Arbeitsplanungsingenieur/Arbeitsplanungsingenieurin

Digital Working Society Think Tank, German Academy of Technical Sciences, Digital Manufacturing, fertigungingenieur.de, Initiative for New Quality of Work (INQA), Learning Systems Platform, think ING. Network for Pupils and Students, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), VDI news, VDI-Z Integrated Production, WT Workshop Technology, ZWF Journal for Economic Factory Operations.

Work planning engineers usually work in offices, workshops, production halls, and warehouses. They may also work from home or remotely if necessary.

Core competencies generally required in this profession: Workplace analysis, work preparation, business administration, ergonomics, production/order control, manufacturing technology, calculation, cost and performance accounting, production, manufacturing, rationalization, REFA, time studies. Further competencies that may be significant for practicing this profession: Workplace design, labor law, occupational safety, accident prevention, planning the use of operating resources, applying CIM systems, Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM), Demand Sensing, Industrial Engineering, information technology, computer technology, maintenance management, customer consulting/support, logistics, MTM (Methods Time Measurement), project management, quality audit, quality management.

Work planning engineers carefully prepare the necessary production bills of materials or work plans for series production and meticulously monitor compliance with calculated values. In addition to technical and business administration expertise, they possess in-depth knowledge of REFA and time studies. To design work processes with a focus on quality and to coordinate the workforce, they need organizational talent, communication skills, and a confident demeanor when training employees. In internationally operating companies, they utilize their English language skills. Work planning engineers typically work in the office at a computer, for example, using integrated PPS systems. They visit workshops and production halls to check the production status.

Work planning engineers can become self-employed by opening their own planning office.

Example monthly gross basic salary: 5,261 € to 6,650 €. Source: Tariff Collection of the Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labor and Social Affairs. Note: This information is for orientation purposes only. No claims can be derived from it.

Chemistry, pharmacy, plastics; Electrical engineering, electronics; Energy, supply and disposal; Vehicle manufacturing, maintenance; Health, social services; Glass, ceramics, raw material processing; Wood, furniture; IT, software, telecommunications; Management, consulting, law, taxes; Media; Metal, mechanical engineering, precision mechanics, optics; Food, beverage production; Paper, printing; Raw material extraction, processing; Textile, clothing, leather.

Employers often expect a completed Studium (university degree) in a specialized field of the respective industry.

Waste and disposal technology (undergraduate), waste and disposal technology (postgraduate); Ocular optics, optometry (undergraduate), ocular optics, optometry (postgraduate); Automation technology (undergraduate), automation technology (postgraduate); Battery technology (undergraduate), battery technology (postgraduate); Civil engineering (undergraduate), civil engineering (postgraduate); Building materials engineering (postgraduate); Biomechanics (undergraduate), biomechanics (postgraduate); Biotechnology (undergraduate), biotechnology (postgraduate); Brewery and beverage technology (undergraduate), brewery and beverage technology (postgraduate); Chemical engineering (undergraduate), chemical engineering (postgraduate); Printing and media technology (undergraduate), printing and media technology (postgraduate); Electrical engineering (undergraduate), electrical engineering (postgraduate); Energy technology (undergraduate), energy technology (postgraduate); Renewable energies (undergraduate), renewable energies (postgraduate); Vehicle informatics, -electronics (undergraduate), Vehicle informatics.

Work planning engineers can find employment in companies across almost all economic sectors.

Known as Arbeitsplanungsingenieur/in (Work Planning Engineer). Other common job titles/synonyms include: Production Planner, Production Planning Engineer, Planning Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer. The English job title is Planning Engineer (m/f), and the French job title is Ingénieur planification (m/f).

Important note on job titles: The title 'Ingenieur' or 'Ingenieurin' (Engineer) is legally protected. The legally protected title 'Beratender Ingenieur' (Consulting Engineer) requires the following: several years of professional experience, membership in a Bundesland (federal state) chamber of engineers, and registration in their list of consulting engineers.

Work planning engineers plan, calculate, and optimize production processes.

Job and applicant exchanges: BIngK Bundesingenieurkammer, get in (Engineering), IndustryArena, ingenieur.de, ingenieur1.de, ingenieurweb, JustEngineers, NetWILA-Arbeitsmarkt.

Associations and organizations: Bundesingenieurkammer (BIngK) (Federal Chamber of Engineers), Bundesgemeinschaft der Ingenieure e.V. (Federal Association of Engineers), Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) (German Trade Union Confederation), Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung (IPA) (Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation), Verein Deutscher Ingenieure e.V. (VDI) (Association of German Engineers).

Detailed working conditions: Frequently changing tasks and work situations (switching between various planning tasks in the office and control tasks in storage and production areas). Screen work (e.g., performing modern, standardized, and documented work planning with integrated production planning and control systems). Work in office spaces (e.g., for process flow planning, time and cost calculations). Work in workshops, factory/production halls (during the production and manufacturing process to monitor compliance with the values they have calculated).

Work objects/tools: Documents, e.g.: production bills of materials, work plans, statistics, time calculations. Office equipment and software, e.g.: PC, internet access, telephone, video conferencing tools.

Compact tasks and activities: Work planning engineers ensure a smooth production process by preparing all work steps. They create work documents and specifications, such as work plans. During production processes, they monitor compliance with defined values and quality standards. They support the optimization of manufacturing processes to achieve a more economical production method. They calculate offers and determine the manufacturing costs of workpieces.

Related professions/entry activities: REFA-Ingenieur/REFA-Ingenieurin (Industrial Engineering), Schweißfachingenieur/Schweißfachingenieurin (Welding Engineer).

Further training (professional adaptation): Adaptation training helps to keep professional knowledge up-to-date and adapt it to new developments (e.g., in the areas of operational organization, quality management, or production and manufacturing technology).

Further career opportunities can open up through advanced Studium (university studies), for example, in mechanical engineering. After completing their university degree, work planning engineers can also complete a Weiterbildung (further training) as a REFA Engineer for Industrial Engineering. A Promotion (doctorate) is generally required for an academic career at a university; to be appointed as a university professor, a Habilitation (postdoctoral qualification) is usually needed. A doctorate may also facilitate access to higher professional positions in the private sector, research, and public administration.

This role involves planning production processes, creating work documents and specifications such as production bills of materials and work schedules, and preparing time calculations. It also includes calculating offers and production costs, controlling and optimizing production, and monitoring compliance with calculated values and quality standards, correcting deviations when necessary. Analyzing production performance, optimizing manufacturing processes to increase productivity, initiating continuous improvement processes in planning and reporting, and organizing and, if necessary, conducting training sessions are also key tasks.

The engineering laws of the individual Bundesländer (federal states) apply to this profession. The state regulations are based on the Model Engineer (Chamber) Act (as of 18.11.2003, adopted by the Conference of Economics Ministers on 10./11.12.2003), amended by a resolution of the Conference of Economics Ministers on 26./27.06.2018. For the equivalence of foreign professional qualifications, Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications (of 30.09.2005, Official Journal of the EU L 255, p. 22), most recently amended by Delegated Decision (EU) 2025/2187 of 30.07.2025 (Official Journal of the EU L 2187, p. 1), is relevant.