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Engineering program manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

7 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. John Ballato,

Dr. John Ballato

Engineering program manager example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical engineering program manager skills. We ranked the top skills for engineering program managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 14.7% of engineering program manager resumes contained project management as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an engineering program manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 engineering program manager skills for your resume and career

1. Project Management

Here's how engineering program managers use project management:

Transform team to use agile practices for project management Accomplishments Led Development and delivery of Resilient Engineering Bronze Certification program.
Provided guidance in formalizing a Project Management Information System (PMIS) and revising/updating company-wide collaboration software for corporate management.

2. Program Management

Here's how engineering program managers use program management:

Increased responsibilities with International marketing coupled with complete Program Management of expanding Korean business accounts for entire product mix.
Worked with planning and program management, standard acquisition regulations, practices and procedures for technical objectives and characteristics.

3. Software Development

Software development is the mechanism by which programmers create computer programs. The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework for developing applications that follow technological needs and consumer requirements. It consists of many stages. The SDLC establishes an international standard that software developers can use to enhance and create their programs. It provides a well-defined framework for software developers to pursue in the production, maintenance, and design of premium quality software. The aim of the software development process is to create high-quality software on time and within budget.

Here's how engineering program managers use software development:

Program Manager for the software development organization of Tailored Access Operations, Signal Intelligence Directorate, National Security Agency.
Lead collaboration between engineering managers development team and client project managers based on watershed software development scheme.

4. Scrum

Scrum is a lean structure for communicating, designing, and promoting complex products, with a focus on programming development. It has been applied to a variety of areas, including manufacturing, testing, new technology, and marketing techniques. Scrum is a simple framework that helps people, organizations, and teams generate value by providing many solutions to complicated problems.

Here's how engineering program managers use scrum:

Facilitated Scrum of Scrums and resolved impediments.
Improved bug triage and scrum processes by implementing new processes and prioritization with executive level management.

5. Risk Management

Risk management is the method of recognizing, evaluating, and managing risks to an organization's resources and profits. Financial insecurity, regulatory liability, strategic management mistakes, incidents, and natural hazards are just some of the challenges or dangers that could arise. For digitalized businesses, IT security vulnerabilities and data-related threats, as well as risk management techniques to mitigate them, have become top priorities.

Here's how engineering program managers use risk management:

Developed and implemented risk management training curriculum to deliver hands-on training to new sailors on identifying and eliminating workplace hazards.
Employed teamwork principals to expand regional Risk Management program, increased operational efficiency while reducing cost.

6. 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 engineering program managers use continuous improvement:

Implemented and refined manufacturing engineering processes by applying continuous improvement and lean manufacturing principles to all areas of production.
Directed continuous improvement activity focused on division wide resource allocation process to account for deployment of 700+ development personnel.

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7. RF

Here's how engineering program managers use rf:

Created game-changing technology by fusing hardware, software, mechanical, RF and systems engineers with microbiologists and chemists.
Directed all design reviews and activities in the areas of RF design, software design and digital layout.

8. Technical Issues

Here's how engineering program managers use technical issues:

Collaborated with multiple military teams to resolve scheduling and technical issues.
Performed data analysis to resolve blocking customer and technical issues.

9. 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 engineering program managers use product development:

Supported senior technical personnel and project managers within own organization in various technical activities related to system and technical product development.
Managed an external product development team developing business critical product for new business segment (Negative Pressure Wound Therapy).

10. Executive Management

Here's how engineering program managers use executive management:

Measured program financial benefits and briefed program status, significant events, and new business opportunities to executive management.
Facilitated weekly project review meetings; adhered to strict deadlines and reported project status to executive management.

11. Mass Production

Here's how engineering program managers use mass production:

Assisted in developing a 98% efficient mass production operation in 6 months time, from empty building to mass production.
Developed 3rd party manufacturing vendor relationships that resulted in 15% lower product unit costs and on-time mass production build start.

12. QA

QA, or Quality Assurance is a procedure that entails all of the steps taken to avoid any errors in the manufacturing process or in the production of the goods that a company produces. It can also include ensuring the consistency of the services rendered. Quality assurance ensures that the quality of the service delivered to consumers meets or exceeds the promised expectations. This greatly aids in the prevention of any complications that might arise after the goods or services have been distributed. It makes sure that customers are satisfied.

Here's how engineering program managers use qa:

Developed Quality Management System and organization from ground zero, including Project QA time estimation and process-improvement identification and tracking.
Formulated and defined scope and objectives including requirements documentation, project specifications, QA acceptance criteria and risk assessments.

13. Product Design

Product design can be described as a process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve user's problems and talk about the specific needs of users in the market. Product design is an engineering disciple and it is the basic design and idea that goes before the mass production of the product.

Here's how engineering program managers use product design:

Work with product designers to implement designs that meet all customer specifications while minimizing manufacturing complexity in order to maximize profits.
Managed and developed engineering product design processes, which resulted in improved product quality and increased productivity.

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 engineering program managers use r:

Coordinated customer design effort with manufacturing capabilities resulting in successful hermetic fiber optic T/R module.
Developed testing method and pass/fail criteria to validate theft-resistant packaging for Toys R Us.

15. Product Line

Product line is a collection of similar or related products that may be under a single brand manufactured by the same company. It may include different varieties of a specific product of a brand which comes in different categories. In other cases, the product line may differ in some characteristics despite being from the same manufacturer.

Here's how engineering program managers use product line:

Managed commercial product line improvements that emphasized fleet reliability, cost reduction, design simplification, and next-generation systems introductions.
Coordinated engineering test efforts of universal power supply consolidation across multiple product lines to increase overall profitability.

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What skills help Engineering Program Managers find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on engineering program 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 soft skills should all engineering program managers possess?

Dr. John Ballato

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

To me, the most important soft skill has always been communication. And, due to the pandemic where people have had to isolate and possibly quarantine, effective communications are even that much more critical. We're spending less face-to-face time and more screen-to-screen time, which gets boring quickly. So, paying attention, being clear and concise in your communications since you don't have the opportunities as often now to simply walk into someone's lab or office and talk through ideas and next steps. Effective communications are also especially important in materials science and engineering because our field is innately interdisciplinary. This means that you might be the only materials scientist on a team that includes marketing, sales, manufacturing, etc. Knowing your audience, including your project team, and learning how to communicate with them is critical.

What hard/technical skills are most important for engineering program 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 engineering program 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 engineering program 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 an engineering program manager stand out to employers?

Peggy Smith

Department Chair, Arlington Baptist University

It is my fervent belief (based on research and trends) that the technical skills associated with IT, computer programming, software management, social media specialist, customer relations management (CRM), sales, & marketing will be in high demand particularly as we navigate this new normal world in which we are currently living.

Do you want to know more?

List of engineering program manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an engineering program manager resume and required skills for an engineering program manager to have include:

Project Management
Program Management
Software Development
Scrum
Risk Management
Continuous Improvement
RF
Technical Issues
Product Development
Executive Management
Mass Production
QA
Product Design
R
Product Line
Process Improvement

Prototyping
Aerospace
IP
Sigma
Logistics
CAD
Lifecycle Management
ISO
PMO
OEM
Strong Project Management
Design Reviews
On-Time Delivery
Product Launch
Customer Satisfaction
Azure

Technical Support
Corrective Action
Opportunity Management
Embedded Systems
DOD
Management System
Business Development
Quality Standards
Lean Manufacturing
Cloud Computing
SQL
Product Quality
SharePoint
BOM

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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