Automatically apply for jobs with Zippia

Upload your resume to get started.

Senior engineering manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

8 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. John Ballato,

Dr. John Ballato

Senior engineering manager example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior engineering manager skills. We ranked the top skills for senior engineering managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.6% of senior engineering manager resumes contained java as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior engineering manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior engineering manager skills for your resume and career

1. Java

Java is a widely-known programming language that was invented in 1995 and is owned by Oracle. It is a server-side language that was created to let app developers "write once, run anywhere". It is easy and simple to learn and use and is powerful, fast, and secure. This object-oriented programming language lets the code be reused that automatically lowers the development cost. Java is specially used for android apps, web and application servers, games, database connections, etc. This programming language is closely related to C++ making it easier for the users to switch between the two.

Here's how senior engineering managers use java:

Managed small team of Java developers to design and develop custom applications supporting Conditional Access and Interactive TV applications.
Developed plan and obtained senior management approval for Java set-top box integrated development tools.

2. Architecture

Here's how senior engineering managers use architecture:

Participated in a yearlong process consisting of the market analysis, customer validation, product requirements and architecture definition.
Provided hands-on support in multiple functions including business architecture, business analysis, technical project management and development.

3. Cloud

Cloud is a server that is accessed over the internet. There are different programs and software that also run on these servers. These clouds can be accessed from anywhere in the world as they are not present in your computer storage, but have their online servers. Cloud consists of data centers all across the world.

Here's how senior engineering managers use cloud:

Provided information assurance expertise to the certification and accreditation of Cloud -technology and various Cross Domain Solutions.
Devised and implemented a strategy to migrate key enterprise applications and services to an Amazon Cloud Services (AWS) environment.

4. Infrastructure

Infrastructure includes the organizational and physical structures needed to run an area or a society smoothly. It is a group of basic facilities required for any society or firm to run sustainably and efficiently. The infrastructural system is a high investing area and helps majorly in flourishing the economy and prosperity of a country. It is an underlying system needed for ensuring the safety and comfort of the public and to run a country smoothly. All the tasks needed to be performed for a flourishing economy and a happy and healthy public are included in infrastructure.

Here's how senior engineering managers use infrastructure:

Ensured system requirement satisfaction which included the development and support of 5 infrastructure development and test platforms/environments and two operational environments.
Coordinated test planning, equipment procurement, safety, infrastructure deployment, implementation, analysis and final report & presentation.

5. 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 senior engineering managers use software development:

Planned, staffed, budgeted and directed object-oriented and distributed n-tier software development efforts for various customer-care applications.
Mentored Engineering Managers leading to improvements in project planning and quality of software development activities.

6. Project Management

Here's how senior engineering managers use project management:

Performed contract management, vendor management, order management, project management, inventory management, and probe network quality control.
Conducted facility energy audits, electrical power quality surveys and assisted with project management for installation and commissioning of BAC.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior engineering manager resume templates

Build a professional senior engineering manager resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior engineering manager resume.

7. Emerging Technologies

Here's how senior engineering managers use emerging technologies:

Owned one of the large teams at PayPal IDC for Emerging Technologies.
Maintained up to date industry knowledge, analyzed trends and emerging technologies.

8. SR

Here's how senior engineering managers use sr:

Supervised 6 Sr. Project Managers and their subordinates on turnkey projects for Toyota as well as independently managing projects.
Develop Service Level Agreements, white papers, information papers, and presentations for Sr. Government Executives.

9. 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 senior engineering managers use continuous improvement:

Developed continuous improvement process and achieved over 20% improvement in efficiency while improving documentation and retention practices for quality assurance.
Directed Engineer and Engineer Technicians in data collection, root cause analysis and corrective action implementation in a continuous improvement environment.

10. 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 senior engineering managers use scrum:

Conducted process improvement initiatives including a revision to the Flight Database and Software release process utilizing an Agile Scrum environment.
Implemented Scrum and additional visual project/resource management solutions resulting in improved project and product quality.

11. Azure

Here's how senior engineering managers use azure:

Design, deploy, and maintain production Windows Azure pack with the website services role.
Automated deployment of SharePoint 2013 staging and testing tiers in Azure via ARM based templates.

12. Product Management

Product management is a part of an organization's function that deals with product development, planning, pricing, forecasting, launching, and marketing the product.

Here's how senior engineering managers use product management:

Forged strong partnerships with business leadership and product management, eventually leading to daily interactions with business executives.
Worked very closely with Product Management for product release, prioritization of features and product enhancements.

