5 of the Best Types of Factory Jobs in 2026

Discover some great types of Factory jobs that are hiring now.

High Paying Factory Jobs

• Factory Manager

  Salary range: $61,000 - $89,500

  The qualifications to become a factory manager stress the importance of career experience in production and manufacturing. You can start by working on the floor of a manufacturing facility as a factory or plant worker. With the right combination of education and experience, you can work your way up to this management role. Most employers require you to have postsecondary education, such as a bachelor’s degree in business management, logistics, or industrial engineering. You must possess strong leadership qualities, excellent interpersonal, conflict resolution, and communication skills, and an eye for detail.

• Entry Level Factory

  Salary range: $32,000 - $37,500

  Entry-level jobs are positions that do not require any previous experience in the role. Most entry-level jobs are aimed at high school or college graduates as a starting point for a future career goal. A college student may have majored in their ideal career field, but will still need to start in an entry-level position to train in a real-world environment. Some students move from internships into entry-level jobs, but most entry-level jobs do not expect a candidate to have any prior employment or on-site training.

• 3Rd Shift Factory

  Salary range: $32,000 - $37,500

  The 3rd Shift is a work shift that covers overnight hours, roughly 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., for businesses that are open or require staff 24 hours a day. There are tradeoffs for people who work these hours. Those who work this shift find that they work when others sleep, and vice versa. While this can be hard, perks can include a lack of traffic en route to work and pay incentives. Some people also work the 3rd shift to be able to hold a second job or to be available to care for their children during the day.

• Full Time Factory

  Salary range: $32,000 - $37,500

  Full-time employment hours are generally determined by the employer. There is no single universal definition; however, various laws and policies govern different types of eligibility and statuses. For example, the Fair Labor Standards Act does not define full-time employment but does require overtime pay after 40 hours of work in a workweek for non-exempt employees. The Affordable Care Act, in determining Applicable Large Employers, defines full-time employees as those working an average of at least 30 hours per week, or 130 hours a month. The H-1B Visa Program defines full-time as 40 hours per week, normally, and in no event would less than 35 hours per week be considered to be full-time employment. In practice, full-time employment is typically between 32 and 40 hours per week.

• 1St Shift Factory

  Salary range: $32,000 - $37,500

  The hours for a 1st Shift job are typically between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., although the times can vary slightly. Job descriptions will often list the work shift or schedule that is required for the job. 1st Shift jobs are sometimes referred to as morning jobs or a morning shift because they begin during the earlier half of the day. In a retail job, the 1st Shift includes procedures to open stores for the day.