What Indiana plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 356 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Indiana, 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 Indiana asks for 5+ years, and 37% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Root cause, Lean.
- Team leadershipnamed in 47% of postingsTop
- Root causenamed in 32% of postings
- Leannamed in 25% of postings
- PLCnamed in 20% of postings
- New product launchnamed in 17% of postings
- Toolingnamed in 17% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt16% of postings
- Travel stated7% of postings
Based on 356 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Indiana do right now.
- Paid relocation22 postings (6%)
- Formal training program34 postings (10%)
- Stated promotion path108 postings (30%)Top
- Tuition help51 postings (14%)
- New plant or launch14 postings (4%)
- Hybrid or remote days10 postings (3%)
- Sign-on bonus5 postings (1%)
🔒 6 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Maintenance Technician · POET · Shelbyville, IN
Based on 356 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Indiana.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Program Quality Engineer · BAE Systems · Fort Wayne, IN · $109k–$185k
Based on 24 postings. Link to this finding
Skills that come as a package
When a posting names Six Sigma, 91% of the time it also names Lean. Put pairs like these side by side on your résumé.
- Six Sigma → Lean91% (49 postings)Top
- FMEA → New product launch63% (26 postings)
- Robotics → Automation58% (26 postings)
- Robotics → PLC56% (25 postings)
Based on 356 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
37% of plant postings in Indiana require a degree outright. Highest in pharma & life sciences (49%), lowest in food & beverage (17%).
- Pharma & life sciences49% of 39 postingsTop
- Automotive39% of 96 postings
- Industrial38% of 120 postings
- Food & beverage17% of 35 postings
Based on 356 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
34% of plant postings in Indiana mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in pharma & life sciences (49%), lowest in automotive (16%).
- Pharma & life sciences49% of 39 postings
- Food & beverage49% of 35 postings
- Industrial30% of 120 postings
- Automotive16% of 96 postings
Based on 356 postings. Link to this finding
2 more findings for Indiana
- Physical demands
- How much travel
See all 8 findings, with the numbers behind them
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Source and method
- Source
- ShopFloorJobs analysis of 356 live plant job postings from 111 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 Indiana plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=indiana
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.