13. C++

C++ is a general-purpose programming language that is used to create high-performing applications. It was invented as an extension to the C language. C++ lets the programmer have a high level of domination over memory and system resources. C++ is an object-oriented language that helps you implement real-time issues based on different data functions

Here's how senior engineering managers use c++:

Developed real-time C++ image/video processing algorithms for ophthalmic imaging/surgical robotics.
Hired to be the lead C++ (Unix) developer for the Northrop Grumman portion of a satellite management system.

14. Program Management

Here's how senior engineering managers use program management:

Provided Systems Engineering, Project/Program Management, Network Engineering, and Information Security and Assurance expertise in a senior-level role.
Evaluated the US Design Engineering /Program Management market and identified opportunities to acquire business in the Detroit Automotive marketplace.

15. Linux

Linux is a Unix-like operating system. Just like Windows, Mac OS, and IOS, Linux is an operating system used by millions across the globe. Android itself is powered by the Linux operating system. Linux manages all the hardware resources that are associated with your computer. The software is famous because of the protection it grants from viruses, malware, and crashes. The Linux operating system is entirely free and is an open-source software meaning it can be altered by those equipped with the knowledge to code.

Here's how senior engineering managers use linux:

Designed and installed several Linux firewalls, and intrusion detection systems utilizing Snort.
Developed system administrators to support Linux environments.

5 Senior Engineering Manager resume examples

Build a professional senior engineering manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your senior engineering manager resume.

Create my resume

Build a professional resume in minutes using this template.

What skills help Senior Engineering Managers find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on senior engineering 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 senior engineering 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 senior engineering 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 senior engineering manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Galen Duree

Head of the Department of Physics and Optical Engineering and Professor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

It again depends on what the graduate sees as their next step - graduate school or a job with a company or lab. If the next step is graduate school, the graduate should investigate what they are interested in pursuing and then where the best school is to get the experience that the graduate thinks he or she wants.

General reading about technologies or reading available articles about subjects the graduate is interested in will help generate questions they can ask potential graduate schools. This time would also be a chance to improve areas where the graduate may feel weak while an undergraduate. Many online resources can help them brush up on week background topics. Do not worry about transfer credits because that is usually not helpful in graduate school, but improve knowledge and experience in areas where the graduate feels weak. If the graduate has identified a graduate school and program to study in, the graduate school might have some recommendations about what to review. All of this will help improve success in graduate school.

If the next step is a job with a company or lab, taking courses to improve communication will help. Many technically competent or even technically brilliant people struggle with effective communication. Techniques about writing reports, making oral presentations, or communicating technical information will help improve success. The gap year also provides time to investigate technologies that the graduate wants to be involved in and the companies or labs in those areas.

Once the graduate has identified areas of interest and companies or labs that the graduate might want to work for, they can be contacted to either answer questions or point the graduate in a direction for further investigation.

In either case, a gap year can provide a chance to refine the graduate's choice for the next steps and help them prepare other skills overlooked during the undergraduate years.

What type of skills will young senior engineering managers need?

John Ring

Director Engineering Outreach, Elon University

While our universities consistently educate engineering students with hard skills and strong engineering fundamentals, tomorrow's engineers need to be strong communicators, collaborators, and critical thinkers. Our professional environments are filled with data and information, and the constraint is typically how much time individuals can dedicate to solving a problem. At Elon University, we educate tomorrow's engineers to have the hard skills necessary to analyze the information and situations, apply critical thinking techniques to determine ways to solve the issue, and then concisely and efficiently communicate with colleagues as solutions are being set in motion.

What technical skills for a senior engineering manager stand out to employers?

Patrick Atkinson

Professor, Kettering University

Broadly speaking, employers are looking for employees who can jump in, take on a project and move things forward. Since engineers are data-driven, knowing how to read and interpret findings from a variety of sources is key. This can be very challenging if the data conflicts between sources or the data is unclear. Whether the data is from a mathematical model, a physical test laboratory, or from the field, learning how to synthesize the findings and balance the strengths/weaknesses of a given data source are key. At the end of the day, every project needs a way forward and it is the engineer's job to optimize a design to meet the objectives for the product.

Do you want to know more?

List of senior engineering manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a senior engineering manager resume and required skills for a senior engineering manager to have include:

Java
Architecture
Cloud
Infrastructure
Software Development
Project Management
Emerging Technologies
SR
Continuous Improvement
Scrum
Azure
Product Management
C++
Program Management
Linux
SQL

Technical Leadership
Debugging
Direct Reports
Process Improvement
Saas
Business Development
IP
QA
Development Process
Jenkins
SEO
Amazon Web Services
Cloud Computing
Android
CAD
Sigma

Product Design
Windows
Product Development
Digital Marketing
Microservices
Customer Satisfaction
Ruby
Persistence
Visualization
Technical Support
Performance Reviews
R
ISO
FDA

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

Browse executive management jobs