Operations | Engineering | Supply Chain | Construction

2027 Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Construction Salary Guide

What should you pay, or earn, in engineering and operations in 2027?

Minneapolis · Upper Midwest · National

It's not that companies have stopped hiring. It's that everyone is being incredibly deliberate about it. Manufacturing employment across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro has held steady for months, and both employers and candidates are taking their time. In a market this measured, the details of an offer matter more than ever, whether you're filling a critical leadership seat or weighing your next move.

SkyWater's 2027 Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Construction Salary Guide gives you real-world salary ranges for 41 roles, from buyer/planners and project engineers to presidents and COOs, in the Greater Minneapolis market. Each range is broken out by company size and paired with the context you need to hire and negotiate with confidence.

Hear What's Shaping Engineering and Operations Pay in 2027

Corey Fitzgerald, Managing Director of SkyWater's Engineering and Operations practice, shares what the team is seeing in the market and what it means for employers and candidates heading into 2027.

What's Inside the 2027 Guide

• Salary ranges for 41 roles across leadership, management, and individual contributor levels, including president, COO, VP of Operations, general manager, plant manager, supply chain and quality roles, mechanical and electrical engineers, estimators, superintendents, and foremen.
• Ranges by company size for small ($0 to $50M), medium ($51M to $500M), and large ($501M+) organizations.
• Five indicators for every role: Minneapolis vs. national pay, compensation direction, hiring demand, and AI impact over the next three to five years, alongside the salary range.
• Six trends to watch in 2027, including the wave of succession-driven leadership searches, automation filling skilled trades gaps, and how data center construction is fueling growth in metal fabrication and electronics.
• SkyWater placement data showing five years of engineering and operations hiring and salary trends.
• Practical advice for employers and candidates on navigating a slower, more deliberate hiring market.

Key Findings for 2027

• Starting salaries are still rising. The median starting salary for SkyWater's engineering and operations placements grew 22% from 2021 to 2025, from $100,000 to $122,260.
• Succession is driving leadership searches. An estimated six million small and midsize U.S. businesses will change hands by 2035, fueling demand for general managers and operations leaders at companies that haven't filled those seats in decades.
• Senior engineers are in high demand. Senior mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing engineers show rising pay and high hiring demand, along with general superintendents and general foremen in construction.
• Minneapolis executives trail national pay. President and COO base salaries in Minneapolis run below the national average, even as both roles show rising compensation and high demand.
• Data centers are a bright spot. Data center construction is creating real hiring momentum in metal fabrication and electronics manufacturing, even as much of the broader market stays cautious.
• Planning and purchasing roles face the most AI impact. Supply chain, purchasing, planning, logistics, and buyer/planner roles rate high for AI impact, while operations leadership and field roles rate low.

A Word From Our Construction Team

"Construction hiring here moves with the project pipeline, not the calendar. When a contractor wins a large award, they need a superintendent and an estimator within weeks, and the people worth hiring are already employed."

Jon Persico, Senior Associate, Construction

Who This Guide Is For

Business owners, operations executives, engineering leaders, and HR teams at manufacturers, contractors, and private equity-backed companies who want to build competitive offers and plan for leadership succession.

Engineering, operations, supply chain, and construction professionals who want to understand their market value, evaluate counteroffers, and prepare for their next move.

Sources

This guide draws on SkyWater's own placement and recruiting data, firsthand market observations from our practice leaders, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Salary.com, and Indeed. We cross-referenced this data against publicly available compensation research from other national search and staffing firms. Conditions vary by company, industry, and candidate, so treat these ranges as a starting point for a conversation, not a final answer.

SEE ALL SALARY GUIDES

Frequently Asked Questions

What roles are included in the 2027 engineering and operations salary guide?
The guide covers 41 roles across engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, safety, facilities, and construction, from buyer/planners and project engineers to presidents and COOs.

How much does a plant manager make in Minneapolis?
Plant manager base salaries in the guide range from $131,500 at smaller companies to $216,000 at larger ones.

How does company size affect engineering and operations salaries?
Smaller, less complex organizations tend to pay toward the low end of a range, while larger, more complex organizations pay toward the high end. Every role includes small, medium, and large company ranges.

Should I accept a counteroffer from my current employer?
A raise rarely fixes the reasons people start looking. Research shows toxic work environments, poor leadership, and unhappiness with a manager are the top reasons people leave a job, with pay ranking well below all three.

Do the salary ranges include bonuses?
No. Ranges reflect typical base salary in the Greater Minneapolis market. Bonuses and other incentive pay are not included.