What is an engineering manager?
Engineering management is one of the key requirements at startups and enterprises. I've attempted to answer general role, responsibilities and career opportunities of an engineering manager.
An engineering manager is usually an experienced engineer with about 5+ years of experience, responsible for management of technical projects.
Engineering manager has to be proficient in both management and technology. I'm yet to come across an engineering manager who's not spent at least a few years in the industry working across various technical roles and responsibilities.
What does an engineering manager do?
The term 'manager' implies that the role of engineering manager requires ability to handle projects, manage team members and ensure smooth delivery of projects. This requires the right mix of people management and project management skills combined with engineering know-how.
The role of engineering manager is more or less the same across multiple organizations. However, the day to day responsibilities they hand may differ.
For example, an engineering manager in a software company may have to get involved in code writing, software development, quality assurance while managing client relationships and project delivery as well. It's always a multifaceted role.
An engineering manager in a mechanical industry, may require design development, fabrication expertise, knowledge of CAD and CAM while managing a team of engineers.
Engineering managers may also get involved in building new products, working on project budgets and see through the entire execution cycle of the project.
What is the salary of engineering manager?
The data shows that the median salary of an engineering manager in USA is $143K, while in India, it's about Rs. 24-28 LPA. Note that, the actual salary engineering manager draws depends upon the company they're working for, roles and responsibilities and the overall years of experience in the industry.
Note that there are NO entry-level engineering manager jobs. The nature of this role is such that an engineer needs to have a thorough knowledge of engineering and technology and some experience as a project manager or team lead.
What are the skills required for engineering manager job?
Following are few of the top skills required for engineering management role -
- Deep technical expertise in their domain
- Analytical skills
- Problem solving
- Excellent communication skills
- In-depth knowledge of relevant technical tools
- Organizational skills
- People management skill etc.
I hope this answers several of your questions. Let me know if you have more.