What does a design manager do?
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 responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real design manager resumes:
- Help achieve status of medical device manufacturer through the FDA.
- Manage several consultants preparing contract documents on the various NYC let and NYS let projects.
- Manage and collaborate with ASIC library/memory vendors.
- Manage design, tooling, equipment implementations and process improvements for foundry/machining metalworking manufacturer of automotive OEM products.
- Design blueprints, bills of materials, FEA as required.
- Include producing FDA and ISO-9000 level documentation of the project.
- Provide design support and detail drawings using Catia V5 & SDRC.
- Coordinate with the CPU IP design and support team at Taipei office.
- Create and lead a new engineering team that develop OEM products on time and within budget.
- Design single, double, and multi layer PC boards incorporating SMT, agency and DFM requirements.
- Coordinate design verification and validation testing, including UL, CSA, CE, and FCC approval.
- Generate schematics, PCB designs, PCB fabrication drawings, mechanical designs, fabrication drawings and assembly drawings.
- Ensure that the IP develop was well document and ready for reuse in future developments within the company.
- Assist project managers with estimating and scheduling the time and personnel necessary to complete engineering and cad relate tasks.
- Design and draft sheet metal, machine and composite aircraft parts using CATIA solid modeling, advance curves and surfaces.
Design manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Design Managers are proficient in Sketch, Project Management, and Visualization. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Organizational skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Design Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Sketch, 8%
Trained staff on Greet and Sketch Approach increasing closed sales by 15%.
- Project Management, 8%
Project Management-created custom Microsoft ACCESS programs utilized to track all aspects of projects milestones, relationships with customers, and municipalities.
- Visualization, 5%
Designed remote visualization services to Campus-based security systems for CNN, University of Louisville and Conoco-Phillips.
- User Experience, 4%
Developed and implemented a user centered design process that improved overall website design, production and end user experience.
- PowerPoint, 4%
Prepare presentations in PowerPoint and designed promotional materials Accomplishments.
- Design Process, 4%
Identify and assess site-specific vulnerabilities and collaborate with partners to intuitively address security risks through the design process.
"sketch," "project management," and "visualization" are among the most common skills that design managers use at work. You can find even more design manager responsibilities below, including:
Math skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a design manager 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." Design managers often use math skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "managed quantitative and qualitative user research to guide product development. "
Organizational skills. Many design manager duties rely on organizational skills. "architectural and engineering managers keep track of many workers, schedules, and budgets simultaneously.," so a design manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways design manager responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "collaborated on scitrain's hr task- force to design and implement internal organizational restructuring. "
Communication skills. A big part of what design managers do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to design manager responsibilities because "architectural and engineering managers must effectively convey information and expectations related to projects." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical design manager tasks: "direct, manage and create various design projects in visual communications for media. "
Analytical skills. Another common skill required for design manager responsibilities is "analytical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of design managers all the time, as "architectural and engineering managers evaluate information to solve problems." An excerpt from a real design manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a design manager does: "market analysis for latest fit, sourcing and new product development. "
The three companies that hire the most design managers are:
- Highmark151 design managers jobs
- Deloitte128 design managers jobs
- Pwc109 design managers jobs
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Compare different design managers
Design manager vs. Engineering supervisor
An engineering supervisor is responsible for monitoring the engineering operations of an organization, developing strategic processes and techniques to improve staff's performance, and facilitating training and programs to maximize productivity. Engineering supervisors evaluate technology procedures and reports to identify and design new opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues and profits. They also meet with clients and handle their business requirements and specifications, informing them of other services that the company offers. An engineering supervisor resolves project complaints and implements business plans to achieve high-quality deliverables.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between design managers and engineering supervisor. For instance, design manager responsibilities require skills such as "sketch," "visualization," "user experience," and "powerpoint." Whereas a engineering supervisor is skilled in "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," "continuous improvement," and "ul." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Engineering supervisors really shine in the automotive industry with an average salary of $114,222. Comparatively, design managers tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $121,279.engineering supervisors tend to reach similar levels of education than design managers. In fact, engineering supervisors are 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Design manager vs. Engineering director
An engineering director or director of engineering is an individual who manages a team of engineering managers and coordinates all the engineering activities within the organization. Engineering directors work closely with the organization's executives to develop new strategies to reduce unnecessary costs and time to complete their projects. They must understand and interpret complex sets of data such as profits, losses, or value of liabilities to identify problems and come up with solutions. Engineering directors must also ensure that safety protocols are implemented in the workforce.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, design manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "sketch," "visualization," "user experience," and "powerpoint." Meanwhile, an engineering director has duties that require skills in areas such as "java," "architecture," "infrastructure," and "aws." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, engineering directors earn a higher salary than design managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, engineering directors earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $164,120. Whereas design managers have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $121,279.engineering directors earn higher levels of education than design managers in general. They're 9.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Design manager vs. Research and development director
A research and development director spearheads and oversees the research and development initiatives and projects in a company. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, establish timelines and budgets, direct and manage different departments, liaise with internal and external parties, gather and analyze data to implement solutions against problem areas, and utilize expertise in developing strategies to optimize company operations. Moreover, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while promoting the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from design manager resumes include skills like "sketch," "visualization," "user experience," and "powerpoint," whereas a research and development director is more likely to list skills in "fda," "oversight," "strategic direction," and "due diligence. "
Research and development directors make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $167,250. On the other hand, design managers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $121,279.research and development directors typically earn higher educational levels compared to design managers. Specifically, they're 9.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 11.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Design manager vs. Vice president of engineering
A Vice President Of Engineering manages all aspects of the company's engineering product development activities. They are responsible for strategic planning, production designing, quality assurance, and problem resolution.
Types of design manager
Updated January 8, 2025
