Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.
Also called: Bean Roaster · Coffee Roaster · Line Operator · Machine Operator · Oven Operator · Oven Technician
Median pay (national)
$42,730
$32,390–$60,070 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
19,500
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+0.6%
~2,400 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $60,070 versus $32,390 at the bottom 10% — 1.9x. The median of $42,730 leaves roughly 41% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +0.6% from 2024 to 2034 — slower than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 2,400 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 43 states with released data, Colorado pays the most for this role (median $59,990, +40% vs the national median), while Pennsylvania sits lowest at $33,530 — a 79% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Science
- Mathematics
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
- Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
- Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted.
- 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.
- Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
- Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
- Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
- Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
- Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand.
Tools & technology
- Email software
- Microsoft Excel
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Food Production
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service