What Pennsylvania plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 326 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania asks for 5+ years, and 41% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Root cause, Lean.
- Team leadershipnamed in 44% of postingsTop
- Root causenamed in 29% of postings
- Leannamed in 26% of postings
- Automationnamed in 20% of postings
- Toolingnamed in 17% of postings
- FDA / GMPnamed in 17% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt15% of postings
- Travel stated9% of postings
Based on 326 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Pennsylvania do right now.
- Paid relocation11 postings (3%)
- Formal training program14 postings (4%)
- Stated promotion path67 postings (21%)
- Tuition help69 postings (21%)Top
- New plant or launch4 postings (1%)
- Hybrid or remote days5 postings (2%)
- Sign-on bonus14 postings (4%)
🔒 6 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Production Superintendent – Bacon, 2nd Shift · Clemens Food Group LLC · Hatfield, PA
Based on 326 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Pennsylvania.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Supplier Quality Engineer · BAE Systems · York, PA · $154k–$225k
Based on 32 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% (43 postings)Top
- Six Sigma → Root cause64% (30 postings)
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) → Root cause59% (32 postings)
Based on 326 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
41% of plant postings in Pennsylvania require a degree outright. Highest in industrial (38%), lowest in food & beverage (21%).
- Industrial38% of 158 postingsTop
- Packaging22% of 32 postings
- Food & beverage21% of 33 postings
Based on 326 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
34% of plant postings in Pennsylvania mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in food & beverage (64%), lowest in industrial (28%).
- Food & beverage64% of 33 postingsTop
- Packaging47% of 32 postings
- Industrial28% of 158 postings
Based on 326 postings. Link to this finding
3 more findings for Pennsylvania
- 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 326 live plant job postings from 121 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 Pennsylvania plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=pennsylvania
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.
Pennsylvania plant jobs report: who's hiring and pay by team →