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Design engineering manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. John Ballato,

Dr. John Ballato

Design engineering manager example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical design engineering manager skills. We ranked the top skills for design engineering managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.2% of design engineering manager resumes contained cad as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a design engineering manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 design engineering manager skills for your resume and career

1. CAD

Here's how design engineering managers use cad:

Developed new electronic CAD filing system that allowed faster retrieval of electronic files.
Generated prefabrication assembly drawings and other CAD work for awarded contracts.

2. Project Management

Here's how design engineering managers use project management:

Developed internal project management planning and business controls to improve manufacturing scheduling, delivery timing, cost and quality.
Acted as liaison between Development, Technical Services and Project Management as programs moved from development to implementation.

3. Aided Design

Here's how design engineering managers use aided design:

Cut operational costs by developing a guideline computer aided design & engineering strategy for addressing specific customer needs.
Compiled research, analytical, conceptual and planning skills, particularly mathematical modeling and computer-aided design.

4. Solidworks

Here's how design engineering managers use solidworks:

Utilized SolidWorks software to design each structural component in order to facilitate presentation, fabrication, and analysis.
Design unique systems and parts handling devices utilizing SolidWorks and AutoCad Mechanical Desktop.

5. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how design engineering managers use continuous improvement:

Participated in Six-Sigma continuous improvement internal company programs, Just-In-TimePlanning and Lean manufacturing methodologies.
Resolved variance issues and directed team on continuous improvement and cost reduction initiatives.

6. Mechanical Design

Here's how design engineering managers use mechanical design:

Lead mechanical designer and mechanical design manager for aircraft mounted antenna systems.
Established the reliability group within engineering (8 personnel) to analyze all electronic and mechanical designs before release to production.

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7. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how design engineering managers use product development:

Designated as process owner responsible for technical risk mitigation and compliance to new product development process.
Involved in every phase of product development including product definition, and customer validation.

8. Direct Reports

Here's how design engineering managers use direct reports:

Inspired and led both direct reports and cross-functional teams located in different geographies to provide successful product deliveries.
Provided strategic leadership to 19 direct report engineers and over 150 indirect reports with $3.5M.

9. UL

Here's how design engineering managers use ul:

Coordinated design verification and validation testing, including UL, CSA, CE, and FCC approval.
Engineered oven systems to conform to NFPA, FM, CE, UL, and mill specifications.

10. System Design

System design refers to the electronic structural component of a system.

Here's how design engineering managers use system design:

Managed industrial system design and manufacture.
Directed the system design, qualification, manufacturing, and introduction of premium brand IA 32 & IA 64 workstations.

11. RF

Here's how design engineering managers use rf:

Developed RF verification methodologies for Wi-Fi, BT, GPS, NFC & Cellular Technologies.
Institutionalized the use of IP Tracking software for digital, analog, and RF modules.

12. ISO

Here's how design engineering managers use iso:

Served as ISO management representative in charge of internal/external audits and all document control.
Followed and created operating procedures per ISO requirements.

13. Design Reviews

A dеѕіgn review іѕ a mіlеѕtоnе wіthіn a рrоduсt dеvеlорmеnt рrосеѕѕ іn whісh a design іѕ evaluated bаѕеd on іtѕ rеԛuіrеmеntѕ. Thе рurроѕе of dеѕіgn rеvіеwѕ іѕ tо examine thе overall design or a ѕресіfіс аѕресt оf a dеѕіgn аt еасh ѕtаgе of the development оf a nеw оr еxіѕtіng рrоduсt.

Here's how design engineering managers use design reviews:

Participate in report reviews, facilitate design reviews, and develop design modifications to resolve out of specification conditions.
Chaired Configuration Control Board and conducted Design Reviews.

14. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how design engineering managers use r:

Developed testing method and pass/fail criteria to validate theft-resistant packaging for Toys R Us.
Interfaced the following programs: Appendix R, Fire Protection, Design, EQ and 50.59.

15. Design Projects

Design projects are used to create a product or service to serve a specific customer or client need. They may entail thinking about the ideas, materials necessary for the idea and the steps that will be followed to realize the idea.

