Packaging Operator job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders

O*NET-SOC 51-9111.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$43,220

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders (O*NET-SOC 51-9111.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Packaging Operator” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Observe machine operations to ensure quality and conformity of filled or packaged products to standards. importance 4.4 of 5
5. Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items. importance 4.4 of 5
6. Monitor the production line, watching for problems such as pile-ups, jams, or glue that isn't sticking properly. importance 4.4 of 5
7. Inspect and remove defective products and packaging material. importance 4.4 of 5
8. Start machine by engaging controls. importance 4.4 of 5
9. Tend or operate machine that packages product. importance 4.4 of 5
10. Clean, oil, and make minor adjustments or repairs to machinery and equipment, such as opening valves or setting guides. importance 4.4 of 5
11. Regulate machine flow, speed, or temperature. importance 4.3 of 5
12. Adjust machine components and machine tension and pressure according to size or processing angle of product. importance 4.3 of 5
13. Supply materials to spindles, conveyors, hoppers, or other feeding devices and unload packaged product. importance 4.3 of 5
14. Stack finished packaged items, or wrap protective material around each item, and pack the items in cartons or containers. importance 4.2 of 5
15. Package the product in the form in which it will be sent out, for example, filling bags with flour from a chute or spout. importance 4.2 of 5
16. Stock and sort product for packaging or filling machine operation, and replenish packaging supplies, such as wrapping paper, plastic sheet, boxes, cartons, glue, ink, or labels. importance 4.1 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Handling and Moving Objects and Getting Information.

Knowledge areas: Production and Processing, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Education and Training and English Language.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, SAP software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most packaging operators surveyed by O*NET (80%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Packaging Operator
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Packaging Operator to operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.
- Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications.
- Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.
- Observe machine operations to ensure quality and conformity of filled or packaged products to standards.
- Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items.
- Monitor the production line, watching for problems such as pile-ups, jams, or glue that isn't sticking properly.
- Inspect and remove defective products and packaging material.
- Start machine by engaging controls.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in operations monitoring, monitoring and coordination
- Working knowledge of Production and Processing and Mechanical
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders, the median annual wage was $43,220 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $20.78. BLS estimates about 379,060 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders to grow 4.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 41,400 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real packaging operator posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only packaging operator work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (operations monitoring and monitoring): a real situation, what you did and what changed.