Food Processing Workers

How to become a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operator or Tender

Official title: Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

Also called: Bean Roaster, Coffee Roaster, Line Operator, Machine Operator, Oven Operator, Oven Technician, Roast Master, Roaster, Roaster Operator, Roasterman

Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.

Main tasks

Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
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.
Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.

How to become one

Education requirements vary for food processing equipment workers. Some typically need no formal education credential; however, others typically need a high school diploma or equivalent.

Typical education to start: No formal educational credential

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $44,810 a year The middle half earn $37,540 to $50,680.
About 21,600 people work in this job now, and about 21,700 are projected by 2035. (+0.4%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operator or Tender?

Education requirements vary for food processing equipment workers. Some typically need no formal education credential; however, others typically need a high school diploma or equivalent.

How much does a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operator or Tender earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $44,810 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $37,540 to $50,680.

Is a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operator or Tender a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 21,600 people now and 21,700 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operator or Tender?

Usually not. Only 20% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operator or Tender?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.