Injection Molding Operator Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
This injection molding operator job description is for the person at the press: pulling and inspecting parts, trimming and packing, watching cycle times and gauges, and stopping the machine when something looks wrong. Below: a template you can copy, the requirements worth keeping, what the job pays, and the one thing most postings leave unclear — whether the operator sets up the press or only runs it.
What an injection molding operator does
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts injection molding operators as molding, coremaking and casting machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (SOC 51-4072). That occupation also includes die casting and foundry work, so read the pay figures below as covering the whole group, not plastics alone. O*NET lists Molder, Mold Setter, Mold Technician, Process Technician and Machine Operator among its reported job titles, and the Department of Labor recognizes Injection Molding Machine Operator and Plastic Process Technician as registered apprenticeship titles.
The core tasks O*NET records: measure and visually inspect parts for surface and dimension defects using precision instruments; watch automatic machines run to catch jams and malfunctions; set up, operate or tend the machine; regulate pressure, temperature, speed and feed rates and set cycle times; read work orders and specifications; record temperatures, pressures and cycle times from gauges; connect cooling lines to molds; and clean and oil machines. Supplemental tasks include removing finished parts, trimming flash and grinding scrap plastic for reuse, and packing parts for the warehouse.
The job looks repetitive from outside. What makes a good operator is attention: a short shot, a sink mark or a burn that gets caught at part 20 instead of part 2,000.
| Working conditions | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Protective equipment such as safety glasses and gloves | 100% every day |
| Exposed to contaminants | 77% every day |
| Standing | 76% continually or almost continually |
| Distracting or uncomfortable noise | 72% every day |
| More than 40 hours a week | 64% |
| Very hot or cold temperatures | 56% every day |
Being exact matters: 46 percent say it is extremely important and 33 percent very important. That is the trait to screen for, and it is not the same thing as experience.
Injection molding operator job description template
Copy this, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. It is written for a press operator at a plastics molder; the customization section covers setup, medical, automotive and die casting roles.
Job title
Injection Molding Operator [/ Molding Machine Operator / Press Operator] — [Shift], [Company name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Company name] molds [products] for [industries] on [number] presses in [city]. As an injection molding operator you will run [one / several] presses, inspect every part that comes off against the standard, and keep the line moving by catching problems early.
[Shift and rotation]. [Pay range and differential]. [One honest sentence on the plant: climate, cleanliness, the team.]
What you will do
• Run [number] injection molding presses [with robot or conveyor part removal]
• Inspect parts visually and with [calipers / gauges / go-no-go fixtures] for short shots, flash, sink, burns and dimensions
• Trim, deflash, [assemble / insert] and pack parts to the work instruction
• Record cycle times, temperatures, pressures and part counts on [paper logs / MES]
• Load resin into dryers and hoppers; grind and return regrind where approved
• Stop the press and call the [process technician / lead] when parts go out of spec
• Keep your area clean and follow lockout/tagout and safety rules
• [Assist with mold changes and startups as you train toward setup]
What you need
• Good eyesight for detail and the patience to check every part
• Able to read a work instruction and a basic measuring tool — we train you
• Able to stand for a full shift and lift [weight] [frequency]
• Available for [shift / overtime / weekends]
Nice to have
• Any production or machine operating experience
• [Forklift certification]
• [Cleanroom experience / quality system experience]
What we offer
• [Pay range, differential, overtime]
• [Benefits and the date they start]
• [Pay step when signed off on inspection / setup]
• [The path: lead operator, mold setter, process technician]
How to apply
[One step. A short form and a call back within a day.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Education | 57 percent of O*NET respondents said a new hire needs a high school diploma, but 30 percent said less than that. For a press operator role, consider dropping the diploma requirement. |
| Experience | BLS lists no prior work experience for entry and moderate-term on-the-job training. Require molding experience only for setup and process roles. |
| Attention to detail | The real requirement. Test it in the interview with a tray of good and bad parts rather than asking about it. |
| Measuring tools | Name them. “Calipers and go/no-go gauges” tells a candidate what the job is. |
| Schedule | 64 percent work more than 40 hours. Say the rotation, overtime pattern and weekend expectations up front. |
| Physical | Standing, repetitive motion, heat near the barrel. Say what you do about it — mats, rotation between stations, cooling. |
Customizing it by setting
Custom molders
Many parts, many customers, frequent mold changes. Operators move between presses and part types; say that, and say how new parts are trained.
