Validation Engineers
Design or plan protocols for equipment or processes to produce products meeting internal and external purity, safety, and quality requirements.
SOC: 17-2112.02
Common Job Titles
Quality Assurance EngineerQuality EngineerQuality Management Systems EngineerSupplier Quality Engineer
What You'll Need to Succeed
AI-generatedKey competencies for this occupation at a glance
- KnowledgeEvaluate equipment and process performance data against purity, safety, and quality standards in regulated manufacturing environments, using analytical tools and compliance frameworks.Advanced
- KnowledgeDesign validation protocols for equipment qualification and process validation applying engineering principles and regulatory requirements across manufacturing systems.Advanced
- KnowledgeDevelop test plans and acceptance criteria for validation activities integrating risk assessment methodologies and stakeholder requirements.Advanced
- KnowledgeFormulate corrective action and process improvement recommendations based on root cause analysis of validation failures and non-conformances.Advanced
- KnowledgeAnalyze production process data and test results using statistical software and analytical instruments to identify deviations and trends.Proficient
- KnowledgeAssess compliance of manufacturing processes with FDA, GMP, and industry regulations through inspection and documentation review in pharmaceutical or biotechnology settings.Proficient
- KnowledgeInterpret complex validation data and technical specifications for cross-functional teams including manufacturing, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs.Proficient
- MindsetIntegrate quality and safety principles with production efficiency objectives when collaborating with engineering and operations teams on validation projects.Proficient
- KnowledgeApply analytical methods and instrumentation techniques using spectrophotometers, flow sensors, and programmable logic controllers for process monitoring.Proficient
- MindsetAdvocate for validation best practices and regulatory compliance standards when training personnel and consulting with project stakeholders.Proficient
- KnowledgeOrganize validation documentation and change control records using laboratory information management systems and electronic document management platforms.Proficient
Wage Data According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Annual wage data for Validation Engineers (2024)
Estimated Total Employment (U.S.)
350,230
Wage Distribution by Percentile
| Metric | U.S. |
|---|---|
| 10% of workers earn the following or less | $70,000 |
| 10% of workers earn the following or more | $157,140 |
| Workers on average earn | $107,900 |
+ indicates wage is at or above the BLS reporting cap ($239,200/year)
Skills & Requirements
Key competencies for this occupation, ranked by importance
- Engineering and Technology4.3/5
- Production and Processing4.2/5
- English Language3.8/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.7/5
- Mathematics3.6/5
Tools & Technology
Equipment and software commonly used in this occupation
In-Demand Technology
Frequently requested by employers in job postings
Amazon DynamoDBAmazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormationAmazon Web Services AWS softwareAnsible softwareApache CassandraApache KafkaApache MavenApache Subversion SVNApache TomcatAtlassian JIRABashCC#C++ChefDassault Systemes SolidWorksDjangoDockerElasticsearchExtensible markup language XMLGitGitHubGoIBM TerraformJUnitJavaScriptJenkins CIKubernetesLinuxMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft Azure softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft PowerShellMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft SQL ServerMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft Visual BasicMicrosoft Visual StudioMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordMongoDBMySQLNoSQLNode.jsOracle JavaPHPPerlPostgreSQLPuppetPythonRRed Hat Enterprise LinuxRubyScalaSeleniumShell scriptSplunk EnterpriseStructured query language SQLTeradata DatabaseThe MathWorks MATLABUNIXUNIX Shell
Technology Skills
Apache AntApache GroovyApache HTTP ServerApache SolrApache StrutsAtlassian BambooBugzillaCadence Incisive Enterprise Simulator
Tools & Equipment
Flow sensorsGel electrophoresis systemsIn-target probes ITPLogic analyzersMultimetersNetwork protocol analyzersOscilloscopesPressure sensors