Putting products together, from circuit boards and wire harnesses to EV batteries, cars, airplanes, boats and RVs.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Battery Cell Manufacturing Engineer: Sets up and improves the giant factories ('gigafactories') that make lithium-ion battery cells for electric cars and power storage. Typical pay $110k.
Vehicle Launch Engineer: Coordinates the months-long effort to start building a brand-new car or truck model on an assembly line. Typical pay $110k.
Automotive Assembly Worker (Union Plant): Builds cars and trucks on a moving assembly line, installing parts like seats, wiring, glass and engines. Typical pay $62k.
Aircraft Structure Assembler: Builds the wings, fuselage sections and tails of airplanes, drilling and riveting thousands of pieces together. Typical pay $62k.
Prototype Vehicle Build Technician: Builds the first hand-made test versions of new cars, trucks and EVs before they ever go into mass production. Typical pay $62k.
EV Battery Module Technician: Assembles, tests and troubleshoots high-voltage battery modules and packs for electric vehicles. Typical pay $55k.
Starter: fastest way in
Team Assembler: Works on a team that builds products step by step, rotating through jobs on an assembly line. Typical pay $42k.
SMT Machine Operator: Runs the fast machines that place tiny electronic parts on circuit boards. Typical pay $42k.
Wire Harness Assembler: Builds the bundles of wires and connectors that act as the 'nervous system' of cars, planes and machines. Typical pay $39k.
Coil Winder: Winds copper wire into coils for motors, transformers and electrical equipment. Typical pay $43k.
Electromechanical Equipment Assembler: Assembles devices with both moving parts and electronics, like vending machines, medical devices and robots. Typical pay $45k.
Engine & Machine Assembler: Assembles engines, turbines, pumps and other machines from many precision parts. Typical pay $50k.
RV Assembler: Builds motorhomes and camper trailers, including framing, plumbing, wiring, cabinets and roofing. Typical pay $48k.
Fiberglass Boat Builder: Builds boat hulls and decks by layering fiberglass and resin into large molds. Typical pay $43k.
PCB Rework Technician: Repairs and modifies circuit boards under a microscope, replacing tiny chips without damaging anything else. Typical pay $47k.
Railcar Builder: Fits, welds and assembles giant steel freight cars, tank cars and subway cars in a railcar plant. Typical pay $48k.
Fire Truck Builder: Builds custom fire engines and ladder trucks at the factory, from aluminum bodies to pumps, hoses and flashing lights. Typical pay $52k.
Ambulance Builder: Builds the box-shaped patient compartment of ambulances, with cabinets, oxygen lines, electrical systems and safety seats. Typical pay $48k.
Armored Vehicle Builder: Turns normal SUVs and cars into bulletproof vehicles by fitting armor steel, thick glass and run-flat tires. Typical pay $52k.
Hearse & Limousine Coachbuilder: Cuts cars in half and stretches them into limousines or reshapes them into hearses, then trims them in fine wood and leather. Typical pay $50k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.