Product Engineer

A product engineer is responsible for the design and creation of products. Duties include performing constant market analysis of competing products to determine and establish customer needs and requirements. Efforts are then placed into exceeding customer expectations for the benefit of the company brand. The typical career progression for product engineers is in an executive role.

Product engineers are often sought after for their creativity and manufacturing knowledge. Product engineering is a profession that requires the right technical skills, education and experience.

What does a Product Engineer do?

Product engineers are engineers who make products. A product engineer is a mechanical engineering professional who designs products and coordinates the manufacturing process for those products. Specifically, a product engineer works on designing products, and the processes to manufacture them at scale involve several duties and responsibilities.

A product engineer may be someone who helps to design agricultural machinery, equipment, sensors, processes, and structures, such as those used for crop storage. Other engineers specialize in areas such as power systems and machinery design, structural and environmental engineering, and food and bioprocess engineering.

Product engineers are able to work on some very cool projects. Some examples of products that product engineers work on include – robots, embedded products, medical devices, virtual or augmented reality devices, home automation systems, and security systems.

Creative Skills

Creative thinking is an essential skill for product engineers. Their jobs require them to design prototypes and come up with unique solutions for defects. They also have to think creatively to identify which materials would work best to construct the product while maintaining cost-effective measures that benefit the company.
Analysis Knowledge

These engineers perform market analysis on competing products and brands. They analyze market and industry trends and conditions. They also analyze feasibility, cost, and return on investment for product ideas.

Communication Skills

Product engineers need excellent interpersonal communication skills because they not only communicate with other engineering professionals, but they also have to communicate with shipping managers, logisticians and corporate executives who do not have the same level of engineering knowledge.
Teamwork

Product engineers need to be open to teamwork because they regularly collaborate with product development teams and other engineers to brainstorm, design and create products. With a team-oriented attitude, they can complete their job duties effectively.

Applications Engineer

Applications engineers work as a bridge between customers and engineering teams. They use customer input and sales information to design or redesign, develop, test, and implement complex software problems and applications. They provide technical support and expertise to customers by testing applications and responding to feedback. They perform installations and maintenance and often perform sales presentations and demonstrations.

Manufacturing Engineer

Manufacturing engineers watch over the entire manufacturing process of products and devise ways that improve the flow and efficiency of production within that industry in addition to seeking ways to improve the actual manufactured product itself. They ensure maximum efficiency of a company’s manufacturing processes and analyze current production methods through observation and research.

Process Engineer

Process engineers often function as the point persons for or during the continuous processes commonly found in the chemical, petrochemical, agricultural, and mineral processing sectors. They also work in this capacity with advanced materials found within the food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries.

Salary

The estimated total pay for a product engineer is $89,163 per year.

0 - 1 Years

Product engineers with 0 - 1 years experience earn on average:

$91,384 per year

7 - 9 Years

Product engineers with 7 - 9 years experience earn on average:

$106,571 per year

4 - 6 Years

Product engineers with 4 - 6 years experience earn on average:

$102,629 per year

10+ Years

Product engineers with 10+ years experience earn on average:

$115,263 - $122,800 per year

1 - 3 Years

Product engineers with 1 - 3 years experience earn on average:

$98,709 per year

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

A product engineer is a mechanical engineering professional who designs products and coordinates the manufacturing process for those products. Product engineers can work in almost any industry as long as manufacturing is involved. They typically work at manufacturing plants to monitor the creation of a product. However, they can also work within corporate offices.

Product engineers can work in almost any industry as long as manufacturing is involved. A product engineer usually works from a manufacturing plant in order to monitor the creation of a product or in the corporate office to work on designs and meet with stakeholders.

How to Become a Product Engineer?

To begin your product engineer career path, a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a related field is usually necessary in order to remain a competitive option for employers. Focus on industry-specific skill development during your education in order to be properly equipped when applying for entry-level positions and entering the job force. A product engineer internship may be required to earn your bachelor’s degree and acquire necessary on-the-job skills before entering the workforce.

A bachelor’s degree is usually required and most companies preferring a master’s degree. Due to the job expectations of a product engineer, extensive experience as a product engineer in the industry is much valued. Candidates who excel as a product engineer are those who are familiar with the entire product development cycle and possess current knowledge of technological advancements to implement during the engineering phase.

Similar Careers

Manufacturing Engineer

A manufacturing engineer designs and manages the manufacturing systems for a product.

Mechanical Design Engineer

Mechanical design engineers use physics and engineering principles to design mechanical systems and devices.

Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical engineers develop, design, build, test, and inspect mechanical devices and systems, such as machines, tools, and engines.

Sources:

Canva.com, 2022 | Glassdoor.com, 2022 | Indeed.com, 2022 | Zippia.com, 2022

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Terms & Conditions

Product Engineer

What does a Product Engineer do?

Creative Skills

Analysis Knowledge

Communication Skills

Teamwork

Applications Engineer

Manufacturing Engineer

Process Engineer

Salary

$91,384 per year

$106,571 per year

$102,629 per year

$115,263 - $122,800 per year

$98,709 per year

What does the workplace for a Product Engineer look like?

How to Become a Product Engineer?

Similar Careers

Manufacturing Engineer

Mechanical Design Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

Sources:

Canva.com, 2022 | Glassdoor.com, 2022 | Indeed.com, 2022 | Zippia.com, 2022

Subscribe to become an industry insider!