Careers / Validation Engineers
Validation Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$102,440
United States, 2025
Employment
365,740
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Design or plan protocols for equipment or processes to produce products meeting internal and external purity, safety, and quality requirements.
- O*NET code
- 17-2112.02
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Study product characteristics or customer requirements to determine validation objectives and standards.
- Analyze validation test data to determine whether systems or processes have met validation criteria or to identify root causes of production problems.
- Develop validation master plans, process flow diagrams, test cases, or standard operating procedures.
- Prepare detailed reports or design statements, based on results of validation and qualification tests or reviews of procedures and protocols.
- Maintain validation test equipment.
- Conduct validation or qualification tests of new or existing processes, equipment, or software in accordance with internal protocols or external standards.
- Communicate with regulatory agencies regarding compliance documentation or validation results.
- Prepare, maintain, or review validation and compliance documentation, such as engineering change notices, schematics, or protocols.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$74,370
25th percentile
$83,600
75th percentile
$129,250
90th percentile
$159,860
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Writing4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.8
- Science3.8
- Active Learning3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Mathematics3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 20 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
20
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Writing | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Science | 3.8 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Mathematics | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Validation EngineersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | $171,910 | 110 | 2025 |
| AK | $156,510 | 220 | 2025 |
| Charleston, WV | $143,860 | 160 | 2025 |
| Midland, TX | $141,120 | 320 | 2025 |
| Lexington Park, MD | $139,600 | 160 | 2025 |
| Billings, MT | $139,420 | 110 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $136,950 | 4,800 | 2025 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $132,290 | 820 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $132,230 | 5,470 | 2025 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $131,870 | 650 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $131,740 | 120 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $131,210 | 4,590 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $129,890 | 5,230 | 2025 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $129,500 | 470 | 2025 |
| Lake Charles, LA | $129,260 | 180 | 2025 |
| WA | $129,050 | 6,130 | 2025 |
| Houma, LA | $128,690 | 60 | 2025 |
| OR | $128,290 | 5,810 | 2025 |
| NM | $128,090 | 1,140 | 2025 |
| New Orleans, LA | $127,340 | 460 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Validation Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.