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What does an assistant director of engineering do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read

An assistant director of engineering assists and supports the director in spearheading and overseeing an organization's engineering projects and programs. They work together with the director in developing and executing plans, setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and timelines, and supervising the daily operations to ensure an efficient and safe workflow. There are also times when they may liaise with external parties, such as clients and suppliers, building positive relationships in the process. Moreover, they lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

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Assistant director of engineering responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant director of engineering resumes:

  • Manage orderly cessation of mfg.
  • Invent and lead development and deployment of new Linux distro, design to completely match very special production needs.
  • Manage software engineering teams supporting both core IP development and application and plugin development.
  • Define, develop and implement a manage cloud services architecture approach that is based on modular processes and continual integration/deployment interactions.
  • Set up new preventative maintenance program for all major mechanical equipment including: HVAC, kitchen equipment, boilers, washer/dryers.
  • Train employees for OSHA and safety requirements.
  • Perform maintenance, plumbing, carpentry, equipment repairs, and daily tasks of the department.
  • Maintain hotel facility to include physical building structure, all mechanical, electrical, HVAC systems and relate equipment.
  • Provide Kaizen leadership to enable company to improve year over year in quality, scrap cost, and throughput.
  • Provide technical assistance during OSHA inspections.
  • Launch and monitor delivery of QA automation effort.
  • Originate automated regression unit test to improve QA team efficiency.
  • Facilitate Kaizen events to increase throughput within the fabrication departments.
  • Establish quality engineering KPI health indicators to stakeholders towards sustain operation and continuous culture/mindset improvement.
  • Function as liaison between facility departments and rehabilitation services; implement programs to aid in identifying appropriate candidates for therapy services.

Assistant director of engineering skills and personality traits

We calculated that 17% of Assistant Directors Of Engineering are proficient in HVAC, Plumbing, and Life Safety Systems. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Organizational skills, and Analytical skills.

We break down the percentage of Assistant Directors Of Engineering that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • HVAC, 17%

    Maintain hotel facility to include physical building structure, all mechanical, electrical, HVAC systems and related equipment.

  • Plumbing, 10%

    Supervised Maintenance Engineers and Craft Departments, consisting of Electrical, Plumbing, Carpentry, and Paint.

  • Life Safety Systems, 9%

    Supervised the maintenance of property's life safety systems and conducted all fire safety related training.

  • Preventive Maintenance, 9%

    Planned and installed new preventive maintenance program and directed all improvement and/or new construction projects from conception to completion.

  • Guest Rooms, 5%

    Implemented a preventative maintenance program for guest rooms and mechanical equipment.

  • Electrical Systems, 4%

    Prepared specifications of electrical systems and topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conformed to standards requirements.

"hvac," "plumbing," and "life safety systems" are among the most common skills that assistant directors of engineering use at work. You can find even more assistant director of engineering responsibilities below, including:

Math skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an assistant director of engineering to have is math skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "architectural and engineering managers use calculus and other mathematics to develop new products and processes." Assistant directors of engineering often use math skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "introduced division to six sigma tools and benefits of using a quantitative approach. "

Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling assistant director of engineering duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "architectural and engineering managers keep track of many workers, schedules, and budgets simultaneously." According to an assistant director of engineering resume, here's how assistant directors of engineering can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "participated in continuous education; attending courses in project management, lean engineering, and strategic thinking to improve organizational effectiveness. "

Analytical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of assistant directors of engineering is analytical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday assistant director of engineering duties, as "architectural and engineering managers evaluate information to solve problems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "manage electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractor for renovation of voice, data, demolition and space management projects. "

Communication skills. For certain assistant director of engineering responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of an assistant director of engineering rely on this skill, as "architectural and engineering managers must effectively convey information and expectations related to projects." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what assistant directors of engineering do: "pioneer of internet-based communication infrastructure software and wireless applications to communications service providers. "

Leadership skills. Another skill commonly found on assistant director of engineering job descriptions is "leadership skills." It can come up quite often in assistant director of engineering duties, since "architectural and engineering managers lead teams, which requires an ability to organize, direct, and motivate others." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day assistant director of engineering responsibilities: "direct and cross-functional leadership of program management, engineering, cad, cae simulation, fabrication, build and testing. "

Most common assistant director of engineering skills

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Assistant Director Of Engineering Resume
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Compare different assistant directors of engineering

Assistant director of engineering vs. Research and development manager

A research and development manager is responsible for supervising project development procedures to support business operations and identify business opportunities that would pave the way for more revenue resources and profits. Research and development managers monitor the production plans from the conceptualization to the final outputs, inspecting inconsistencies and flaws in every phase and revising strategies as needed to achieve the required specifications and requirements. They delegate tasks to the staff, oversee progress, and conduct research and development programs to maximize productivity and team efforts.

