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What is a senior product engineering manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Yi Yang PhD,
Sachin Tuli

Primarily, a senior product engineering manager is in charge of developing products and procedures, including the schedule, user effectiveness, quality, and budget compliance of the products.

He coordinates a team of product engineers in areas such as architecture, development lifecycles, technology selection criteria, and management development. His/Her job includes evaluating new product designs, analyzing the cost implications, and ensuring all product requirements are met before production is approved. Besides this, he/she sets goals, manages budgets and schedules, and develops strategies to optimize procedures. Also, he/she monitors production progress and resolves issues.

The minimum educational requirement for this job is a bachelor's degree in a related discipline. Candidates must have at least twelve years of related work experience. The skillset includes communication, multitasking, interpersonal, project management, problem-solving, leadership, and analytical skills. Product engineering managers earn an average gross salary of $117,862, which is $56.66 per hour. It varies from $90,000 to $153,000.

What general advice would you give to a senior product engineering manager?

Yi Yang PhDYi Yang PhD LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University - Abington

For new graduates beginning their careers in engineering, I would advise them to consider the broader impact of their work and look for opportunities to expand their management potential. While engineering is a highly technical field, it's important to recognize the value of leadership roles in preserving a culture of innovation. By taking on these positions, you can help ensure that companies prioritize long-term innovation over short-term gains (cutting R&D to boost the balance sheet), thus preserving the engineering culture that drives meaningful progress.
ScoreSenior Product Engineering ManagerUS Average
Salary
8.7

Avg. Salary $140,924

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 18.89%

Black or African American 2.73%

Hispanic or Latino 7.50%

Unknown 4.46%

White 66.26%

Gender

female 7.54%

male 92.46%

Age - 48
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48
Stress level
7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Senior product engineering manager career paths

Key steps to become a senior product engineering manager

  1. Explore senior product engineering manager education requirements

    Most common senior product engineering manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    65.8 %

    Master's

    22.5 %

    Associate

    6.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior product engineering manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Control Systems18.23%
    Product Management8.55%
    Java5.50%
    SR5.45%
    Product Development5.37%
  3. Complete relevant senior product engineering manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior product engineering managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior product engineering manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior product engineering manager resumes.
  4. Research senior product engineering manager duties and responsibilities

    • Manage all internal and BSI external ISO auditing activities.
    • Manage a group of engineers that design semi-custom commercial / industrial HVAC and refrigeration equipment.
    • Maintain engineering documents per ISO procedures.
    • Demonstrate the first commercial implementation of next-generation design software utilizing level-set methods to model and correct manufacturing errors in semiconductor photomasks.
  5. Get senior product engineering manager experience

    Generally, it takes more than 10 years to become a senior product engineering manager. The most common roles before becoming a senior product engineering manager include product engineer, senior product engineer team lead and software engineer.
  6. Prepare your senior product engineering manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior product engineering manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior product engineering manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior product engineering manager resume templates

    Build a professional senior product engineering manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior product engineering manager resume.
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
    Senior Product Engineering Manager Resume
  7. Apply for senior product engineering manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior product engineering manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior product engineering manager job

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Average senior product engineering manager salary

The average senior product engineering manager salary in the United States is $140,924 per year or $68 per hour. Senior product engineering manager salaries range between $96,000 and $205,000 per year.

Average senior product engineering manager salary
$140,924 Yearly
$67.75 hourly

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How do senior product engineering managers rate their job?

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Senior product engineering manager reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023
Pros

Solve tough problems, work on agile teams, outlet for creativity,

Cons

high expectations, constantly evolving technology, broad range of topics to learn (product management specifics, industry, technology, software development methods


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Its not a specific job, As a product manager your job responsibilities cover many different areas and that's what i love about it.

Cons

all other teams think that they are doing a task for you instead of thinking that they are part of a team on a project


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Pros

Being able to solve technical problems and manage staff for work

Cons

Less pay and not being able to freely speak what's on my mind


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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