What is an associate project engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Bijan Shapoorian

An associate project engineer is an individual responsible for assisting in the planning and execution of engineering projects. They work alongside project managers and engineers to ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the required standard. Typically, they create project schedules, monitor progress, coordinate with team members, and prepare reports. They also assist in designing and testing products. Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills are essential for success in this role.

What general advice would you give to an associate project engineer?

Bijan Shapoorian

Adjunct Professor, The University of Texas at Arlington

In most Construction Management programs, Internship courses prepares the students for the job market and the industry. Those CM students who have obtained a degree in CM but lack work experience are recommended to search for internship opportunities if finding employment becomes a challenge. Students are advised to be flexible and willing to relocate to geographical areas with higher demand for this profession.

ScoreAssociate Project EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $81,795

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 16.82%

Black or African American 4.10%

Hispanic or Latino 10.48%

Unknown 5.64%

White 62.57%

Gender

female 24.32%

male 75.68%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an associate project engineer?

Pros

Opportunity to work on various projects and gain experience
Chance to develop technical and leadership skills
Collaborative work environment with team members and stakeholders
Competitive salary and benefits package
Potential for career advancement within the company

Cons

High workload and tight deadlines may lead to stress and long working hours
Challenges in managing conflicting priorities and expectations from stakeholders
Need for continuous learning and adaptation to new technologies and methodologies
Possibility of encountering difficult team members or clients
Risk of project failure or delays due to unforeseen circumstances

Key steps to become an associate project engineer

Explore associate project engineer education requirements

Most common associate project engineer degrees

Bachelor's

76.5 %

Associate

11.3 %

Master's

9.3 %

Start to develop specific associate project engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	18.53%
Customer Satisfaction	6.58%
CAD	4.60%
Cost Estimates	4.21%
Test Results	3.95%

Complete relevant associate project engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate project engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an associate project engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate project engineer resumes.

Research associate project engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage the design of RF microwave ferrite components and respective magnetic circuitries.
Manage project portfolio costs, and budgets by ABC accounting, also manage BOM and component costs.
Manage custom product design & generate all require documentation for both customer and manufacturing groups using AutoCAD rel.
Implement OSHA safety requirements and GMP standards into new and pre-existing lab and process areas.

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