Career profile · SOC ESC-2965363E

malt kiln operator

Malt kiln operators tend kiln machines and equipment while supervising that the grain roasting operation maintains in specified roasting parameters.

malt kiln operator malt kiln operators tend kiln machines and equipment while supervising that the grain roasting operation maintains in specified roasting parameters. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include types of barley, temperature scales, fire-fighting systems, operate a heat treatment process, apply flame handling regulations.

AI exposure
5.0/10
automation risk

Pay in the UK

UK: median £28,243 a year for Food, drink and tobacco process operatives (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)

Middle half of full-time jobs: £24,471 to £33,889 a year

UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8111). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)

Pay in India (occupation group)

Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Plant and machine operators and assemblers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only malt kiln operator, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.

Urban India
₹18,618 a month
Rural India
₹16,257 a month
All India
₹17,301 a month

Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 8. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report

Top skills

types of barley temperature scales fire-fighting systems operate a heat treatment process apply flame handling regulations clean food and beverage machinery apply HACCP operate industrial ovens be at ease in unsafe environments control gas-fired furnace for malt roasting

Knowledge you'll build

  • Production and Processing
  • English Language
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Food Production
  • Mathematics
  • Education and Training
  • Mechanical
  • Customer and Personal Service

What you'd actually do

  • Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
  • Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
  • Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
  • Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
  • Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
  • Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.

Tools & technology you'd use

Microsoft Excel hot Email software

Frequently asked questions

What does malt kiln operator do?

Malt kiln operators tend kiln machines and equipment while supervising that the grain roasting operation maintains in specified roasting parameters.

What skills does malt kiln operator need?

The most in-demand skills for this role include types of barley, temperature scales, fire-fighting systems, operate a heat treatment process, apply flame handling regulations, clean food and beverage machinery. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Will AI replace malt kiln operator?

Our AI-durability model gives malt kiln operator a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.

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