A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.

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Project Engineer Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real project engineer resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Manage TCP/IP LAN environment for the time during implementation.
  • Support and manage the development of a CNC base electron beam drill.
  • Lead a MGPP six sigma project to improve the accuracy of 3D clutch cooling analysis
  • Manage the BHP enterprise wide migration from e-rooms to SharePoint for document management and team collaboration.
  • Manage the installation of a CNC laser cutting system with full responsibility for all aspects of the project.
  • Coordinate and manage activities of the 787-9 IPT's to complete the specific aircraft side of the test cells.
  • Implement a Microsoft SharePoint site structure for project management, task management, and tracking of engineering performance metrics.
  • Manage custom product design & generate all require documentation for both customer and manufacturing groups using AutoCAD rel.
  • Convert CATIA V4 drawings and models to CATIA V5.
  • Used javascript for VR animation.
  • Work on EPC contracting exhibits and appendices.
  • Have extensive practical experience on U.S. DoD acquisitions.
  • Contribute to RFQ and RFI proposals for DOD contracts.
  • Reduce design time and cost by instituting cad libraries.
  • Supervise drafting of part drawings and assemblies for prototyping and product release.

Project Engineer Job Description

When it comes to understanding what a project engineer does, you may be wondering, "should I become a project engineer?" The data included in this section may help you decide. Compared to other jobs, project engineers have a growth rate described as "as fast as average" at 4% between the years 2018 - 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the number of project engineer opportunities that are predicted to open up by 2028 is 12,800.

Project engineers average about $36.08 an hour, which makes the project engineer annual salary $75,050. Additionally, project engineers are known to earn anywhere from $55,000 to $100,000 a year. This means that the top-earning project engineers make $50,000 more than the lowest earning ones.

Once you've become a project engineer, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a mechanical design engineer, research and development engineer, manufacturing engineer, and mechanical engineer.

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12 Project Engineer Resume Examples

Project Engineer Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 12% of Project Engineers are proficient in Project Management, Autocad, and Construction Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Mechanical skills, Listening skills, and Creativity.

We break down the percentage of Project Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Project Management, 12%

    Provided project management and technical execution and acted as liaison between command and regulatory agencies for all environmental program issues.

  • Autocad, 7%

    Generated AutoCAD drawings for facility modifications as well as for the manufacturing of custom parts and components for development projects.

  • Construction Management, 6%

    Mastered construction management skills such as quantity-takeoff, estimating, scheduling, subcontractor negotiations, and bid presentation.

  • CAD, 4%

    Prepared CAD models prototype based on constraint specifications, engineering calculations, dimensional measurements, detailed drawings and design requirements.

  • UL, 4%

    Supervised motor testing and certification to UL, CSA and other international certification standards.

  • Cost Estimates, 3%

    Determined project specifications by studying product design, customer requirements, performance standards; completing technical studies and preparing cost estimates.

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"project management," "autocad," and "construction management" aren't the only skills we found project engineers list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of project engineer responsibilities that we found, including:

  • The most important skills for a project engineer to have in this position are mechanical skills. In this excerpt that we gathered from a project engineer resume, you'll understand why: "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." According to resumes we found, mechanical skills can be used by a project engineer in order to "designed mechanical parts and developed engineering drawings. "
  • While it may not be the most important skill, we found that many project engineer duties rely on listening skills. This example from a project engineer explains why: "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." This resume example is just one of many ways project engineers are able to utilize listening skills: "communicated analysis results to product groups and participated in 6 sigma projects to help drive virtual product development. "
  • Project engineers are also known for creativity, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a project engineer resume: "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "managed and created autocad mechanical and inventor drawings and models for various projects and custom manufactured automated wash system equipment. "
  • A project engineer responsibilities sometimes require "math skills." The responsibilities that rely on this skills are shown by this resume excerpt: "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This resume example shows how this skill is used by project engineers: "construct cad working drawings and geometry of pre-cast components for pre-cast manufacturer. "
  • Yet another important skill that a project engineer must demonstrate is "problem-solving skills." Mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products. This is clearly demonstrated in this example from a project engineer who stated: "developed interlock solutions for control systems. "
  • See the full list of project engineer skills.

    We've found that 77.0% of project engineers have earned a bachelor's degree. Furthermore, 12.3% earned their master's degrees before becoming a project engineer. While it's true that most project engineers have a college degree, it's generally possible to become one with only a high school degree. In fact, one out of every nine project engineers did not spend the extra money to attend college.

    Those project engineers who do attend college, typically earn either mechanical engineering degrees or civil engineering degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for project engineers include electrical engineering degrees or business degrees.

    Once you've obtained the level of education you're comfortable with, you might start applying to companies to become a project engineer. We've found that most project engineer resumes include experience from HNTB, Gilbane Building, and Raytheon Technologies. Of recent, HNTB had 118 positions open for project engineers. Meanwhile, there are 93 job openings at Gilbane Building and 91 at Raytheon Technologies.

    If you're interested in companies where project engineers make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Apple, Meta, and Google. We found that at Apple, the average project engineer salary is $134,563. Whereas at Meta, project engineers earn roughly $129,077. And at Google, they make an average salary of $126,175.

    View more details on project engineer salaries across the United States.

    Some other companies you might be interested in as a project engineer include Lockheed Martin, General Motors, and Northrop Grumman. These three companies were found to hire the most project engineers from the top 100 U.S. educational institutions.

