How To Become A Pilot Plant Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pilot plant operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The pilot plant operator is responsible for the daily operations of the pilot plant equipment under food safety compliance standards. There are safety standards you will need to follow at all times while executing your duties. Also, you will work with maintenance units to ensure all equipment is maintained and serviced. You will operate plant equipment while you ensure their quality and accuracy through analytical testing. Similarly, you will partake in the general cleaning and housekeeping.

The educational requirement for the post is a high school diploma, but a technical degree will be preferred. An experience in the post or a related post will be an advantage for you to secure the post. Similarly, you must understand and be able to implement good manufacturing practices, standard operating procedures, and hazard analysis critical control points. Not just this, but you must also be flexible in your work schedule, including overtime and weekends. The average earning for the post is $23 per hour, and that is $48,000 yearly.

ScorePilot Plant OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,462

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.8

Growth Rate -7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.89%

Asian 4.90%

Black or African American 8.62%

Hispanic or Latino 19.51%

Unknown 4.87%

White 61.22%

Gender

female 21.02%

male 78.98%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress Level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

4.9

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.4

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pilot plant operator

Explore pilot plant operator education requirements

Most common pilot plant operator degrees

Bachelor's

60.0 %

Associate

19.0 %

High School Diploma

8.4 %

Start to develop specific pilot plant operator skills

Skills	Percentages
PowerPoint	18.68%
NAS	13.45%
Federal Aviation Administration	12.96%
Voice Commands	11.33%
Air Traffic Control	10.08%

Complete relevant pilot plant operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pilot plant operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pilot plant operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pilot plant operator resumes.

Research pilot plant operator duties and responsibilities

Develop and manage a comprehensive vendor qualification program to support the GMP manufacture of vaccine products.
Set up and maintain distillation columns.
Utilize GC's for routine process analysis.
perform corrective and preventative maintenance of DCS.

Prepare your pilot plant operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pilot plant operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pilot plant operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Pilot Plant Operator Resume templates

Build a professional Pilot Plant Operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Pilot Plant Operator resume.

Apply for pilot plant operator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a pilot plant operator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

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