From the day-to-day responsibilities of an Engineering Manager, to the part they play in solving real-world problems, this guide explores everything you need to know about engineering management.
The duties of an Engineering Manager include:
Planning
Designing
Overseeing projects
Managing finances
Supervising engineering teams
Training teams
Acting as a spokesperson between engineering teams and external stakeholders such as company boards, regulatory bodies and clients.
As any Engineering Manager climbs the career ladder, they are likely to manage more engineering teams and projects.
According to Betterteam, in order to gain a role as an Engineering Manager, the prerequisites include:
A master’s degree in engineering management, technical management, or business administration
A bachelor’s degree in the engineering field
Several years’ engineering experience
Proven supervisory and technical skills.
Engineering Managers have a significant role to play in solving real-world problems, including planning, execution and monitoring of engineering projects, using their technical expertise, strategic thinking, leadership skills and effective communication. Here are just some examples of this:
Engineering Managers can work to tight deadlines, often with limited resources, which is when strategic planning skills come into play.
An example of this in the real world may be a team one member short due to sickness, so an Engineering Manager may assess the remaining team’s workload and skills, to redistribute the tasks accordingly as a short-term fix. If this is not possible, an Engineering Manager may adjust priorities and deadlines to ensure efficient completion.
As with any project, there are challenges and risks involved, which must be preempted, and prevented or planned for. Engineering Managers play a huge part in assessing any minor and major risks, and helping teams strategise to mitigate them.
An example of this could be anticipating potential supply chain disruptions for a hardware project and collaborating with procurement teams to identify back up suppliers to mitigate disruption.
Particularly relevant when it comes to embracing new technology, if engineering teams come across a complex technical issue, it would be the role of the Engineering Manager to boost team morale and problem solve.
An example of this could be experiencing a glitch in a new technology system as it is integrated, and an Engineering Manager may call upon the knowledge of their team members and liaise with the system providers to eradicate teething issues.
An Engineering Manager is often seen as a ‘middle person’ between engineering teams and external stakeholders such as company boards, regulatory bodies and clients. When it comes to addressing concerns and managing expectations, it is often the Engineering Manager who acts as the spokesperson between the parties.
For example, if a client’s request seemed unreasonable given the budget or timeframes, and the engineering team voiced their concerns, the Engineering Manager may negotiate with the client or propose an alternative solution.
See more on how to foster creativity and innovation as an Engineering Manager.
Favoured methodologies in engineering, Agile and Lean are both flexible, quick and end-user-focused philosophies that help engineering teams develop and produce high-quality products and services quickly and sustainably. Both of these key methodologies have an end goal of providing clients with a high-quality product rapidly, one iteration at a time.
Lean is a management methodology aimed at eliminating wasted time and resources through the systematic analysis of existing processes and value streams. Whereas, Agile is more of an umbrella term representing a philosophical approach to software development, emphasising the early and continuous delivery of valuable functionality to satisfy customers.
It will be the Engineering Manager’s choice to decide which of the elements of each methodology they embrace.
If you’re looking for Engineering Manager jobs, you may be interested in discovering the average Engineering Manager salary. According to research from Indeed, the average salary for an Engineering Manager in the UK is £63,757* per year in United Kingdom.
*This figure is an average. Exact salary expectations will be determined by job location, experience and specific company.
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