Do you love planning birthday parties, weddings or dinners to every last, minute detail? Do you like solving problems through science? Woman with balancing flowers, wine glass and perfume, holding ribbons in her mouth saying,

If planning, working with a budget, and assigning tasks come naturally to you, you could be the right fit for an engineering project management role.

What Is Engineering Project Management?

Engineering project management is a specialized field that focuses solely on the management of engineering projects.

An engineering project manager usually works on complex engineering projects such as constructing a building, designing a car, or developing software.

They often collaborate with team members to provide solutions to engineering problems, so it could be a good role if you have an engineering background and want to get into project management.

Cat looking at a building through a telescope and making an engineering drawing.

What Do Engineering Project Managers Do Every Day?

On a typical day, an engineering project manager could be:

  • Meeting clients or senior managers to understand project requirements.

  • Developing project plans.

  • Estimating costs and resources for a project.

  • Assigning tasks to team members.

  • Tracking the status of the project.

  • Working with team members to identify and resolve engineering problems.

  • Discussing project status with customers and team members.

    Manager looking at team mate saying,

Choose Your Engineering Project Manager

Flaticon Icon

Hala enjoys working alone and studying complex subjects.

Flaticon Icon Jasmine is great with planning events on a tight budget and negotiates well.

Flaticon Icon Kai is great with engineering tasks but gets anxious while interacting with others.

Flaticon Icon Lucio is a perfectionist who likes to get tasks done on his own.

Quiz

Who is best suited for an Engineering Project Manager's role?

Educational Requirements

To pursue an engineering project management career:

  • Complete a bachelor's degree in a program with a focus on engineering fundamentals.

  • Obtain a license for practicing in your state if required.

  • Gain work experience.

  • Complete a master's degree in engineering project management or obtain industry-recognized certification such as Project Management Professional (PMP).

    Woman saying,

Preferred Soft Skills

You might be a natural project manager if you have the following skills:

  • Leadership skills to motivate and intervene when necessary.

  • Communication skills to converse clearly with team members and customers.

  • Negotiating skills to get the best deal for you and your customers.

  • Critical thinking skills to analyze a situation and foresee future problems.

    Woman in an office listening to a co-worker. Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

Average Earnings

The earning potential for an engineering project manager varies with the level of experience, technical skills, and project management skills they have. The average reported earnings are as follows:

Flaticon Icon USD $95,000 per year

Flaticon Icon CAD $85,760 per year

Take Action

Now that you know more about an engineering project manager's role, try these steps to explore this career path:

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