What South Dakota plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 42 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in South Dakota, 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 South Dakota asks for 2+ years, and 33% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, PLC, Automation.
- Team leadershipnamed in 40% of postingsTop
- PLCnamed in 31% of postings
- Automationnamed in 21% of postings
- EHS / safetynamed in 21% of postings
- Leannamed in 19% of postings
- Root causenamed in 17% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt7% of postings
- Travel stated24% of postings
Based on 42 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in South Dakota do right now.
- Paid relocation15 postings (36%)Top
- Stated promotion path9 postings (21%)
- Tuition help9 postings (21%)
🔒 2 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Automated Controls Technician · Solventum · South Dakota
Based on 42 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in South Dakota.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Packaging Engineer (Onsite - Brookings, SD) · Solventum · South Dakota · $106k–$146k
Based on 7 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
33% of plant postings in South Dakota require a degree outright.
Based on 42 postings. Link to this finding
How much travel
24% of plant postings in South Dakota state a travel percentage.
Based on 42 postings. Link to this finding
Source and method
- Source
- ShopFloorJobs analysis of 42 live plant job postings from 22 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 South Dakota plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=south-dakota
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.
South Dakota plant jobs report: who's hiring and pay by team →