Looking to expand your engineering team? Manufacturers of consumer products have a need for skilled process engineers, but with the increasing talent gap, it can be difficult to find the right candidates. Process engineers are intrinsically involved in the manufacturing process of thousands of products, studying the processes these items undergo before they're ready for consumers. This position spotlight will cover all of the basics of this position and prepare you to begin your search for a new process engineer.

Job Description

These skilled engineers are in charge of evaluating and improving the quality and safety of manufacturing processes, including equipment design, manufacturing systems, and the chemical interactions that take place. They'll recommend changes when needed, create diagrams and charts to describe the processes, and even design manufacturing equipment to assist with these changes.

With this in mind, prospective process engineers should possess the ability to understand and create complex documents, troubleshoot mechanical equipment, and understand how minor changes can impact the performance and production of the manufacturing system. They'll also be involved with researching and purchasing new equipment and following the company's financial budget, so they should have experience performing both of these tasks.

As far as qualifications, your ideal candidate should have a bachelor's degree in chemical, manufacturing, or industrial engineering, though some employers may choose to require a graduate degree. Many employers also require at least three years of experience, as well as skills in math, problem solving, and certain software platforms.

The median salary for process engineers is $70,876, with a full salary range of $53,000 to $93,000.

Professional Outlook

Process engineers may work in a variety of settings, including chemical manufacturers, water treatment plants, consulting firms, oil companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and more. With a specialization in chemical interactions, they are particularly well suited for environments that involve chemical manufacturing.

With the growing skill gap in STEM fields, process engineers are in high demand and have great potential for growth and development within their field. This branch of engineering is expected to grow by nearly 4 percent in the next decade, so this gap will only grow larger with each passing year. If you're looking for talented process engineers, it may be wise to work with a staffing agency to gain access to a broader candidate pool and more prospective talent.

With the growing manufacturing industry and the skill gap between supply and demand of STEM candidates, manufacturing employers should investigate new methods of acquiring talented engineers. From working with a recruiting agency to redefining your hiring process to find overlooked hiring markets, you have a variety of options to help you grow and develop your engineering team. Contact our expert staffing team today.