The Pros and Cons of Being a Project Engineering Manager
Project engineering managers design and direct major projects from conception to completion in such industries as construction, oil and gas, government and manufacturing. Learn the pros and cons of becoming a project engineering manager to decide if it's the right career for you.
| Pros of a Project Engineering Management Career |
|---|
| Pays well ($126,084 median annual salary)* |
| Broad areas of specialization (engineering disciplines, design, research and development, industry)** |
| Variety of locations (office, lab, construction sites)** |
| Latitude to express creativity* |
| Cons of a Project Engineering Management Career |
|---|
| Requires years of experience (35% have 15 or more)* |
| Poor job outlook (2% growth from 2014-2024 for engineering managers)** |
| Work can be stressful (must meet deadlines and client expectations)** |
| High-stakes environment (minor errors can have major consequences)** |
| Hours are often long (50% of engineering managers work 40+ hours per week)** |
Sources: *Salary.com, **U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Career Info
Job Description and Duties
Organizations rely on project engineering managers to provide expert leadership in managing both projects and an engineering staff. A project can be anything from designing a highway system to solving a manufacturing problem to developing a new semiconductor. Project engineering managers typically oversee all of the engineering and technical aspects of a project, including planning, setting goals and priorities. They also prepare budgets, assign tasks, ensure strict compliance with engineering specifications and all standards and codes, direct testing and inspections and confer with management. Administrative work, such as preparing reports and presenting technical documents, is also part of the job, as is hiring, supervising and evaluating people.
Salary Info
Project engineering managers, according to Salary.com, made a median base salary of about $126,084 per year as of February 2016. Add bonuses and benefits, and the average compensation climbs to around $180,057 per year.
Career Skills and Requirements
Education and Experience
At a minimum, a project engineering manager should have a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline. Business knowledge and skills are tremendous assets, which is why it's a good idea to consider earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or master's degree in project management. Graduate education in engineering or technology management will also suffice for those who desire more technical knowledge. To qualify for most project engineering manager positions, you'll need anywhere from 7-20 years of relevant experience, which might include working as a practicing engineer, managing progressively larger-scaled projects and/or supervising a team of engineers.
Licensing
Not all employers explicitly require project engineering managers to be professionally licensed, but you may need to be licensed if you are the one responsible for the work. At the very least, you might be managing a staff of licensed professional engineers (PEs). Every state requires engineers to be professionally licensed if they intend to offer their services to the public, bid for government contracts, consult or officially sign and seal plans. Higher-level government (municipal, local, state and federal) positions especially might require their project engineering managers to be licensed.
You may obtain a PE license by earning a bachelor's degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited engineering program, passing two exams, working under the supervision of a PE for at least four years and completing your state's licensure requirements. In order to maintain your license, you must complete professional development requirements.
What Are Employers Looking For?
In addition to years of experience managing engineering projects and personnel, employers typically look for specialized knowledge of and experience in their particular sector or area of engineering. Whether your interest is in construction, engineering (petroleum, civil, environmental, mechanical or industrial), manufacturing or research and development, you should be able to demonstrate expertise in that area. The following are from actual postings for jobs that were open in April 2012:
- An engineering and construction services organization in Houston is seeking a senior-level project engineering manager with at least 17 years of experience as an engineer and seven years as a project engineering manager with experience delivering projects for oil and gas clients.
- An aerospace and defense company north of Los Angeles is searching for a project engineering manager with appropriate Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) clearances and at least 10 years of experience managing engineering projects and communicating with managers and customers.
- A global power generation company with a manufacturing facility in Tennessee is looking for a project engineering manager with 8-10 years of power plant and project engineering experience, knowledge of the steam and nuclear cycles and a willingness to travel domestically and internationally at least 50% of the time.
How to Get an Edge in the Field
In the emerging green economy, companies interested in implementing environmental protection programs, developing earth-friendly technology or even keeping up with changing environmental regulations need project engineers who are skilled in these areas. You can take advantage of these opportunities by building your experience in sustainability practices, becoming trained in government and/or green building regulations like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or earning a graduate degree in sustainable engineering or sustainability management.
To demonstrate your skills and experience in managing projects, you could become a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Requirements include a 4-year degree, three years with 4,500 hours of project management experience and 35 credit hours of project management education. You must also pass an exam and maintain your certification with continuing education.
Other Careers to Consider
If you'd still like a career in engineering but you'd rather not be responsible for leading projects, you may want to consider specializing in a certain area and becoming a practicing engineer. For example, you could work in aerospace, chemical, electrical, nuclear or petroleum engineering. If you like the idea of protecting people and working in a manufacturing environment, you could become a health and safety engineer. You could become a biomedical engineer and conduct research that improves care for patients. Finally, you could become a sales engineer responsible for selling highly technical and complex parts and services to businesses. Entry-level engineering jobs require a bachelor's degree and possibly professional licensure.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is predicting faster-than-average job growth for engineers from 2010-2012 in areas like biomedicine and environmental protection (www.bls.org). The BLS also reported that, as of May 2011, petroleum engineers had the highest average annual salary - about $136,000 - followed by nuclear ($119,000) and chemical ($110,000) engineers.