The annual salary of research and development managers is $33,580 higher than the average salary of assistant directors of engineering.Even though assistant directors of engineering and research and development managers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require regulatory compliance, r, and cooling towers in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, assistant director of engineering responsibilities require skills like "hvac," "plumbing," "life safety systems," and "preventive maintenance." Meanwhile a typical research and development manager has skills in areas such as "customer service," "project management," "patients," and "product development." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Research and development managers tend to make the most money working in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $143,083. In contrast, assistant directors of engineering make the biggest average salary, $84,150, in the health care industry.The education levels that research and development managers earn slightly differ from assistant directors of engineering. In particular, research and development managers are 5.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an assistant director of engineering. Additionally, they're 5.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant director of engineering vs. Design manager

A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.

Design manager positions earn higher pay than assistant director of engineering roles. They earn a $18,710 higher salary than assistant directors of engineering per year.A few skills overlap for assistant directors of engineering and design managers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "hvac," "inventory control," and "r."

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, assistant director of engineering responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "plumbing," "life safety systems," "preventive maintenance," and "guest rooms." Meanwhile, a design manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "sketch," "project management," "visualization," and "user experience." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Design managers earn a higher average salary than assistant directors of engineering. But design managers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $121,279. Additionally, assistant directors of engineering earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $84,150 annually.design managers earn similar levels of education than assistant directors of engineering in general. They're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant director of engineering vs. Engineering/maintenance manager

Engineering and maintenance managers are skilled executive professionals who manage the daily activities of the engineering department while directing the maintenance of all types of machinery in a manufacturing plant. These managers are required to develop preventive maintenance procedures and inspections for all manufacturing equipment so that they can reduce machine downtime. They must ensure that contractors are trained to respond to emergencies and follow all the processes that are documented within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. Engineering and maintenance managers must also create a budget to manage the expenditures related to plant equipment upgrades.

On average, engineering/maintenance managers earn higher salaries than assistant directors of engineering, with a $15,980 difference per year.assistant directors of engineering and engineering/maintenance managers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "hvac," "plumbing," and "capital projects," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an assistant director of engineering is likely to be skilled in "life safety systems," "preventive maintenance," "guest rooms," and "electrical systems," while a typical engineering/maintenance manager is skilled in "project management," "facility maintenance," "plant maintenance," and "predictive maintenance."

Engineering/maintenance managers make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $98,678. On the other hand, assistant directors of engineering are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $84,150.engineering/maintenance managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to assistant directors of engineering. Specifically, they're 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant director of engineering vs. Engineering operations manager

Engineering Operations Managers are responsible for managing mechanical or electrical repair and maintenance activities. Their duties include supervising the facility's daily operations, directing engineers, contractors, and subcontractors in executing a project, forecasting maintenance, and operation costs, preparing an annual budget, and leading strategic sourcing initiatives. Other duties include training staff, working with the human resource team to plan development initiatives, and processing payment applications, orders, invoices, and change requests. An Engineering Operations Manager also conducts procedures for contract bidding of maintenance activities. They are essential in facilitating communication between teams in engineering and operations.

Engineering operations managers average a higher salary than the annual salary of assistant directors of engineering. The difference is about $38,755 per year.While their salaries may vary, assistant directors of engineering and engineering operations managers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "hvac," "plumbing," and "capital projects. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "life safety systems," "preventive maintenance," "guest rooms," and "electrical systems" are skills that commonly show up on assistant director of engineering resumes. On the other hand, engineering operations managers use skills like project management, engineering operations, qa, and linux on their resumes.engineering operations managers enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $123,284. For comparison, assistant directors of engineering earn the highest salary in the health care industry.In general, engineering operations managers hold similar degree levels compared to assistant directors of engineering. Engineering operations managers are 0.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of assistant director of engineering

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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