What does a senior mechanical project engineer do?
A senior mechanical project engineer designs, researches, builds, tests, and improves systems, equipment, electrical devices, and mechanical devices. They design various machines such as engines, turbines, and generators using CAD software. They develop design prototypes, allocate time and resources as needed, and evaluate data to create reports. These professionals communicate with clients, directors, and staff and attend meetings to provide inputs and updates. Moreover, senior mechanical project engineers deliver safe and useful products within budget and on time.
Senior mechanical project engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior mechanical project engineer resumes:
- Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
- Integrate project lead (IPT) for service upgrades product development and implementation.
- Generate project fees for HVAC work.
- Contribute with significant NR engineering cost saving per FEA analysis.
- Ensure Duracell, UL, and outside applicable requirements are met.
- Work on project requirements with scheduling, budgeting and IPT responsibilities.
- Perform static, durability and manufacturing FEA at component, system and sub-system level.
- Design products to meet FCC, UL, CSA, and EU requirements for environmental and EMI protection.
- Lead junior engineers, designers and draftsmen to prepare detail and assembly drawings per ASME Y14.5 and DoD standards.
- Develop a 3D model and technical drawings for the improvement process using SolidWorks by implementing feedback to continuously improve the model.
- Perform HVAC calculations, design and specifications writing for commercial and institutional facilities.
- Design and develop mechanical refinements and original designs to line of maternal infant care products using SolidWorks.
- Formulate and implement engineering processes and procedures, including successful transition from 2D cad to 3D solids-base design environment.
- Authore and present technical manuals, troubleshoot guides, technical reports and presentations to provide instructional training to technicians and supervisors.
- Develop mechanical documentation and process to specify PCB mechanical parameters for PC designers and HW engineers.
Senior mechanical project engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Senior Mechanical Project Engineers are proficient in Project Management, CAD, and Solidworks. They’re also known for soft skills such as Mechanical skills, Creativity, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Mechanical Project Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 8%
Project management and engineering for capital projects involving automation of pharmaceutical production equipment and retrofitting existing equipment with new control systems.
- CAD, 8%
Designed new components and systems for Navy using CAD, FEA and materials research to satisfy tough weight and performance targets.
- Solidworks, 8%
Designed and developed mechanical refinements and original designs to line of maternal infant care products using SolidWorks.
- HVAC, 7%
Review designed, Implemented and Monitored Facility Load Calculation HVAC with equipment requirements.
- Plumbing, 6%
Coordinated lab activities including plumbing, instrumentation, execution of testing, collection and analysis of data and assembly of components.
- MEP, 6%
Major projects: MEP retrofit of US Courthouse and new FBI Building in San Juan, PR.
"project management," "cad," and "solidworks" are among the most common skills that senior mechanical project engineers use at work. You can find even more senior mechanical project engineer responsibilities below, including:
Mechanical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior mechanical project engineer to have is mechanical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." Senior mechanical project engineers often use mechanical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "designed mechanical and plumbing systems for municipal projects. "
Creativity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior mechanical project engineer duties is creativity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." According to a senior mechanical project engineer resume, here's how senior mechanical project engineers can utilize creativity in their job responsibilities: "utilized inventor, auto cad, ms word, ms excel, ms project and ems encompix software. "
Listening skills. senior mechanical project engineers are also known for listening skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to senior mechanical project engineer responsibilities, because "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." A senior mechanical project engineer resume example shows how listening skills is used in the workplace: "communicated product design concepts and documentation to diverse audiences internally and externally. "
Math skills. For certain senior mechanical project engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior mechanical project engineer rely on this skill, as "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior mechanical project engineers do: "developed and taught thermal analysis procedures and tools (including mathcad, sinda, and thermal desktop). "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in senior mechanical project engineer job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what senior mechanical project engineers do. Senior mechanical project engineer responsibilities rely on this skill because "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." You can also see how senior mechanical project engineer duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "utilized caesar ii pipe stress analysis and design flow solutions software. "
See the full list of senior mechanical project engineer skills
The three companies that hire the most senior mechanical project engineers are:
- System One13 senior mechanical project engineers jobs
- Affiliated Engineers13 senior mechanical project engineers jobs
- Sargent & Lundy12 senior mechanical project engineers jobs
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Compare different senior mechanical project engineers
Senior mechanical project engineer vs. Design engineer
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior mechanical project engineer are more likely to require skills like "cad," "solidworks," "plumbing," and "mep." On the other hand, a job as a design engineer requires skills like "c++," "work ethic," "engineering design," and "rf." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Design engineers really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $86,213. Comparatively, senior mechanical project engineers tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $93,208.On average, design engineers reach similar levels of education than senior mechanical project engineers. Design engineers are 4.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior mechanical project 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.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior mechanical project engineer resumes. While senior mechanical project engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "solidworks," "plumbing," "mep," and "mechanical systems," staff engineers use skills like "java," "python," "architecture," and "software development."
On average, staff engineers earn a higher salary than senior mechanical project engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, staff engineers earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $119,079. Whereas senior mechanical project engineers have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $93,208.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Staff engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than senior mechanical project engineers. In fact, they're 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior mechanical project engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Sridhar Santhanam Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Villanova University
Senior mechanical project engineer vs. Lead engineer
A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from senior mechanical project engineer resumes include skills like "mep," "mechanical systems," "mechanical design," and "mechanical engineering design," whereas a lead engineer is more likely to list skills in "java," "python," "architecture," and "c++. "
Lead engineers make a very good living in the automotive industry with an average annual salary of $110,872. On the other hand, senior mechanical project engineers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $93,208.When it comes to education, lead engineers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to senior mechanical project engineers. In fact, they're 1.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior mechanical project engineer vs. Tool engineer
A tooling engineer is responsible for creating and adjusting tools or parts for cars, heavy equipment, and other products that need customized or personalized components. Your duties and responsibilities will include creating design blueprints, using computer-aided (CAD) software to develop two- and three-dimensional prints, and validating and evaluating products. As a tooling engineer, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with operational standards such as the ISO 9000. You also have to provide technical assistance to manufacturing personnel and quality assurance.
Types of senior mechanical project engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
