What Ohio plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 557 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Ohio, 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 Ohio asks for 5+ years, and 44% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Lean, Root cause.
- Team leadershipnamed in 52% of postingsTop
- Leannamed in 36% of postings
- Root causenamed in 29% of postings
- Six Sigmanamed in 20% of postings
- Toolingnamed in 18% of postings
- PLCnamed in 17% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt20% of postings
- Travel stated6% of postings
Based on 557 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Ohio do right now.
- Paid relocation11 postings (2%)
- Formal training program48 postings (9%)
- Stated promotion path151 postings (27%)Top
- Tuition help97 postings (17%)
- New plant or launch32 postings (6%)
- Hybrid or remote days29 postings (5%)
- Sign-on bonus19 postings (3%)
🔒 6 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Maintenance Electrical Technician (3rd Shift) - Cincinnati Plant · Tyson Foods · Cincinnati Plant - Cincinnati, OH
Based on 557 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Ohio.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Sr Consultant, Operational Excellence - Distribution · Cardinal Health · Columbus-Ohio Valley Distribution Center, OH · $182k–$266k
Based on 36 postings. Link to this finding
Skills that come as a package
When a posting names Six Sigma, 88% of the time it also names Lean. Put pairs like these side by side on your résumé.
- Six Sigma → Lean88% (99 postings)Top
- Value stream mapping → Lean82% (37 postings)
- 5S → Lean77% (60 postings)
- FMEA → Root cause69% (40 postings)
- Robotics → Automation60% (41 postings)
- SPC → Root cause60% (31 postings)
- Robotics → PLC53% (36 postings)
Based on 557 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
44% of plant postings in Ohio require a degree outright. Highest in industrial (49%), lowest in food & beverage (17%).
- Industrial49% of 253 postings
- Aerospace & defense49% of 74 postings
- Automotive45% of 76 postings
- Chemicals43% of 35 postings
- Packaging38% of 42 postings
- Food & beverage17% of 41 postings
Based on 557 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
23% of plant postings in Ohio mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in packaging (57%), lowest in aerospace & defense (11%).
- Packaging57% of 42 postingsTop
- Food & beverage41% of 41 postings
- Chemicals31% of 35 postings
- Industrial17% of 253 postings
- Automotive17% of 76 postings
- Aerospace & defense11% of 74 postings
Based on 557 postings. Link to this finding
3 more findings for Ohio
- 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 557 live plant job postings from 166 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 Ohio plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=ohio
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.