What Iowa plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 174 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Iowa, 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 Iowa asks for 4+ years, and 34% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Root cause, Lean.
- Team leadershipnamed in 51% of postingsTop
- Root causenamed in 22% of postings
- Leannamed in 21% of postings
- EHS / safetynamed in 18% of postings
- PLCnamed in 17% of postings
- Weldingnamed in 15% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt9% of postings
- Travel stated11% of postings
Based on 174 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Iowa do right now.
- Paid relocation42 postings (24%)
- Formal training program7 postings (4%)
- Stated promotion path50 postings (29%)Top
- Tuition help35 postings (20%)
- New plant or launch5 postings (3%)
- Hybrid or remote days7 postings (4%)
- Sign-on bonus6 postings (3%)
🔒 6 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Production Supervisor · Smithfield Foods · Denison, IA
Based on 174 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Iowa.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Senior Quality Engineer · BAE Systems · Cedar Rapids, IA · $88k–$150k
Based on 18 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
34% of plant postings in Iowa require a degree outright. Highest in industrial (37%), lowest in food & beverage (32%).
- Industrial37% of 73 postingsTop
- Food & beverage32% of 59 postings
Based on 174 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
28% of plant postings in Iowa mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in industrial (32%), lowest in food & beverage (19%).
- Industrial32% of 73 postingsTop
- Food & beverage19% of 59 postings
Based on 174 postings. Link to this finding
Physical demands
21% of plant postings in Iowa state a lifting requirement. Highest in food & beverage (25%), lowest in industrial (21%).
- Food & beverage25% of 59 postingsTop
- Industrial21% of 73 postings
Based on 174 postings. Link to this finding
1 more findings for Iowa
- How much travel
See all 7 findings, with the numbers behind them
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Source and method
- Source
- ShopFloorJobs analysis of 174 live plant job postings from 62 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 Iowa plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=iowa
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.