water jet cutter operator
Water jet cutter operators set up and operate a water jet cutter, designed to cut excess material from a metal workpiece by using a high-pressure jet of water, or an abrasive substance mixed with water.
water jet cutter operator water jet cutter operators set up and operate a water jet cutter, designed to cut excess material from a metal workpiece by using a high-pressure jet of water, or an abrasive substance mixed with water. 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 water pressure, CAM software, manufacturing processes, types of metal, quality standards.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £31,500 a year for Metal working machine operatives (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £27,304 to £39,688 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8120). ONS rates this estimate reasonably 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 “Craft and related trades workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only water jet cutter operator, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
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 7. 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
Knowledge you'll build
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
What you'd actually do
- Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.
- Review work orders, blueprints, specifications, or job samples to determine components, settings, and adjustments for cutting and slicing machines.
- Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices, such as rulers, micrometers, or scales.
- Press buttons, pull levers, or depress pedals to start and operate cutting and slicing machines.
- Start machines to verify setups, and make any necessary adjustments.
- Feed stock into cutting machines, onto conveyors, or under cutting blades, by threading, guiding, pushing, or turning handwheels.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does water jet cutter operator do?
Water jet cutter operators set up and operate a water jet cutter, designed to cut excess material from a metal workpiece by using a high-pressure jet of water, or an abrasive substance mixed with water.
What skills does water jet cutter operator need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include water pressure, CAM software, manufacturing processes, types of metal, quality standards, tend water jet cutter machine. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace water jet cutter operator?
Our AI-durability model gives water jet cutter 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.