Medical and cleanroom molding
Gowning, documentation and line clearance. Put the cleanroom in the first line of the ad — for some candidates it is the draw, for others it is the reason not to apply.
Automotive and high-volume
Automation, robots, tight quality systems and a lot of data entry. Operators often tend several presses; say how many.
Setup and process roles
Mold setters hang and change molds and start presses; process technicians tune the process and solve defects. These are separate postings at separate pay. The manufacturing technician job description and quality technician job description fit the adjacent roles.
Die casting
The metal side of the same occupation: molten aluminum or zinc, heavier PPE, more heat. Be specific about the conditions.
What injection molding operators earn
Molding, coremaking and casting machine setters, operators and tenders had a median wage of $44,350 a year, or $21.32 an hour, in May 2025. The figures cover plastic and metal molding and casting together.
| May 2025 wage | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.43 | $34,170 |
| 25th percentile | $17.92 | $37,270 |
| Median | $21.32 | $44,350 |
| 75th percentile | $24.53 | $51,020 |
| 90th percentile | $29.62 | $61,600 |
O*NET places 90 percent of the occupation in manufacturing. BLS projects employment to fall 3.4 percent, from 150,000 in 2025 to 144,900 in 2035, yet still expects about 13,800 openings a year as people leave. The operators worth competing for are the ones who can also inspect, troubleshoot and learn setup.
What it costs to reach an injection molding operator
Warehouse and production roles have a median cost per applicant of $9.83 on Meta across our managed campaigns, with the middle half of campaigns between $3.15 and $18.72, a blended figure of $4.44 and a 20 percent apply rate, across 82 campaign-months. The all-role median is $13.88.
Across the whole benchmark, applicant conversion explains about 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant. In our data, campaigns that keep the application on a native instant form consistently land in the upper apply-rate bands; those that route to a career-site apply flow land in the bottom two.
Staffing the rest of the plant? See the extrusion operator, machine operator, production operator and assembler job descriptions, and manufacturing recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template goes in the ATS. The ad has one job: get someone who was not looking to stop scrolling.
- Open with shift and pay. Then the plant: clean, climate controlled, cleanroom — whatever is true.
- If experience is not needed, say “no experience needed” in the ad. It widens the pool more than any other line.
- Name the path to setup and the pay step that comes with it.
- One application step.
More in job ad copywriting, and production recruiting covers staffing several shifts at once.
Frequently asked questions
What does an injection molding operator do?
An injection molding operator runs presses that inject melted plastic into molds, then removes, inspects, trims and packs the parts. They watch cycle times, temperatures and pressures, record production data, and stop the machine and call for help when parts go out of specification.
What should an injection molding operator job description include?
The products and presses, whether the role includes setup or only running and inspecting, the inspection tools used, the shift and overtime pattern, the pay range, the physical demands, and the path to mold setter or process technician.
What qualifications does an injection molding operator need?
Little beyond a high school diploma, attention to detail and reliability. BLS lists a high school diploma as typical with no prior experience and moderate-term on-the-job training, and 30 percent of O*NET respondents said new hires need less than a high school diploma.
What is the difference between injection molding and extrusion?
Injection molding shoots material into a closed mold to make individual parts. Extrusion pushes material through a die to make a continuous shape such as pipe, film or profile. BLS counts the operators as separate occupations.
What is the difference between an injection molding operator and a process technician?
The operator runs the press and inspects parts. A process technician sets and adjusts the process — temperatures, pressures, speeds and cycle times — and solves defects. Mold setters, in between, hang and change molds and start presses.
How much do injection molding operators make?
Molding, coremaking and casting machine setters, operators and tenders earned a median of $44,350 a year, or $21.32 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $34,170 and the highest 10 percent more than $61,600.
Is injection molding operator a hard job?
It is steady rather than heavy, but it is not easy. 76 percent report standing continually, 72 percent work with uncomfortable noise every day, 77 percent are exposed to contaminants every day, and 64 percent work more than 40 hours a week.
How much does it cost to recruit an injection molding operator?
On Meta, warehouse and production roles run a median of $9.83 per applicant across our managed campaigns, with the middle half between $3.15 and $18.72 and a 20 percent apply rate. The all-role median is $13.88.
Other job description templates
Hiring injection molding operators?
The description is the document. Getting it in front of people who are not on a job board is the part we do.
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, molding, coremaking and casting machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (SOC 51-4072). Employment, projections, education and training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Tasks, job titles, apprenticeship titles, work context, education responses and industry share: O*NET OnLine 51-4072.00. Read at source 28 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.