Industrial Engineer
What the work is
Plans, investigates and reviews the logistics and utilisation of personnel, facilities, equipment and materials, operational processes and practices to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of operations in commercial, industrial and production environments.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Plans, implements and coordinates the sequence of operations in an industrial facility to maximise efficiency of time and resources
- Estimates production costs and risks associated with product design, process changes and fabrication
- Analyses data and product specifications to determine the quality of finished products, identify quality issues, and implement strategies for improving products and processes
- Designs systems and processes to minimise production issues and optimise resource use
- Develops and implements quality control procedures to ensure product and process consistency
- Identifies and analyses potential hazards in industrial facilities, and develops and implements safety policies and strategies to mitigate them
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a factory that makes packaged goods, where lines of machines run most of the day. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A change you suggested makes the line run smoother and the team notices
- You watch a machine you helped design run its first full shift without stopping
- An operator shows you a better way to do a job and you build it into the process
Hard days
- A breakdown on a Friday afternoon with a full order waiting to leave
- A cost cutting request that would make the job harder for the people on the floor
- Your idea looks great on screen but doesn't survive contact with the real factory
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 243531, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.