings it rests on; anything with too few is left out.
What most plant jobs ask for
The typical plant posting in Alabama asks for 4+ years, and 38% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Root cause, Tooling.
- Team leadershipnamed in 45% of postingsTop
- Root causenamed in 38% of postings
- Toolingnamed in 30% of postings
- Leannamed in 29% of postings
- Weldingnamed in 24% of postings
- Automationnamed in 19% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt15% of postings
- Travel stated10% of postings
Based on 235 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Alabama do right now.
- Formal training program19 postings (8%)
- Stated promotion path69 postings (29%)Top
- Tuition help14 postings (6%)
- New plant or launch8 postings (3%)
- Hybrid or remote days8 postings (3%)
- Sign-on bonus3 postings (1%)
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Maintenance Technician II (2nd shift) · SPX Technologies · Madison, AL
Based on 235 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Alabama.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Supplier Quality Engineer (Mechanical & Electronics) · BAE Systems · Huntsville, AL · $114k–$167k
Based on 8 postings. Link to this finding
Skills that come as a package
When a posting names Machining, 74% of the time it also names Tooling. Put pairs like these side by side on your résumé.
- Machining → Tooling74% (31 postings)Top
- PLC → Automation60% (25 postings)
Based on 235 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
38% of plant postings in Alabama require a degree outright. Highest in aerospace & defense (60%), lowest in industrial (32%).
- Aerospace & defense60% of 47 postingsTop
- Automotive34% of 47 postings
- Industrial32% of 111 postings
Based on 235 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
26% of plant postings in Alabama mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in industrial (26%), lowest in automotive (15%).
- Industrial26% of 111 postingsTop
- Aerospace & defense19% of 47 postings
- Automotive15% of 47 postings
Based on 235 postings. Link to this finding
3 more findings for Alabama
- Physical demands
- Clearance and export-control roles
- How much travel
See all 9 findings, with the numbers behind them
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Source and method
- Source
- ShopFloorJobs analysis of 235 live plant job postings from 90 manufacturers' own careers sites (Workday, SuccessFactors, Oracle, iCIMS, Greenhouse and others), not job boards.
- Collected
- Week of October 19, 2026. Postings are re-checked daily; closed roles drop out.
- Method
- Pay is the middle of each posting's listed range for engineer and senior engineer levels, compared within the same team so a different mix of teams can't create a gap. Rates count postings that state the item. Correlation, not cause; findings with too few postings are left out.
Cite this report
ShopFloorJobs, "What Alabama plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=alabama
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.