Career change as a process engineer
With your experience you can switch to 8 jobs in Germany: 4 with on-the-job training and 4 with training or a course.
In the job search you can sort by what matters to you, save jobs and see where they lead.
Career change paths
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Sales engineer
Also: Application engineer
With on-the-job training
At plant builders and chemical or plastics manufacturers, you advise customers, design solutions and support quotes and commissioning.
- What you bring:
- You know processes, plants and materials and can advise customers technically as an equal.
- How to get there:
- The manufacturer trains you on the job in products and sales, usually over a few weeks to a few months. Willingness to travel is expected.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€6,758gross per monthMedian salary
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Plant manager
Also: Production manager in the chemical or food industry
With on-the-job trainingPromotion
As a plant or production manager, you lead staff, plants and the budget of a production unit.
- What you bring:
- You understand process steps, plant safety and quality assurance and have often already been responsible for projects or shifts.
- How to get there:
- The route usually leads through a position as plant engineer or assistant to the plant management in the same company. Leadership training takes a few days. On-call duty is often part of the job.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Shift workPhysically lightLittle customer contact€6,633gross per monthMedian salary
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Process optimization engineer
Also: Quality engineer
With on-the-job training
As a process or quality engineer, you optimize processes, yields and quality in production and the supply chain, often with methods such as lean or Six Sigma.
- What you bring:
- You can measure, model and improve processes and think in key figures.
- How to get there:
- Companies train chemical engineers on their quality and improvement systems. You can gain a Six Sigma certificate in a few days to a few weeks.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLittle customer contact€5,017gross per monthMedian salary
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Environmental engineer for permit procedures
Also: Project engineer for exhaust gas and wastewater treatment
With on-the-job training
As an environmental engineer, you prepare permits, plan treatment plants and help companies meet limits.
- What you bring:
- You know emissions, exhaust gas and wastewater treatment and the plants behind them.
- How to get there:
- Engineering offices, plant builders and companies train you on the job in environmental law and permit procedures. If you want to be appointed as an emissions control officer (Immissionsschutzbeauftragter), the 5th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (5. BImSchV) also requires an officially recognised expertise course (Fachkundelehrgang) lasting a few days and two years of practical work on comparable plants.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€5,595gross per monthMedian salary
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Patent attorney
Also: Patent attorney candidate
With a degree
As a patent attorney, you file patent applications for inventions, examine intellectual property rights and represent clients before the patent office and in court.
- What you bring:
- You understand processes, plants and materials and can describe technical solutions precisely and distinguish them from each other.
- How to get there:
- You need a technical degree and one year of practical technical work. After that comes about three years of training with a patent attorney, at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt) and at the Federal Patent Court, ending with a final exam. You learn the legal basics in parallel, often through distance learning.*Regulated by law (Patent Attorney Act (PAO) §§ 5 to 8).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an officeHome office possible€7,756gross per monthMedian salary
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Occupational safety specialist
Also: Safety engineer
With vocational training
As an occupational safety specialist, you advise companies, prepare risk assessments and investigate accidents.
- What you bring:
- You know hazardous substances, pressure systems and explosion protection from process engineering and can assess risks technically.
- How to get there:
- You need the right to use the professional title of engineer (Ingenieur), work experience and training as an occupational safety specialist through an accident insurance body, usually lasting one to two years alongside work. After that, you work as an employee in a company or at an inter-company service.*Regulated by law (Occupational Safety Act (ASiG) § 7, DGUV Regulation 2 § 4).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light€5,574gross per monthMedian salary
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Vocational school teacher for chemical technology through the alternative route (Seiteneinstieg)
Also: Teacher at a vocational school
With a degree
Through the alternative route into teaching (Seiteneinstieg), you teach future chemical plant operators (Chemikanten), lab technicians or technicians in theory and practice.
- What you bring:
- You know processes and plants from industry and can explain them clearly.
- How to get there:
- With a master's or Diplom degree in engineering, the alternative route into teaching at vocational schools is possible, depending on the state. You teach right away and complete a preparatory service (Vorbereitungsdienst) or a qualification alongside work, usually lasting one to two years. The state sets the exact requirements.*Regulated by law (State law: teacher education acts and alternative-route regulations of the German states).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contact€5,140gross per monthMedian salary
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Expert for plant safety
Also: Inspection engineer at an inspection organization
With training or an exam
At inspection organizations, you inspect plants subject to mandatory inspection in the chemical, energy and industrial sectors and write inspection reports.
- What you bring:
- You understand pressure vessels, piping and explosion protection and can critically review technical documents.
- How to get there:
- Inspection organizations train engineers in-house to become experts, with exams. The duration depends on the inspection field, and recognition for certain inspections goes through the employer. You spend a lot of time on the road visiting customers.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hours€5,574gross per monthMedian salary
Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently asked questions
Which jobs can I do as a process engineer without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Sales engineer, Plant manager, Process optimization engineer and Environmental engineer for permit procedures.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a process engineer?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Patent attorney, Occupational safety specialist, Vocational school teacher for chemical technology through the alternative route (Seiteneinstieg) and Expert for plant safety.
What promotion options do I have as a process engineer?
Promotions include, for example: Plant manager.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Patent attorney (€7,756 gross per month), Sales engineer (€6,758 gross per month) and Plant manager (€6,633 gross per month). Half of employees earn more, half earn less; when you start it is often lower. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), April 2025. No guarantee of accuracy.
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