How to hire food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
$21.54U.S. median hourly pay
$37,540–$50,680Middle half, yearly
20,370People in this job in the U.S.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail. • 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, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards. • Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products. • Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing. • Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps. • Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials. • Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: No formal educational credential] • Strong monitoring, active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension and speaking skills • Working knowledge of production and processing • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $21.54 an hour ($44,810 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders do
- Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
- 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, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
- Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
- Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
- Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
- Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
- Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders
- Typical education to start: No formal educational credential (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: None (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +0.4% over ten years, little or no change · about 2,500 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Colorado | $59,590 |
| Washington | $50,590 |
| Minnesota | $50,340 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,660 |
| New York | $49,020 |
| New Jersey | $37,140 |
| Texas | $37,140 |
| North Carolina | $35,980 |
See food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Food Batchmakers
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
- Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: 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. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.