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Entry Level Production Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Just In Time Staffing LLC

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Entry Level Manufacturing Engineer

Elgin, IL · On-site

$65K - $82K/yr

Position: Entry- Level Manufacturing Engineer Job Type : Direct Hire Pay: $65,000 - $82,000 ... You'll spend the majority of your time on the production floor working directly with operators ...

Wolverine

Entry-Level C++ Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$80K - $120K/yr

Entry-Level C++ Software Engineer Department: Technology Employment Type: Full Time Location ... Gain exposure to the full lifecycle of trading system development, from idea to production support.

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All JobsProduction Engineer JobsEntry Level Production Engineer JobsEntry Level Production Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Entry Level Production Engineer information

See Illinois salary details

$48.9K

$127.6K

$139.5K

How much do entry level production engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 3, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level production engineer in Illinois is $127,589.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $138,600.00 and $138,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an Entry Level Production Engineer do?

An Entry Level Production Engineer assists in designing, operating, and improving manufacturing processes within a plant or factory. Their responsibilities typically include monitoring production lines, troubleshooting issues, ensuring product quality, and collaborating with senior engineers to optimize efficiency. They may also be involved in maintaining equipment, implementing safety standards, and collecting data to support process improvements. This role serves as a foundation for learning the technical and organizational skills needed for more advanced engineering positions.

What are some typical challenges faced by entry level production engineers, and how can I prepare for them?

Entry level production engineers often face challenges such as quickly adapting to fast-paced manufacturing environments, troubleshooting unexpected equipment issues, and balancing multiple tasks under tight deadlines. You may also need to learn new software systems and processes on the job, while collaborating closely with operators, maintenance staff, and senior engineers. Gaining familiarity with lean manufacturing principles, practicing effective communication, and developing strong problem-solving skills can help you succeed in this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Entry Level Production Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Production Engineer, you need a solid background in engineering principles, problem-solving abilities, and a relevant bachelor's degree in engineering. Familiarity with CAD software, manufacturing systems, and quality control tools such as Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing methods is often expected. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication help you excel in team environments and adapt to process changes. These skills ensure efficient production processes, minimize errors, and support continuous improvement in manufacturing operations.

What is the difference between Entry Level Production Engineer vs Manufacturing Technician?

AspectEntry Level Production EngineerManufacturing Technician
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in engineering or related fieldAssociate degree or technical certification
Work EnvironmentDesign, planning, and process improvement in manufacturing settingsHands-on equipment operation and maintenance
Employer & Industry UsageManufacturing companies, industrial plants, OEMsFactories, assembly lines, production facilities
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

Entry Level Production Engineers focus on designing and improving manufacturing processes, requiring a bachelor's degree. Manufacturing Technicians handle equipment operation and maintenance, often with technical certifications. Both roles are essential in manufacturing environments but differ in responsibilities and educational requirements.

What are the most commonly searched types of Production Engineer jobs in Illinois? The most popular types of Production Engineer jobs in Illinois are:
What cities in Illinois are hiring for Entry Level Production Engineer jobs? Cities in Illinois with the most Entry Level Production Engineer job openings:
Entry Level Production Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Production Engineer job openings in Illinois as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Locum Tenens, 91% Full Time, 5% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $127,589 per year, or $61.3 per hour.

AI Production Engineer - Term

Argonne National Laboratory

Lemont, IL • On-site

$78K - $122K/yr

Full-time

Posted 7 days ago

Job description

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) (https://www.aps.anl.gov/) at Argonne National Laboratory invites applicants for a one-year term AI Production Engineer position. This entry-level role will help move artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models developed by APS teams into reliable production use across the facility.
  • The successful candidate will work with scientists and AI developers to deploy and operate AI capabilities across the APS, spanning real-time analysis of high-rate x-ray data, AI-guided experiment steering, and extraction of scientific knowledge from measurements.
  • The role will support physics-aware and foundation models for imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopy; large-scale and streaming inference from HPC training environments to GPUs at instruments; and local LLM/VLM inference and agentic workflows.
  • Responsibilities include optimizing inference performance, validating accuracy and generalization, integrating models into experimental workflows, monitoring model quality and data drift, maintaining model and data versions, maintaining AIOps workflows in the CAI group, and implementing AI-specific CI/CD.
  • The appointee will also support closed-loop and continual-improvement workflows that use new data and human feedback to improve validated models over time.
  • May be required to perform other duties as assigned.

This position is part of the Computational science and AI group (CAI) (https://cai.xray.aps.anl.gov/), a cross-disciplinary team with expertise in machine learning, large-scale AI inference, high-performance computing, and x-ray science. The appointee will collaborate across the APS, receive guidance from experienced scientists and AI developers, and contribute reliable facility-wide AI capabilities.
Candidates are encouraged to include a cover letter in addition to a CV.
Position Requirements
  • Bachelors and 0+ years' experience, Masters and 0+ years' experience, or equivalent
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering.
  • Hands-on Python experience for AI/ML through coursework, projects, internships, or employment.
  • Familiarity with PyTorch and running trained neural-network models for inference.
  • Understanding of ML concepts including training, validation, model evaluation, overfitting, and performance metrics.
  • Ability to learn model versioning, automated validation, and AI-specific CI/CD practices.
  • Ability to model Argonne's core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork.
  • Interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills, and ability to interact with people at all levels both within and outside the laboratory.

Preferred:
  • Experience running open-source LLMs or VLMs locally using Hugging Face Transformers, vLLM, llama.cpp, or similar frameworks.
  • Experience with batched, streaming, or distributed inference and improving throughput, latency, or memory use.
  • Familiarity with continual learning, active learning, automated evaluation, or feedback-driven model improvement.
  • Familiarity with GPUs, Linux, containers, or high-performance computing environments for AI workloads.
  • Experience with scientific data and monitoring model quality, data drift, or inference performance.

Job Family
Research Development (RD)
Job Profile
Computational Science 1
Worker Type
Long-Term (Fixed Term)
Time Type
Full time
The expected hiring range for this position is $78,505.00 - $122,467.41.
Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.
Click here to view Argonne employee benefits!
As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.
Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department.
All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.

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