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What is an engineering and operations director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Yi Yang PhD

Expected to be knowledgeable about both engineering and administrative tasks, an engineering and operations director handles all aspects of an engineering project cycle. They often work in industries such as manufacturing, petrochemical, transportation, and commercial and industrial development.

The engineering and operations director position is a highly critical supervisory and leadership role that involves managing engineering projects, providing support to existing engineering operations, and ensuring compliance to health, safety, and environmental regulations.

Some of the qualifications for an engineering and operations director include a bachelor's degree in engineering and at least seven years of experience in the field. An engineering and operations director is also expected to be available for traveling and working on-site depending on the location of the project.

To be successful in this line of work, an engineering and operations director should have a strong background in project management, be knowledgeable of cross-organizational work processes, and have excellent analytical and problem solving skills.

What general advice would you give to an engineering and operations director?

Yi Yang PhDYi Yang PhD LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University - Abington

For new graduates beginning their careers in engineering, I would advise them to consider the broader impact of their work and look for opportunities to expand their management potential. While engineering is a highly technical field, it's important to recognize the value of leadership roles in preserving a culture of innovation. By taking on these positions, you can help ensure that companies prioritize long-term innovation over short-term gains (cutting R&D to boost the balance sheet), thus preserving the engineering culture that drives meaningful progress.
ScoreEngineering And Operations DirectorUS Average
Salary
8.7

Avg. Salary $141,040

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 12.27%

Black or African American 3.03%

Hispanic or Latino 8.61%

Unknown 4.63%

White 71.30%

Gender

female 9.79%

male 90.21%

Age - 48
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 - 48
Stress level
7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Engineering and operations director career paths

Key steps to become an engineering and operations director

  1. Explore engineering and operations director education requirements

    Most common engineering and operations director degrees

    Bachelor's

    70.6 %

    Master's

    19.0 %

    Associate

    6.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific engineering and operations director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Direct Reports9.65%
    Engineering Operations8.68%
    Project Management7.44%
    Continuous Improvement6.56%
    Business Development6.32%
  3. Complete relevant engineering and operations director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New engineering and operations directors 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 engineering and operations director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real engineering and operations director resumes.
  4. Research engineering and operations director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage and coordinate all hardware/software engineering, installation, and service of HVAC temperature control system projects.
    • Obtain ITIL certification for process standards including BS15000 and ISO standards.
    • Develop processes for dealing with findings (483 observations) from FDA inspection/audit of 21 CFR 820/ ISO 13485 requirements.
    • Develop cloud base solutions for management of cable company customers including credit card payments, upgrades, and all account management.
  5. Get engineering and operations director experience

    Generally, it takes more than 10 years to become an engineering and operations director. The most common roles before becoming an engineering and operations director include engineering manager, engineering director team lead and project manager.
  6. Prepare your engineering and operations director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your engineering and operations director resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an engineering and operations director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable engineering and operations director resume templates

    Build a professional engineering and operations director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your engineering and operations director resume.
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
    Engineering And Operations Director Resume
  7. Apply for engineering and operations director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an engineering and operations director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first engineering and operations director job

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Average engineering and operations director salary

The average engineering and operations director salary in the United States is $141,040 per year or $68 per hour. Engineering and operations director salaries range between $101,000 and $196,000 per year.

Average engineering and operations director salary
$141,040 Yearly
$67.81 hourly

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How do engineering and operations directors rate their job?

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Engineering and operations director reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Pros

Being able to solve technical problems and manage staff for work

Cons

Less pay and not being able to freely speak what's on my mind


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

Solving problems with the utmost educated confidence

Cons

Indecisive colleagues and related problems because if their lack of ability and skills


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

The logic and precision required as well as the ability to create something

Cons

The amount of time spent in the office


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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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