Home / Career Explorer / Production

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)	Projected Growth (2023-2033)
National Statistics	$42,730	2700	2.2%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$42,730

Median Wage (USD, 2023)

2700

Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)

2.2%

Projected Growth (2023-2033)

Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Related Work Experience: N.A.

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

On-the-Job Training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months

Detailed Work Activities

Inspect food products.
Evaluate quality of food ingredients or prepared foods.
Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.
Operate cooking, baking, or other food preparation equipment.
Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
Operate pumping systems or equipment.
Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
Record operational or production data.
Weigh finished products.
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.
Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
Sterilize food cooking or processing equipment.
Clear equipment jams.
Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas.
Feed materials or products into or through equipment.
Position raw materials on processing or production equipment.
Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
Inspect food products.
Signal others to coordinate work activities.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted.
Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand.
Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses.
Test products for moisture content, using moisture meters.
Clear or dislodge blockages in bins, screens, or other equipment, using poles, brushes, or mallets.
Start conveyors to move roasted grain to cooling pans and agitate grain with rakes as blowers force air through perforated bottoms of pans.
Open valves, gates, or chutes or use shovels to load or remove products from ovens or other equipment.
Clean equipment with steam, hot water, and hoses.
Smooth out products in bins, pans, trays, or conveyors, using rakes or shovels.
Install equipment, such as spray units, cutting blades, or screens, using hand tools.
Push racks or carts to transfer products to storage, cooling stations, or the next stage of processing.

Work Styles

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Session has been expired