What does a junior design engineer do?
Junior Design Engineers are responsible for providing design assistance and administrative engineering support for an organization. Their duties include designing 3-dimensional models and prototypes, producing detailed drawings, assisting in tender proposal submissions, and documentation for product compliance. They are responsible for managing product literature and crib sheets and generating bills of material (BOM). Junior design engineers also assist in defining product specifications and liaise with stakeholders to obtain design approval. They must possess knowledge in using design software such as AutoCAD, Visualize, and Solidworks.
Junior design engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real junior design engineer resumes:
- Lead a brainstorming session for review with supplier & management and follow through the successful implementation of a corrective action.
- Design and modele HVAC systems using Revit and AutoCAD software.
- Assist in the supervision and fabrication of prototype equipment including conveyors, robotics, and pharmaceutical equipment and automate beverage systems.
- Prepare design documentation and release to production AirScale RRH mounting configurations.
Junior design engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Junior Design Engineers are proficient in Engineering Drawings, Solidworks, and Auto CAD. They’re also known for soft skills such as Listening skills, Mechanical skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Junior Design Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Engineering Drawings, 14%
Prepared engineering drawings by drafting of the design and supported fabrication and assembly operations.
- Solidworks, 12%
Developed and designed models, drawings of aircraft structural elements using computer-aided design, CAD and SolidWorks.
- Auto CAD, 9%
Designed & developed state-of-the-art mechanical packages and antenna subsystems for satellite and aerospace applications using IDEAS and Auto CAD software.
- R, 7%
Collaborate with R /D and Marketing to develop new products.
- Prototyping, 5%
Monitored the latest innovations related to product development, including new component technologies, materials, manufacturing and prototyping processes.
- Test Procedures, 5%
Design and development of test equipment and test procedures for various existing and future products.
Most junior design engineers use their skills in "engineering drawings," "solidworks," and "auto cad" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential junior design engineer responsibilities here:
Listening skills. The most essential soft skill for a junior design engineer to carry out their responsibilities is listening skills. This skill is important for the role because "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." Additionally, a junior design engineer resume shows how their duties depend on listening skills: "communicated design changes with manufacturing manager, director of quality control, logistics department and other personnel as needed. "
Mechanical skills. Many junior design engineer duties rely on mechanical skills. "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems.," so a junior design engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways junior design engineer responsibilities rely on mechanical skills: "reviewed mechanical and electrical drawings to ensure accuracy and compliance with customer specifications. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for junior design engineers to perform their duties. For an example of how junior design engineer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a junior design engineer: "modeled packaging solutions in solidworks, artioscad, and autocad suites. ".
Creativity. junior design engineer responsibilities often require "creativity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." This resume example shows what junior design engineers do with creativity on a typical day: "used creo,inventor,solidworks depending on customer requests. "
Math skills. Another crucial skill for a junior design engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "math skills." A big part of what junior design engineers relies on this skill, since "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." How this skill relates to junior design engineer duties can be seen in an example from a junior design engineer resume snippet: "performed cost estimates for production of the structure using ts reports and math cad spreadsheets. "
The three companies that hire the most junior design engineers are:
- Con Edison3 junior design engineers jobs
- Comcast2 junior design engineers jobs
- Fluor Corporation2 junior design engineers jobs
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Compare different junior design engineers
Junior design engineer vs. Staff engineer
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between junior design engineers and staff engineer. For instance, junior design engineer responsibilities require skills such as "engineering drawings," "solidworks," "auto cad," and "electronic components." Whereas a staff engineer is skilled in "java," "python," "architecture," and "software development." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Staff engineers tend to make the most money working in the telecommunication industry, where they earn an average salary of $119,079. In contrast, junior design engineers make the biggest average salary, $68,662, in the manufacturing industry.staff engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than junior design engineers. In fact, staff engineers are 4.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Junior design engineer vs. Product engineer
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, junior design engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "auto cad," "electronic components," "catia," and "css." Meanwhile, a product engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "cad," "product design," "project management," and "continuous improvement." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, product engineers earn a higher salary than junior design engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, product engineers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $90,301. Whereas junior design engineers have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $68,662.product engineers earn similar levels of education than junior design engineers in general. They're 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Junior design engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, junior design engineers are more likely to have skills like "engineering drawings," "auto cad," "electronic components," and "catia." But a engineer is more likely to have skills like "python," "cloud," "c #," and "aws."
Engineers earn the highest salary when working in the automotive industry, where they receive an average salary of $97,672. Comparatively, junior design engineers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $68,662.When it comes to education, engineers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to junior design engineers. In fact, they're 1.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Junior design engineer vs. Mechanical engineer
Mechanical Engineers oversee the development of various mechanical devices in different industries. Most of the responsibilities will revolve around crafting, improving, or designing technologies by utilizing extensive expertise in the subject; they identify and detect errors, provide in-depth analysis, and resolve issues. They are often in designated offices, but they can also work on-site and travel if necessary. Furthermore, Mechanical Engineers usually function in a group or team setting, often supervised by personnel in higher positions.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between junior design engineers and mechanical engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a junior design engineer might have more use for skills like "auto cad," "electronic components," "css," and "microprocessors." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of mechanical engineers require skills like "cad," "mechanical systems," "mechanical design," and "plumbing. "
Mechanical engineers enjoy the best pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $84,748. For comparison, junior design engineers earn the highest salary in the manufacturing industry.The average resume of mechanical engineers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to junior design engineers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.6%.Types of junior design engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