Here's how design engineering managers use design projects:

Scheduled design projects and acted as primary liaison between design and manufacturing operations.
Provided design quotes for customer design projects based on written specifications.

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What skills help Design Engineering Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on design engineering manager resumes?

Dr. John Ballato

J. E. Sirrine Endowed Chair and Professor, Clemson University

The phrase "well rounded" may be getting old, but it's still true. We like to see graduates who didn't just go to class but worked in a laboratory or did a co-op/internship and had various extra-curricular activities, both personal and professional. Remember that materials science and engineering are leveraging computer science more and more, whether through atomistic or microstructural modeling or newer technologies such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). So having some familiarity with those and how they complement experimental/hands-on studies are helpful.

Another point about skills that stand out is a simple one - do your homework. There are few things more irritating than receiving a resume or email asking for a job, and the student clearly didn't care enough to look up what we do. The resume is a copy and paste and isn't personalized to the specific position, Group, or company. That stands out like a sore thumb.

What hard/technical skills are most important for design engineering managers?

Dr. John Ballato

J. E. Sirrine Endowed Chair and Professor, Clemson University

Important hard/technical skills really depend on the nature of the job/position and the organization. This really relates back to the What Skills Stand Out question. Employers want to know that employees have the requisite "toolbox" of basic skills and a willingness and aptitude to learn on the job. No person comes out of school with all the skills and experiences needed for a given job, so organizations inevitably continue to provide training on product-specific skills. Knowing how to learn, wanting to learn, and admitting what you don't know are as important, if not more so, than any hard/technical skills one gains during their education.

What soft skills should all design engineering managers possess?

Donald Yeung

Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education, Affiliate Professor, Computer Science Department, University of Maryland - College Park

In terms of soft skills, communication is by far the most important, I would think. This could be ascertained during the interview process. Also, being able to work in a team is a plus, too. This might be demonstrable from large project experiences. For example, our students participate in teaming projects outside of the ECE program like Terp Racing, Hyperloop project, etc. This could demonstrate a student's exposure to working on large teams.

What design engineering manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Yi Yang PhD

Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University - Abington

In the next 3-5 years, I believe management skills will become increasingly important. Engineers who can bridge the gap between technical complexity and business strategy, driving innovation and growth in their organizations will be very valuable.

What type of skills will young design engineering managers need?

Randy Jacobs

Instructional Assistant Professor, Construction Management, Professional Practice Coordinator, Illinois State University

Many of the skill sets will remain the same: problem solving, communication and leadership. CM graduates are accustomed to being mobile moving from job to job and working at off-site locations. But some of those skill sets will be put to the test as the need for more "digital presence" is required of companies and construction projects.

What technical skills for a design engineering manager stand out to employers?

Patrick Atkinson

Professor, Kettering University

Broadly speaking, employers are looking for employees who can jump in, take on a project and move things forward. Since engineers are data-driven, knowing how to read and interpret findings from a variety of sources is key. This can be very challenging if the data conflicts between sources or the data is unclear. Whether the data is from a mathematical model, a physical test laboratory, or from the field, learning how to synthesize the findings and balance the strengths/weaknesses of a given data source are key. At the end of the day, every project needs a way forward and it is the engineer's job to optimize a design to meet the objectives for the product.

Do you want to know more?

List of design engineering manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a design engineering manager resume and required skills for a design engineering manager to have include:

CAD
Project Management
Aided Design
Solidworks
Continuous Improvement
Mechanical Design
Product Development
Direct Reports
UL
System Design
RF
ISO
Design Reviews
R
Design Projects
Design Process

Performance Reviews
FEA
IP
Technical Support
Mechanical Engineering Design
BOM
OEM
Circuit Design
Design Standards
Prototyping
Sigma
FDA
Process Improvement
NASA
Product Line
Engineering Standards

HVAC
Cost Reduction
Cost Estimates
PLC
Geotechnical
CNC
CATIA
Debugging
Rtl Design
Cam
ASIC
Engineering Support
ECO
PDM
Lead Design
Pro-E

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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