Engineering Manager

An engineering manager, is responsible for overseeing a team of engineers in the completion of engineering projects. Their duties include hiring and training qualified engineering staff, setting project budgets and timelines for completion and helping their staff run tests or troubleshoot issues with prototypes.

An engineering manager in the electronics industry uses their industry knowledge to oversee a variety of activities. They may coordinate and direct activities related to maintenance, testing, quality assurance, operations and production of electronic products.

An engineering manager leads a team of engineers and supervises their work, developing solutions to better technology. Collaborating with scientists and technicians, he or she will coordinate machine design, production, and quality control.

What does an Engineering Manager do?

The title of “engineering manager” is shared across a wide range of industries and sectors. From software development to product design and manufacturing, what managers in this career category have in common is knowing how to manage processes, projects, and people.

They must be able to command respect from their direct reports on the manufacturing floor or deep inside a line of complex computer code. But the candidate with the most brilliant technical skills isn’t always the clear choice to lead an engineering team. As with any management hire, the best boss is often the candidate who combines technical know-how with strong soft skills such as a clear communication style, team leadership, and mentoring skills.

These professionals should understand how your product is made, but also how it’s marketed and sold. They should know the manufacturing process inside and out, but also have a wider understanding of the competitive landscape. An engineering manager’s responsibilities may also include worker safety, environmental compliance, meeting quality targets, and communicating with investors, suppliers, and potential customers.

In addition, engineering managers must know how to prepare budgets, hire staff, and supervise employees. They propose budgets for projects and programs and determine staff, training, and equipment needs. These managers must also hire people and assign them specific parts of each project to carry out. Architectural and engineering managers supervise the work of their employees, set schedules, and create administrative procedures.

Team Management

Engineering manager manages staff and assigns tasks to engineering and technical personnel. They lead teams in the development of new products, solutions, and processes.
Communication Skills

Engineering managers advocate on behalf of team members by securing adequate resources for success. They communicate technical information to non-technical stakeholders, including investors and potential customers.

Project Management

Managers oversees project logistics and resource allocation. They strive to improve efficiency and sustainability of processes and product designs, and to reduce waste.
Project Budget

Engineering managers will need to secure the resources needed for teams to excel, including researching and proposing capital investments. They help to create and oversee project budgets and engages in cost management strategies.

Director of Engineering

A director of engineering is the head of the engineering team or department. This is a leadership position in upper management, but unlike other director roles, the director or engineering plays an active part in the development of a project. They work with their team of engineers to set goals, plan projects, build a timeline, and stay within budget. Their duties and responsibilities also include project management, hiring new team members, presenting budgets and plans to other departments, and meeting with upper-level management.

Engineering Specialist

The term, engineering specialist, is a broad designation. Very often, engineers are specialized in industries like telecom, manufacturing, and so on, and their responsibilities match the industry. But generally speaking, engineering specialists design, develop and maintain equipment and systems.

Chief Engineer

A chief engineer is responsible for monitoring the engineering department’s overall operations, ensuring performance efficiency, and everyone’s strict compliance with the safety standards and regulatory procedures. Chief engineers manage the distribution of the tasks to the team, communicate with the clients and management for instructions and specifications, monitor expenses and forecast sales reports, analyze and approve designs, negotiate contracts, and process disputes.

Salary

The estimated total pay for an engineering manager is $148,349 per year.

0 -1 Years

Engineering managers with 0 - 1 years experience earn on average:

$125,388 per year

7 - 9 Years

Engineering mangers with 7 - 9 years experience earn on average:

$143,029 per year

4 - 6 Years

Engineering managers with 4 - 6 years experience earn on average:

$135,991 per year

10+ Years

Engineering managers with 10+ years experience earn on average:

$151,990 - $163,150 per year

1 - 3 Years

Engineering managers with 1 - 3 years experience earn on average:

$128,234 per year

These are 2021 national salary averages and may fluctuate based on location.

Most architectural and engineering managers work in offices, although some may also work in research laboratories and industrial production plants or at construction sites. Most architectural and engineering managers work full time and some work more than 40 hours a week. These managers are often under considerable pressure to meet deadlines and budgets.

Engineering managers typically work on a project basis and are responsible for successful implementation. They create project budgets and make sure the work flows smoothly by delegating tasks, hiring, and training employees for their team, if they see fit. They create progress reports on the work as well.

Top Industries for Engineering Managers:

Fortune 500
Technology
Manufacturing
Telecommunication
Automotive

How to Become an Engineering Manager?

Once you have your degree in electrical engineering (or a similar degree), 4-5 years of relevant work experience, and 1-2 years of management experience, will be qualified to be in a management role. A master’s degree in engineering or MBA a plus.

Typical Qualifications:

Personnel and project management skills
Expert-level knowledge of sector technology and processes
Leadership, teambuilding, and mentoring skills
Proficiency using presentation software to explain complex information to non-technical management personnel and other stakeholders
Ability to work on multiple projects in various stages simultaneously
Experience using computer-aided design (CAD) platforms
Experience using System Applications and Products (SAP) software

Similar Careers

Lead Engineer

A lead engineer is a professional who supervisors a team of engineers working on maintaining and streamlining corporate projects.

Project Engineer

Project engineers are responsible for planning and overseeing projects to ensure they are completed in a timely fashion and within budget.

Principal Engineer

Principal engineers leads a group of new and experienced engineers throughout the project.

Sources:

BLS.gov, 2022 | Canva.com, 2022 | Glassdoor.com, 2022 | Monster.com, 2022 | Indeed.com, 2022 | Zippia.com, 2022 | Ziprecruiter.com, 2022

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