Validation Engineers
Also called Quality Assurance Engineer, Quality Engineer, Quality Management Systems Engineer, or Supplier Quality Engineer
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Validation Engineers do
You prove that a company's machines, software, and production steps really work every time, so the products they make are safe.
A validation engineer's job is to prove things work the way they are supposed to. Before a company can rely on a machine, a software system, or a production step, someone has to test it, document the test, and show the results hold up. That someone is you. You write the plan, run the checks, study the data, and put it all in a report that inspectors and customers can read.
This work matters most wherever products have to meet strict purity, safety, and quality rules. You spend a lot of time reading standards and writing clearly, and a lot of time asking operators and technicians what really happens. The same job also goes by quality assurance engineer, quality engineer, or supplier quality engineer.
A day in the life
You start with email and a short team meeting to see which test is behind schedule. Then you walk out to the production floor, the area where the machines run and products get made, and watch a machine run a test batch while you record what happens. Back at your desk you study the numbers. Something drifted outside the allowed range, so you dig for the cause and talk to the operator who ran it. The afternoon goes to writing: a test plan, a step-by-step procedure, or a report that a regulator (a government agency that checks safety rules) may read. Deadlines push hard, especially when a product launch waits on your results. You work indoors in climate-controlled space, alone with documents in stretches, in meetings the rest.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Like figuring out why something went wrong instead of just fixing it
- ✓Take pride in accurate, orderly records and clear writing
- ✓Enjoy being around machines and real production, not only a computer screen
- ✓Can explain a technical finding to an operator, a manager, and an inspector
- ✓Stay calm when a deadline and a problem land on the same day
You might not like it if you…
- –Find detailed paperwork and documentation draining
- –Dislike rules, standards, and doing things in a set order
- –Want work that is mostly hands-on building rather than testing and reporting
- –Struggle with pressure when a launch date depends on your results
How people get in
- 1Take math and science seriously in high school, and get comfortable writing clear, factual explanations.
- 2Earn a bachelor's degree, the usual entry requirement. Programs that lead here include industrial engineering, systems engineering, manufacturing engineering, engineering or industrial management, and packaging science.
- 3Look for an internship or co-op (a paid work placement that is part of your degree) in manufacturing or quality, where you often shadow experienced engineers and see how testing and documentation really work.
- 4Learn the basics of quality and testing: how to read a standard, how to write a procedure, how to analyze test data.
- 5Start in a quality or process role at a plant and ask to help run validation tests, then move into full validation work as you learn the rules.
- 6Keep building your writing and speaking skills, since reporting results and talking with regulatory agencies and customers is part of the job.
Who tends to enjoy it
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Official task list
Validation Engineers design or plan protocols for equipment or processes to produce products meeting internal and external purity, safety, and quality requirements. (O*NET)
- Study product characteristics or customer requirements to determine validation objectives and standards.
- Analyze validation test data to determine whether systems or processes have met validation criteria or to identify root causes of production problems.
- Develop validation master plans, process flow diagrams, test cases, or standard operating procedures.
- Prepare detailed reports or design statements, based on results of validation and qualification tests or reviews of procedures and protocols.
- Maintain validation test equipment.
- Conduct validation or qualification tests of new or existing processes, equipment, or software in accordance with internal protocols or external standards.
- Communicate with regulatory agencies regarding compliance documentation or validation results.
