Validation Engineers
Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsO*NET 17-2112.02United States
Design or plan protocols for equipment or processes to produce products meeting internal and external purity, safety, and quality requirements.
- Median annual earnings
- $102,272
- Projected change
- +12.9%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 366.86K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
90% of the workforce
Growing to 414.23K by 2035
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The work
What validation engineers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Recommend resolution of identified deviations from established product or process standards.
- Design validation study features, such as sampling, testing, or analytical methodologies.
- Prepare validation or performance qualification protocols for new or modified manufacturing processes, systems, or equipment for production of pharmaceuticals, electronics, or other products.
- Create, populate, or maintain databases for tracking validation activities, test results, or validated systems.
- Resolve testing problems by modifying testing methods or revising test objectives and standards.
- Conduct audits of validation or performance qualification processes to ensure compliance with internal or regulatory requirements.
- Draw samples of raw materials, intermediate products, or finished products for validation testing.
- Direct validation activities, such as protocol creation or testing.
- Coordinate the implementation or scheduling of validation testing with affected departments and personnel.
- Participate in internal or external training programs to maintain knowledge of validation principles, industry trends, or novel technologies.
- Validate or characterize sustainable or environmentally friendly products, using electronic testing platforms.
- Assist in training equipment operators or other staff on validation protocols and standard operating procedures.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $74,054
- 25th percentile
- $83,336
- 50th percentile
- $102,272
- 75th percentile
- $129,454
- 90th percentile
- $160,763
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $102,272 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+12.9%faster than average
2025366,862 jobs
2035 projected414,227 jobs
47,365 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 90%
- Associate degree
- 5%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Quality Engineers9,956 postings
- 02Platform Engineers7,622 postings
- 03Platform Software Engineers4,485 postings
- 04Reliability Engineers2,568 postings
- 05Platform Developers2,173 postings
- 06Data Platform Engineers1,862 postings
- 07Cloud Platform Engineers1,839 postings
- 08Platform Architects1,775 postings
- 09Validation Engineers1,487 postings
- 10Commissioning Engineers1,272 postings
- 11Google Cloud Architects1,108 postings
- 12Kubernetes Engineers1,018 postings
- 13Engineers942 postings
- 14Lead Platform Engineers888 postings
- 15Principal Engineers817 postings
- 16Quality Assurance Engineers805 postings
- 17Back End Software Engineers599 postings
- 18Platform Engineering Managers544 postings
- 19Product Quality Engineers512 postings
- 20Forward Deployed Engineers507 postings
Top employers
- 01Capital One1,847 postings
- 02Apple1,234 postings
- 03Actalent1,218 postings
- 04Google1,004 postings
- 05General Motors925 postings
- 06RTX652 postings
- 07GovCIO651 postings
- 08Amazon642 postings
- 09Ford608 postings
- 10KPMG602 postings
- 11Insight Global591 postings
- 12Coinbase Global590 postings
- 13Lockheed Martin536 postings
- 14Teradata Operations513 postings
- 15Accenture507 postings
- 16Datavant429 postings
- 17Cardinal Health387 postings
- 18Cognizant Technology Solutions362 postings
- 19JPMorgan Chase343 postings
- 20Confluent342 postings
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