What Tennessee plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 268 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Tennessee, 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 Tennessee asks for 5+ years, and 41% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Lean, Root cause.
- Team leadershipnamed in 46% of postingsTop
- Leannamed in 34% of postings
- Root causenamed in 34% of postings
- Toolingnamed in 24% of postings
- PLCnamed in 21% of postings
- Six Sigmanamed in 20% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt19% of postings
- Travel stated9% of postings
Based on 268 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Tennessee do right now.
- Paid relocation26 postings (10%)
- Formal training program11 postings (4%)
- Stated promotion path75 postings (28%)Top
- Tuition help59 postings (22%)
- New plant or launch7 postings (3%)
- Hybrid or remote days12 postings (4%)
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Quality Engineer · 3M · Tennessee
Based on 268 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Tennessee.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Manufacturing Engineering Specialist · 3M · Tennessee · $146k–$178k
Based on 21 postings. Link to this finding
Skills that come as a package
When a posting names Six Sigma, 92% of the time it also names Lean. Put pairs like these side by side on your résumé.
- Six Sigma → Lean92% (49 postings)Top
Based on 268 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
41% of plant postings in Tennessee require a degree outright. Highest in automotive (51%), lowest in industrial (34%).
- Automotive51% of 53 postingsTop
- Industrial34% of 146 postings
Based on 268 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
22% of plant postings in Tennessee mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in automotive (23%), lowest in industrial (18%).
- Automotive23% of 53 postingsTop
- Industrial18% of 146 postings
Based on 268 postings. Link to this finding
2 more findings for Tennessee
- 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 268 live plant job postings from 112 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 Tennessee plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=tennessee
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.