    The industries that project engineers fulfill the most roles in are the construction and professional industries. But the highest project engineer annual salary is in the energy industry, averaging $85,761. In the manufacturing industry they make $81,333 and average about $80,988 in the technology industry. In conclusion, project engineers who work in the energy industry earn a 16.9% higher salary than project engineers in the government industry.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious project engineers are:

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    What Mechanical Design Engineers Do

    A mechanical design engineer specializes in designing various mechanical devices that will be vital in developing machinery or large structures. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around conducting thorough research and analysis, establishing layouts and prototypes, producing progress reports, and working alongside fellow engineers and skilled professionals. Typically assigned in an office setting, a mechanical design engineer must visit construction sites or factories to test and observe equipment qualities. Furthermore, during production, there are instances when a mechanical engineer must coordinate with suppliers, contractors, and clients.

    In this section, we compare the average project engineer annual salary with that of a mechanical design engineer. Typically, mechanical design engineers earn a $771 higher salary than project engineers earn annually.

    While their salaries may differ, one common ground between project engineers and mechanical design engineers are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like project management, cad, and ul.

    As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a project engineer responsibility requires skills such as "autocad," "construction management," "cost estimates," and "project scope." Whereas a mechanical design engineer is skilled in "mechanical design," "gd," "creo," and "mechanical systems." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

    Mechanical design engineers receive the highest salaries in the automotive industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $87,483. But project engineers are paid more in the energy industry with an average salary of $85,761.

    On average, mechanical design engineers reach similar levels of education than project engineers. Mechanical design engineers are 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Research And Development Engineer?

    Research and development engineers generally execute research and tests on product ideas, develop new products, and perform redesigns. They are employed in many industries, including manufacturing, electrical, and science-based companies. Their duties vary and depend on the industries they work in. Responsibilities of these engineers include developing new technologies, designing products, and managing the projects until they are completed. Additionally, they lead the project team members to manage their schedules, design the project plans, and collaborate with key departments in developing new products.

    The next role we're going to look at is the research and development engineer profession. Typically, this position earns a higher pay. In fact, they earn a $25,119 higher salary than project engineers per year.

    A similarity between the two careers of project engineers and research and development engineers are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "project management," "cad," and "ul. "

    But both careers also use different skills, according to real project engineer resumes. While project engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "autocad," "construction management," "cost estimates," and "engineering design," some research and development engineers use skills like "python," "c #," "data analysis," and "patients."

    It's been discovered that research and development engineers earn higher salaries compared to project engineers, but we wanted to find out where research and development engineers earned the most pay. The answer? The technology industry. The average salary in the industry is $107,654. Additionally, project engineers earn the highest paychecks in the energy with an average salary of $85,761.

    In general, research and development engineers study at higher levels of education than project engineers. They're 5.9% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Technology Do You Think Will Become More Important And Prevalent For Mechanical Engineers In The Next 3-5 Years?

    Daisy Huang

    Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks

    Rapid prototyping. This is not cost-competitive for large production runs of mass-market goods, but it's a really great tool for custom goods and high-end products.

    How a Manufacturing Engineer Compares

    Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.

    The manufacturing engineer profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of project engineers. The difference in salaries is manufacturing engineers making $3,472 higher than project engineers.

    By looking over several project engineers and manufacturing engineers resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "project management," "cad," and "technical support." But beyond that the careers look very different.

    As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from project engineers resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "autocad," "construction management," "ul," and "cost estimates." But a manufacturing engineer might have skills like "lean manufacturing," "corrective action," "process control," and "troubleshoot."

    Interestingly enough, manufacturing engineers earn the most pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $81,429. As mentioned previously, project engineers highest annual salary comes from the energy industry with an average salary of $85,761.

    Manufacturing engineers typically study at similar levels compared with project engineers. For example, they're 3.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a 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.

    The fourth career we look at typically earns higher pay than project engineers. On average, mechanical engineers earn a difference of $302 higher per year.

    According to resumes from both project engineers and mechanical engineers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "project management," "cad," and "ul. "

    Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a project engineer might have more use for skills like "autocad," "construction management," "project scope," and "engineering projects." Meanwhile, some mechanical engineers might include skills like "mechanical systems," "mechanical design," "plumbing," and "creo" on their resume.

    Mechanical engineers earn a higher salary in the energy industry with an average of $84,748. Whereas, project engineers earn the highest salary in the energy industry.

    In general, mechanical engineers reach similar levels of education when compared to project engineers resumes. Mechanical engineers are 0.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What a Project Engineer Does FAQs

    Is Project Engineering A Good Career?

    Yes, project engineering is a good career. This depends, of course, on what makes a career "good" in the eyes of each individual. By many measures, though, project engineering can easily be assigned the title of a good career.

    What Is The Difference Between A Project Manager And A Project Engineer?

    The difference between a project manager and a project engineer is that a project manager has a supervisory role, while project engineers actually execute the necessary tasks of a project.

    What Qualifications Do You Need To Become A Project Engineer?

    To become a project engineer, the main qualification is a bachelor's degree in engineering or an appropriate substitute degree. Generally, project engineering jobs require a bachelor's degree. Although it is not necessarily mandatory to have a bachelor's degree, getting hired as a project engineer is seriously unlikely without one.

    Project Engineer Vs. Project Manager

    A project engineer is a professional role that executes the engineering tasks of a project, while a project manager is someone who supervises a project.

    A project engineer works on-site and must make sure their team meets specific specifications when working on a project. They handle blueprints, estimations, materials, and sometimes employees on a project. Project engineers give orders to teams and oversee their work and progress. They also solve on-site issues and record the progression of the work being done.

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