What Colorado plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 199 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Colorado, 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 Colorado asks for 5+ years, and 34% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Root cause, Team leadership, Lean.
- Root causenamed in 36% of postingsTop
- Team leadershipnamed in 33% of postings
- Leannamed in 31% of postings
- Six Sigmanamed in 23% of postings
- New product launchnamed in 23% of postings
- Automationnamed in 22% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt23% of postings
- Travel stated14% of postings
Based on 199 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Colorado do right now.
- Paid relocation7 postings (4%)
- Formal training program13 postings (7%)
- Stated promotion path38 postings (19%)Top
- Tuition help30 postings (15%)
- Hybrid or remote days11 postings (6%)
- Sign-on bonus3 postings (2%)
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Production Engineer · INEOS · Denver, CO
Based on 199 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Colorado.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Senior Controls Engineer – Electro-mechanical Products · Blue Origin · Longmont, CO · $144k–$202k
Based on 64 postings. Link to this finding
Skills that come as a package
When a posting names Six Sigma, 85% of the time it also names Lean. Put pairs like these side by side on your résumé.
- Six Sigma → Lean85% (39 postings)Top
Based on 199 postings. Link to this finding
Manufacturing roles: Aerospace & defense pays the most
For manufacturing roles, aerospace & defense postings list the highest typical base ($118k); industrial the lowest ($110k).
- Aerospace & defense$118k (8 postings)Top
- Industrial$110k (8 postings)
Based on 16 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
34% of plant postings in Colorado require a degree outright. Highest in aerospace & defense (47%), lowest in industrial (32%).
- Aerospace & defense47% of 43 postingsTop
- Industrial32% of 118 postings
Based on 199 postings. Link to this finding
4 more findings for Colorado
- Off-shift and weekend coverage
- Physical demands
- Clearance and export-control roles
- How much travel
See all 10 findings, with the numbers behind them
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Source and method
- Source
- ShopFloorJobs analysis of 199 live plant job postings from 94 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 Colorado plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=colorado
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.