What Washington plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 232 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Washington, 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 Washington asks for 3+ years, and 49% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Root cause, Team leadership, Lean.
- Root causenamed in 39% of postingsTop
- Team leadershipnamed in 31% of postings
- Leannamed in 28% of postings
- Toolingnamed in 24% of postings
- Automationnamed in 21% of postings
- New product launchnamed in 19% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt16% of postings
- Travel stated13% of postings
Based on 232 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Washington do right now.
- Paid relocation4 postings (2%)
- Formal training program18 postings (8%)
- Stated promotion path40 postings (17%)Top
- Tuition help22 postings (9%)
- New plant or launch5 postings (2%)
- Hybrid or remote days6 postings (3%)
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Engineering Manager – Integrated Technologies Development Labs · Boeing · Tukwila, WA
Based on 232 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Washington.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Sr. Hardware Reliability Engineer (Starlink Aviation) · SpaceX · Woodinville, WA · $268k–$402k
Based on 66 postings. Link to this finding
Manufacturing roles: Industrial pays the most
For manufacturing roles, industrial postings list the highest typical base ($121k); aerospace & defense the lowest ($118k).
- Industrial$121k (8 postings)Top
- Aerospace & defense$118k (8 postings)
Based on 16 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
49% of plant postings in Washington require a degree outright. Highest in aerospace & defense (69%), lowest in industrial (30%).
- Aerospace & defense69% of 110 postingsTop
- Industrial30% of 97 postings
Based on 232 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
55% of plant postings in Washington mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in aerospace & defense (63%), lowest in industrial (54%).
- Aerospace & defense63% of 110 postingsTop
- Industrial54% of 97 postings
Based on 232 postings. Link to this finding
3 more findings for Washington
- 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 232 live plant job postings from 88 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 Washington plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=washington
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.
Washington plant jobs report: who's hiring and pay by team →