2026 Manufacturing Entry-level Jobs in Illinois
People often express an interest in entry-level jobs in manufacturing without fully realizing the many fields and industries which these jobs encompass. Just to give you an understanding of how vast the manufacturing field is, you should know that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently more than 11,988 individuals working within the industry and there are twenty-one recognized subsectors of the manufacturing industry as a whole. It is vital that you have a fairly good idea of what jobs in manufacturing you are interested in before you start the job search. One manufacturing entry-level job that may interest you is food manufacturer. These professionals are responsible for working directly with agricultural suppliers and for turning animal products and vegetable products into the food we eat every day. This subsector includes bakers, production line supervisors and managers, batchmakers, packing operators, filling machine operators, slaughterers, and meatpackers. As you might expect, average salaries cover a wide range within the food manufacturing industry, but most professionals earn somewhere between $25,010 per year and $51,510 per year. If you’re not interested in working with food specifically, there are also manufacturing jobs in the beverage and tobacco industries. Positions available include drivers, sales personnel, industrial production managers, laborers, sales representatives, machine setters, and many more. Again, salary ranges are widely varied, with most employees earning between $28,650 per year and $100,690 per year. And, of course, there are many other subsectors of the industry to consider, including textile mills and apparel manufacturing, paper manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, and so many more.
Manufacturing Engineer III
Manufacturing Engineer
$80,000-$80,000 per year
Manufacturing Supervisor I (2nd Shift-2:30pm-11pm)
Manufacturing Supervisor I
Manufacturing Supervisor I (1st Shift-6:30am-3pm)
Manufacturing Supervisor I (Multiple Shifts)
Manufacturing Engineering Technician - Controls
Manufacturing Technician - Assembly
Manufacturing Maintenance Technician ~ 3pm-11:30pm ($25.56 - $28.33)
Manufacturing Technician - Testing (2nd shift)
$21-$21
Manufacturing Technician
Manufacturing Food Production Operator
Manufacturing Solutions Strategy Lead
Manufacturing Engineer-Controls
Manufacturing Engineer-Mechanical
Manufacturing Engineering Lead
Manufacturing Engineeer
$95,000 per year
Manufacturing Engineer
$72,000-$140,000 per year
Technician, Manufacturing V
Technician, Manufacturing III (M-F)
Cabinet Manufacturing Machine Operator
Manager Precast Manufacturing
Maintenance Mechanic (Manufacturing Equipment)
$32-$32
Program Manager - Manufacturing
$160,000 per year
Senior Financial Analyst - Manufacturing - Base Salary to 120k/year - Franklin Park, IL
$120,000 per year
Powder Coat Technician (Manufacturing Painter)
$24-$24
2nd & 3rd Shift Manufacturing Utility Operators ($20 - $25.08)
Strategic Account Manager, Manufacturing Install Base | ERP, EAM, Field Service Management
$135,000-$135,000 per year
Customer Service Associate - Manufacturing
Sewing Machine Operators Needed - Manufacturing Heavy Fabric Products
Production Supervisor, 1st Shift / Manufacturing Supervisor
General Manager Cast Stone Precast Manufacturing
Bilingual Support Analyst - Data Canter Manufacturing
Senior Analyst, Finance, ECM (External & Contract Manufacturing)
Strategic Sales Executive, Workforce Management | Poka - Manufacturing
$140,000-$140,000 per year
CNC Machinist
2027 MIT LGO Accelerated Leadership Development Program
Decatur Leadership Rotation Program
2027 Leadership and Technical Development Program- Supply Chain Management
2027 Leadership and Technical Development Program-Automation and Robotics
2027 Leadership and Technical Development Program - Operations Leadership
Director, North America Operations
$200,000 per year
.NET Developer
Logistics Manager
Assistant Mechanical Engineer
Weld Engineering Development Program 2026a
Quality Manager
Maintenance Technician, 2nd Shift
Production Supervisor
Tool & Die Maker
Mechanical Maintenance Technician
Production Control Expeditor
Sr. Maintenance Technician
Production Scheduler 3
$55,700-$55,700 per year
Plant Manager
$136,678-$136,678 per year
Feeder-Packer $17.45 per hour (2nd and 3rd Shift ONLY)
Assistive Technology Professional (ATP)
CNC Operator
General Assembler
Senior Enterprise Sales Executive
2nd/3rd Shift - Production Support ($20-$24.35)
EHS Specialist
Fabric Cutter Industrial
Hoist Operator 2
$16-$16
Regional Sales Manager
$100,000-$110,000 per year
Quality Inspector
Warehouse Worker (Entry Level – Tier 3)
Commissioning and Functional Engineer
Founding Full Stack Engineer (Contract)
Construction Senior Project Manager
Shipping Clerk / Warehouse Associate
$19-$19













