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Food Manufacturing
Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Nestlé
Home / All Jobs / Trades / Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
You run ovens, roasters, dryers, and similar machines that turn raw ingredients like coffee beans, nuts, grains, cocoa, and bakery products into finished goods. The work is hands-on and highly controlled: you watch time, temperature, product flow, and quality, then react fast when a machine jams or a batch starts to drift. The main tradeoff is that the job is fairly easy to enter, but pay and advancement are limited unless you move into lead, maintenance, or supervision work.
Also known as Food Processing Machine OperatorRoaster OperatorBaking Machine OperatorDryer OperatorOven Operator
Median Salary
$42,730
Mean $44,140
U.S. Workforce
~20K
2.4K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+0.6%
20.7K to 20.8K
Entry Education
No formal educational credential
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders sits in the Trades category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~20K workers, with a median annual pay of $42,730 and roughly 2.4K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 20.7 K in 2024 to 20.8K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with High school diploma, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Production Helper and can progress toward Production Supervisor. High-value skills usually include PLC/HMI Control Panels, Timers & Thermostats, Industrial Ovens, Roasters & Dryers, and Process Monitoring & Equipment Checks, paired with soft skills such as Attention to detail, Active listening, and Following instructions.
Core Responsibilities
- Review the production order so you know what product to bake, dry, roast, or cure and how much to make.
- Set the machine controls for temperature and time, then start ovens, roasters, dryers, conveyors, or other equipment.
- Measure out ingredients or finished product with scales and hoppers so each batch stays on target.
- Watch the line for jams, spills, or other machine problems and call for help if a quick fix does not solve it.
Keep exploring: more Trades careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Review the production order so you know what product to bake, dry, roast, or cure and how much to make.
02 Set the machine controls for temperature and time, then start ovens, roasters, dryers, conveyors, or other equipment.
03 Measure out ingredients or finished product with scales and hoppers so each batch stays on target.
04 Watch the line for jams, spills, or other machine problems and call for help if a quick fix does not solve it.
05 Check the product as it comes out, using sight, smell, touch, or taste to make sure it meets standards.
06 Write down how much was processed, what type of product ran, and the temperature and time used for the batch.
Industries That Hire
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Snack, Bakery & Cereal Manufacturing
Mondelez International, Hostess Brands, Post Holdings
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Coffee & Cocoa Processing
Starbucks, J.M. Smucker, Nestlé
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Grain & Ingredient Processing
Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Bunge
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Tobacco Manufacturing
Philip Morris International, Altria, Reynolds American
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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You can get started without a college degree; BLS says the typical entry point is no formal educational credential.
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Most workers learn through moderate-term on-the-job training, so the path in is practical rather than expensive.
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Annual openings are projected at 2.4K, which means employers will keep hiring even though total employment is nearly flat.
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The work is concrete and easy to measure: you know quickly whether a batch, temperature, or texture is right.
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Skills can transfer to other food plant jobs such as production, quality, or line leadership.
Challenges
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Pay is modest for the amount of responsibility, with a mean wage of $44,140 and a median of $42,730.
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Growth is almost nonexistent at 0.6% from 2024 to 2034, so advancement depends more on stepping into a different job than on promotion within this one.
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The job is tied to a plant and a physical machine line, so remote work is rare and schedule flexibility is limited.
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The work can be repetitive, hot, and physically tiring because you often stand, lift, and handle product through long shifts.
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Automation and tighter process controls can reduce the number of hands needed on the line, which creates a real ceiling for long-term career growth.
Career Progression
Production Helper
0-1 years
$31K-$36K
You learn plant routines, move product and supplies, and help operators keep the line fed and cleaned.
Food Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operator
1-4 years
$37K-$46K
You run the machines, set batch controls, and monitor quality closely enough to catch problems before they ruin a run.
Senior Operator / Lead Tender THIS ROLE
4-8 years
$46K-$56K
You handle more complex batches, coach newer workers, and troubleshoot equipment or product issues with less supervision.
Shift Lead / Line Supervisor
8-12 years
$56K-$68K
You coordinate the crew, keep production moving, and make sure output, safety, and quality targets are met.
Production Supervisor
12+ years
$68K-$82K
You oversee multiple lines or shifts, manage scheduling and staffing, and are accountable for output, waste, and compliance.
Education Paths
High school diploma
This is the most common education level, held by 60.77% of workers in this occupation.
Less than a high school diploma
A sizable share of workers, 22.77%, entered without finishing high school and learned the job through training on the floor.
Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry point, and employers usually teach the machine-specific steps after hire.
Food safety or production certificate
A certificate can help with hiring and safety expectations, especially since 5.65% of workers report a post-secondary certificate as their highest education.
Key Skills
Technical
PLC/HMI Control Panels, Timers & Thermostats 72%
Industrial Ovens, Roasters & Dryers 70%
Process Monitoring & Equipment Checks 66%
Conveyors, Hoppers & Scale Systems 62%
Quality Sampling & Batch Records 62%
Food Safety, Sanitation & Cleaning Procedures 60%
Soft Skills
Attention to detailActive listeningFollowing instructionsCommunication with supervisorsProblem-solvingReliability Job Outlook and Trends
+0.6%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
2.4K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 20.7K to 20.8 K over the next decade, representing 0.6% growth. Around 2.4 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.