14 of the Highest Paying Process Engineer Jobs in 2026

The best Process Engineer jobs can pay up to $169,500 per year.

High Paying Process Engineer Jobs

• Principal Process Engineer

  Salary range: $130,000 - $169,500

  A principal process engineer works with a team to analyze the efficiency of company processes and identify potential improvements. In this career, you usually work in a large production or manufacturing facility. You must have excellent technical, organizational, and analytical skills. Your job duties include helping management in the development of schedules, budgets, or guidelines for your department, overseeing other engineers, collaborating to support process solutions, and creating simulations, diagrams, and project plans. You also use engineering computer software to design process plans and review data to calculate constant improvements. Qualifications for a career as a principal process engineer include a bachelor's degree in engineering.

• Refinery Process Engineer

  Salary range: $101,500 - $147,500

  The majority of Refinery Process Engineer salaries across the United States currently range between $101,500 (25th percentile) and $147,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Refinery Process Engineer job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Process Engineering Manager

  Salary range: $96,500 - $145,000

  The majority of Process Engineering Manager salaries across the United States currently range between $96,500 (25th percentile) and $145,000 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Process Engineering Manager job market in the United States is somewhat active, with a few companies hiring.

• Senior Process Engineer

  Salary range: $104,000 - $134,500

  The majority of Senior Process Engineer salaries across the United States currently range between $104,000 (25th percentile) and $134,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Senior Process Engineer job market in the United States is somewhat active, with a few companies hiring.

• Refining Engineer

  Salary range: $58,000 - $120,500

  The majority of Refining Engineer salaries across the United States currently range between $58,000 (25th percentile) and $120,500 (75th percentile) annually. This large range of salary potential suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay depending on skill level, location and years of experience. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Refining Engineer job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Process Development Engineer

  Salary range: $80,500 - $119,000

  A process development engineer designs and plans production systems to be cost-effective, safe, and meet quality requirements for their industry. These professionals often work as part of a quality assurance team or a production management department for industrial companies, such as manufacturing or mining businesses. As a process development engineer, your job duties include reviewing the company's current production processes and designing modifications to the current system or creating new systems to increase productivity. Once you have installed or implemented the system, you make sure to test and troubleshoot it to ensure they run properly.

• Process Control Engineer

  Salary range: $75,500 - $116,500

  A process control engineer oversees production processes, usually in the chemical or mechanical industry. Their responsibilities include designing, implementing, testing, and making repairs to process control systems. The control engineer's job is to make sure the systems are running efficiently. In some types of production, system control may be done via software.

• Bioprocess Engineer

  Salary range: $50,000 - $102,500

  A bioprocess engineer uses biological materials to create a variety of products. As a bioprocess engineer, you apply your biology and chemistry skills to create foods, products used in the agriculture industry, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and water filtration systems, among other products. Qualifications for this career depend on the specific duties of a job, but you should obtain at least a bachelor’s degree in biology or chemistry. Most bioprocess engineers go on to pursue a graduate degree as well. You also need experience in a laboratory setting. The biotechnology field is growing quickly, so an entry-level engineer job in the field is perfect for those looking to pursue this a career in this industry.

• Manufacturing Process Engineer

  Salary range: $73,500 - $98,000

  The majority of Manufacturing Process Engineer salaries across the United States currently range between $73,500 (25th percentile) and $98,000 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Manufacturing Process Engineer job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Process Development Manager

  Salary range: $80,000 - $96,500

  The majority of Process Development Manager salaries across the United States currently range between $80,000 (25th percentile) and $96,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Process Development Manager job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Process Control Technician

  Salary range: $68,000 - $89,000

  The majority of Process Control Technician salaries across the United States currently range between $68,000 (25th percentile) and $89,000 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Process Control Technician job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Foundry Process Engineer

  Salary range: $76,500 - $85,500

  The majority of Foundry Process Engineer salaries across the United States currently range between $76,500 (25th percentile) and $85,500 (75th percentile) annually. Most people working in this role make similar salaries regardless of skill level, location and years of experience. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Foundry Process Engineer job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Process Developer

  Salary range: $56,000 - $77,000

  The majority of Process Developer salaries across the United States currently range between $56,000 (25th percentile) and $77,000 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Process Developer job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Process Engineering Technician

  Salary range: $49,500 - $75,000

  The majority of Process Engineering Technician salaries across the United States currently range between $49,500 (25th percentile) and $75,000 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Process Engineering Technician job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.