- Prepare, maintain, or review validation and compliance documentation, such as engineering change notices, schematics, or protocols.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
What you'll need to know
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
How much Validation Engineers make
The median pay for Validation Engineers in the U.S. is $102,440 a year ($49.25 an hour). Most earn between $74,370 and $159,860. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in Alaska ($156,510) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($81,820).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $99,880 | 7,650 |
| Alaska | $156,510 | 220 |
| Arizona | $108,280 | 7,520 |
| Arkansas | $98,410 | 1,710 |
| California | $124,600 | 32,680 |
| Colorado | $109,750 | 5,200 |
| Connecticut | $104,160 | 6,020 |
| Delaware | $120,190 | 820 |
| District of Columbia | $103,300 | 160 |
| Florida | $101,610 | 14,050 |
| Georgia | $100,100 | 8,940 |
| Hawaii | $123,800 | 50 |
| Idaho | $100,840 | 1,330 |
| Illinois | $100,540 | 18,640 |
| Indiana | $97,480 | 11,680 |
| Iowa | $97,690 | 3,600 |
| Kansas | $99,830 | 3,450 |
| Kentucky | $96,820 | 6,070 |
| Louisiana | $122,920 | 1,710 |
| Maine | $101,030 | 1,030 |
| Maryland | $119,930 | 3,900 |
| Massachusetts | $109,420 | 11,470 |
| Michigan | $101,680 | 30,990 |
| Minnesota | $102,660 | 17,580 |
| Mississippi | $95,830 | 2,450 |
| Missouri | $99,290 | 5,070 |
| Montana | $104,430 | 390 |
| Nebraska | $98,170 | 1,160 |
| Nevada | $102,090 | 1,570 |
| New Hampshire | $101,310 | 1,940 |
| New Jersey | $103,840 | 6,870 |
| New Mexico | $128,090 | 1,140 |
| New York | $102,640 | 11,810 |
| North Carolina | $99,310 | 11,580 |
| North Dakota | $96,940 | 600 |
| Ohio | $100,060 | 23,480 |
| Oklahoma | $97,510 | 2,170 |
| Oregon | $128,290 | 5,810 |
| Pennsylvania | $99,560 | 13,180 |
| Puerto Rico | $81,820 | 2,750 |
| Rhode Island | $109,350 | 990 |
| South Carolina | $101,060 | 7,960 |
| South Dakota | $93,200 | 830 |
| Tennessee | $99,080 | 7,440 |
| Texas | $104,560 | 30,980 |
| Utah | $103,940 | 5,520 |
| Vermont | $103,010 | 440 |
| Virginia | $102,550 | 5,580 |
| Washington | $129,050 | 6,130 |
| West Virginia | $108,360 | 850 |
| Wisconsin | $96,980 | 13,070 |
| Wyoming | $122,070 | 240 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Industrial Engineering 157 colleges
- Engineering / Industrial Management 217 colleges
- Systems Engineering 119 colleges
- Manufacturing Engineering 89 colleges
- Packaging Science 14 colleges
Related careers
Architecture and Engineering
Industrial Engineers
Design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination.
$102,440/yr median Considerable preparation
Management
Quality Control Systems Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate quality assurance programs. Formulate quality control policies and control quality of laboratory and production efforts.
$126,060/yr median Considerable preparation
Computer and Mathematical
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
Develop and execute software tests to identify software problems and their causes. Test system modifications to prepare for implementation. Document software and application defects using a bug tracking system and report defects to software or web developers. Create and maintain databases of known defects. May participate in software design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, operational characteristics, product designs, and schedules.
$104,300/yr median Considerable preparation
Architecture and Engineering
Manufacturing Engineers
Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
$102,440/yr median Considerable preparation
Architecture and Engineering
Mechanical Engineers
Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.
$104,110/yr median Considerable preparation
Architecture and Engineering
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
Research, design, develop, or test electronic components and systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use employing knowledge of electronic theory and materials properties. Design electronic circuits and components for use in fields such as telecommunications, aerospace guidance and propulsion control, acoustics, or instruments and controls.
$130,220/yr median Considerable preparation
Architecture and Engineering
Automotive Engineers
Develop new or improved designs for vehicle structural members, engines, transmissions, or other vehicle systems, using computer-assisted design technology. Direct building, modification, or testing of vehicle or components.
$104,110/yr median Considerable preparation
Architecture and Engineering
Mechatronics Engineers
Research, design, develop, or test automation, intelligent systems, smart devices, or industrial systems control.
$122,930/yr median Considerable preparation
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 17-2112.02, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 17-2112. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.