What does a senior program and engineering manager do?
A senior program and engineering manager oversees the efforts put into designing and developing new programs and systems. They are in charge of taking the lead in conducting market research and analyses, establishing objectives and budgets, developing prototypes and test structures, setting guidelines and timelines, delegating responsibilities among staff, and monitoring their daily operations to ensure completion within budget, deadlines, and standards. Additionally, a senior program and engineering manager utilizes their expertise and experience by training junior managers, developing performance strategies, and supervising procedures from planning to production.
Senior program and engineering manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior program and engineering manager resumes:
- Manage high-value, high-complexity programs for critical DoD customers.
- Lead multiple concurrent SharePoint development projects utilizing offshore development teams.
- Manage projects focuse on upgrading internal engineering processes and OEM deployment projects.
- Lead high-volume DOD operations for the manufacture of advance control/sensor/information systems and technologies.
- Manage and coordinate all hardware/software engineering, installation, and service of HVAC temperature control system projects.
- Create and develop a new process to track QA testing metrics effectively on a weekly basis.
- Work with external UX firms to drive parallel UI work streams: legacy and next generation UI.
- Evaluate and upgrade QA lab inventory to execute proficient testing prior to deployments as well as testing of current defects.
- Develop system administrators to support Linux environments.
- Create predictive models for manufacturing and logistics capacity.
- Authore logistics and requirements specifications, and statements of functionality.
- Organize and maintain a highly profitable commercial & private aerospace engineering department.
- Utilize advance materials as well as rapid prototyping techniques through virtual prototyping and paperless design.
- Work with application and other infrastructure teams to facilitate application on-boarding, testing, move-ups, and user security infrastructure integration.
- Network OPEX management, overseeing operation and maintenance of VoIP network.
Senior program and engineering manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Senior Program And Engineering Managers are proficient in Program Management, Project Management, and Cloud. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Senior Program And Engineering Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Program Management, 12%
Program Management activities for engineering process improvements and client facing programs for custom product offerings and technology advancements.
- Project Management, 12%
Established a 10-year record of bottom line improvements and project management innovations related to manufacturing and supply chain processes.
- Cloud, 8%
Provided engaging, knowledgeable customer service while coordinating the intricate process of integrating and adopting cloud computing technologies.
- Software Development, 8%
Work with SRC and customer software groups to establish baseline requirements for software development and final documentation requirements.
- Architecture, 5%
Defined future state business architecture and systems transformation plan for the software release management function.
- Development Process, 4%
Initiate and refined internal development processes to improve product quality within specification.
"program management," "project management," and "cloud" are among the most common skills that senior program and engineering managers use at work. You can find even more senior program and engineering manager responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a senior program and engineering manager to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "architectural and engineering managers evaluate information to solve problems." Additionally, a senior program and engineering manager resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "developed and maintained program schedules and milestones, spend plans, performed cash flow analysis, and completed iso documents. "
Communication skills. Many senior program and engineering manager duties rely on communication skills. "architectural and engineering managers must effectively convey information and expectations related to projects.," so a senior program and engineering manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways senior program and engineering manager responsibilities rely on communication skills: "provided all qa test plans, status reports, scheduling and communications to the team. "
Math skills. For certain senior program and engineering manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior program and engineering manager rely on this skill, as "architectural and engineering managers use calculus and other mathematics to develop new products and processes." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior program and engineering managers do: "performed quantitative analysis of key process indicators to identify opportunities for process improvement. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for senior program and engineering manager responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of senior program and engineering managers all the time, as "architectural and engineering managers keep track of many workers, schedules, and budgets simultaneously." An excerpt from a real senior program and engineering manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a senior program and engineering manager does: "coordinated development activities utilizing project management, problem-solving and organizational skills to successfully deliver a new storage product to the market. "
See the full list of senior program and engineering manager skills
The three companies that hire the most senior program and engineering managers are:
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Senior program and engineering manager vs. Product lead
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior program and engineering manager responsibilities require skills like "program management," "software development," "apple," and "service oriented architecture." Meanwhile a typical product lead has skills in areas such as "digital marketing," "product strategy," "emerging technologies," and "user experience." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Product leads really shine in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $129,039. Comparatively, senior program and engineering managers tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $136,131.On average, product leads reach similar levels of education than senior program and engineering managers. Product leads are 0.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior program and engineering manager vs. Design manager
A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior program and engineering manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "program management," "cloud," "software development," and "architecture." Meanwhile, a design manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "sketch," "visualization," "user experience," and "powerpoint." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Design managers may earn a lower salary than senior program and engineering managers, but design managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $121,279. On the other hand, senior program and engineering managers receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $136,131.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Design managers tend to reach lower levels of education than senior program and engineering managers. In fact, they're 9.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior program and engineering manager vs. Manager, systems engineering
A systems engineering manager is responsible for monitoring the efficiency of the company's technology systems and network infrastructure. System engineering managers inspect the output deliverables of computer systems, identifying process improvement techniques to improve optimal performance and maintain high-quality results. They handle the department's budget and allocate adequate resources to support project management operations and requirements. A systems engineering manager must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, handling technical complexities, and configuring system management tools.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior program and engineering manager is likely to be skilled in "cloud," "development process," "apple," and "prototyping," while a typical manager, systems engineering is skilled in "systems engineering," "infrastructure," "technical leadership," and "san."
Managers, systems engineering earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $131,371. Comparatively, senior program and engineering managers have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $136,131.Most managers, systems engineering achieve a similar degree level compared to senior program and engineering managers. For example, they're 3.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior program and engineering manager vs. Research and development manager
A research and development manager is responsible for supervising project development procedures to support business operations and identify business opportunities that would pave the way for more revenue resources and profits. Research and development managers monitor the production plans from the conceptualization to the final outputs, inspecting inconsistencies and flaws in every phase and revising strategies as needed to achieve the required specifications and requirements. They delegate tasks to the staff, oversee progress, and conduct research and development programs to maximize productivity and team efforts.
Types of senior program and engineering manager
Updated January 8, 2025











