Industrial Engineer
Career Area: Engineering
Occupation Group: Mechanical and Related Engineers
Salary
Percentile wages tell how much a certain percentage of an overall population in a geographic area or within a given industry or field makes. The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
An example would be the 25th percentile, 25 percent of workers employed in that occupation earn less and 75 percent earn more than the estimated wage value. At the 75th percentile, 75 percent of workers employed in that occupation earn less and 25 percent earn more than the estimated wage value.
A typical Industrial Engineer earns the following wages (national and state):
State
The average salary in North Carolina for those pursuing this career is $69,902
National
The average salary in the United States for those pursuing this career is $71,531
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Devises ways to make production processes more efficient and less wasteful. Uses technology and engineering to help companies and organizations produce products with efficient use of time, resources, and energy.
Employment Trends
The job demand and job growth statistics shown here were derived from job posts over the past year. Expected job growth projections are extrapolated from year-over-year job post listing history.
Job demand and job growth is expected at the following rates:
| Location | Growth | |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 271 | +10.6% |
| Nationwide | 9824 | +8.3% |
Skills
A professional in this position typically utilizes the following skills in the course of everyday work in this exciting and challenging field:
Baseline Skills
The following are baseline skills every Industrial Engineer is expected to have in order to experience success in this field:
- Communication Skills: The ability to convey information to another effectively and efficiently.
- Problem Solving: Problem solving consists of using generic or ad hoc methods, in an orderly manner, for finding solutions to problems.
- Planning: Working experience with the process of thinking about and organizing the activities required to achieve desired goals.
- Microsoft Excel: Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet developed by Microsoft for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications.
- Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office is an office suite of applications, servers, and services developed by Microsoft.
Specialized Skills
These skills are specific to working in this career:
- Industrial Engineering Industry Expertise: Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering which deals with the optimization of complex processes, systems, or organizations.
- Industrial Engineering: Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering which deals with the optimization of complex processes, systems or organizations.
- Project Management: Project management is the discipline of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria.
- Scheduling: Working experience making schedules, which are basic time-management tools, consisting of a list of times at which possible tasks, events, or actions are intended to take place withing an organization.
- Packaging: Packaging is the technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use.
Distinguishing Skills
Any Industrial Engineer that possesses the following skills will stand out against the competition:
- Ergonomics: Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.
Experience
This position typically requires the following level of experience. The numbers presented in the pie charts below were derived from actual job posts over the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Experience Required | % |
| 0 to 2 years | 31% |
| 3 to 5 years | 54% |
| 6 to 8 years | 10% |
Many of the programs offered through NC State are designed for working professionals who need additional credentials to enhance existing work experience.
Students who do not have the expected level of experience may wish to look into internship and employment opportunities.
Common Job Titles
It is possible to find work in this field in positions commonly listed as the following job titles:
- Industrial Engineer
- Senior Industrial Engineer
- Packaging Lead
- Outside Plant Engineer
- Senior Industrial Engineer IV E
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