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Boston Career Explorer

Architecture and Engineering

Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Apply engineering theory and principles to problems of industrial layout or manufacturing production, usually under the direction of engineering staff. May perform time and motion studies on worker operations in a variety of industries for purposes such as establishing standard production rates or improving efficiency.

Also called: Engineering Technician (Engineering Tech), Industrial Engineering Analyst, Industrial Engineering Technician (Industrial Engineering Tech), Industrial Technician (Industrial Tech), Manufacturing Coordinator, PLC Tech (Programmable Logic Controller Technician)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$74,250
$35.70/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,580
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+1.0%
160 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Associate's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$52,040$60,210$74,250$81,070$94,690

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Adhere to all applicable regulations, policies, and procedures for health, safety, and environmental compliance.
  • Oversee or inspect production processes.
  • Identify opportunities for improvements in quality, cost, or efficiency of automation equipment.
  • Develop or implement programs to address problems related to production, materials, safety, or quality.
  • Test selected products at specified stages in the production process for performance characteristics or adherence to specifications.
  • Create or interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, formulas, or blueprints for management or engineering staff.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure59 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 61
  • Language-model AIOE 56
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 60

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is moderate, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with spotting ways to improve efficiency, tracking quality data, and handling compliance paperwork. They are less likely to replace walking the production floor, overseeing processes, and testing products in person. Massachusetts projects 1.0% growth from 2024 to 2034.

Likely to change

  • Analyzing production data for improvements
  • Compliance and quality paperwork

Still relies on people

  • Overseeing and inspecting production on the floor
  • Testing products and working with teams

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

    Overseeing work, inspecting for safety, and reading specifications carry over. This supervisor job has a Boston median pay of $99,890.

    Pay difference
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    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Industrial Machinery Mechanics

    Your knowledge of production equipment carries over to repairing it. Massachusetts projects 17.1% growth for this job.

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  • Medical Equipment Repairers

    Testing products against specifications builds toward testing and calibrating medical equipment. It needs an associate's degree, and Massachusetts projects 8.4% growth.

    Pay difference
    +$4,230 median
    AI exposure
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    To get started
    Associate's degree

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

4 programs near Boston (plus 3 graduate)

Related occupations

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