What is a chief engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted expert

Christopher Misorski FASM

A chief engineer oversees the engineering department of an organization. They manage and direct the design, development, and implementation of engineering projects to meet quality standards, safety regulations, and budgets. A chief engineer coordinates with others to ensure the on-time completion of projects. They may also hire and train new engineers, create timelines, and assess risks. Overall, a chief engineer promotes the safe, successful, and efficient completion of engineering projects.

What general advice would you give to a chief engineer?

Christopher Misorski FASM

Brunswick Technical Fellow-Materials Product Development & Engineering

My first thoughts on beginning in any field or with any company is “be a sponge” about what the company is doing and what they want you to work on. Do way more listening and observing than talking. Learn the processes used AND the pitfalls/challenges of those processes. It is highly valuable to spend many hours “watching production” to gather first-hand knowledge of what is going on. Ask questions and don’t be quick to criticize a production employees’ explanation of the problem, even if you are quite sure technically that it is not fully correct. Their explanation fits the issues they see with their learned knowledge over time. There are valuable insights there. Also, just because you graduated with a degree, that doesn’t mean your education is finished. Continue to learn by attending relevant conferences for your field, attending training classes, watching webinars, attending local professional society technical meetings and talking to other experts in the field at these meetings. There is a LOT of knowledge out there and many methods of learning more.

ScoreChief EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $108,050

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 10.16%

Black or African American 3.53%

Hispanic or Latino 9.88%

Unknown 4.63%

White 71.70%

Gender

female 3.81%

male 96.19%

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

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a chief engineer?

Pros

High salary potential
Potential for international travel
Opportunity to mentor and train junior engineers
Possibility for career advancement within the company
High level of job security due to the demand for skilled engineers

Cons

Long and irregular hours, including weekends and holidays
High level of accountability for project success or failure
Frequent travel and extended time away from family and friends
Difficulty balancing administrative tasks with technical work
Potential for conflicts with other departments or management over budgets, timelines, or project scope

Key steps to become a chief engineer

Explore chief engineer education requirements

Most common chief engineer degrees

Bachelor's

49.3 %

Associate

16.5 %

Master's

12.5 %

Start to develop specific chief engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
HVAC	11.90%
Plumbing	10.32%
Customer Service	7.20%
Life Safety Systems	4.45%
Boilers	4.05%

Complete relevant chief engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chief 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 a chief engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chief engineer resumes.

Research chief engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead SQL performance overhaul for SaaS web applications.
Manage A/E design contracts, evaluate cost proposals and provide construction inspection.
Maintain HVAC/R equipment and kitchen equipment throughout a number of different properties that LPC manages.
Manage staff, contracts, vendor relations, bids, projects, RFP's and negotiations.

Get chief engineer experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a chief engineer. The most common roles before becoming a chief engineer include engineer, maintenance technician team lead and assistant chief engineer.

Prepare your chief engineer resume

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