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What is a senior project engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Marco Schoen Ph.D.,
Brian Denton Ph.D.
introduction image

Most senior project engineers find jobs in the manufacturing and technology industries. They manage deliveries in and out of project sites, lead operations, and support HVAC systems and fire protection programs' design and management. Their other day-to-day duties include designing software, managing the project process floor, integrating software and hardware, and determining measurement techniques to utilize.

Senior project engineers also find themselves working alongside the architecture team and assessing quality analysts' involvement. Some hard skills essential in this career are project management, construction management, product development, technical support, and facilities management. A senior project engineer must show that they have done project development successfully previously. They should have experience with multiple product development projects from conception and design to production.

Most employers will expect you to earn either a bachelor's or master's degree to consider you as a candidate for the position. It is almost impossible to become one with only a high school diploma or GED. They earn well at an average of $97,406 per year, that's $46.85 per hour. Additionally, the career is expected to grow by 4% between 2018 and 2028, creating 12,800 new jobs. So you have plenty of opportunities to grow your career.

What general advice would you give to a senior project engineer?

Marco Schoen Ph.D.Marco Schoen Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Measurement and Control Engineering Research Center (MCERC), Idaho State University

Stay current. Engineering evolves continuously; new tools, new technologies, and new areas where engineers can contribute, learn, and work. When graduating, students have the feeling they are set for their careers. However, this is not true; they might be set to start their careers. To be consistently successful in their pages, they need to stay informed and updated.
ScoreSenior Project EngineerUS Average
Salary
7.5

Avg. Salary $97,803

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 14.76%

Black or African American 3.20%

Hispanic or Latino 8.42%

Unknown 4.54%

White 68.97%

Gender

female 15.60%

male 84.40%

Age - 39
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 - 39
Stress level
7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior project engineer career paths

Key steps to become a senior project engineer

  1. Explore senior project engineer education requirements

    Most common senior project engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    76.0 %

    Master's

    13.0 %

    Associate

    7.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior project engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Project Management16.26%
    Construction Management4.47%
    CAD4.09%
    UL3.82%
    Engineering Design3.36%
  3. Complete relevant senior project engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior project engineers 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 project engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior project engineer resumes.
  4. Research senior project engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage offshore-onsite deliveries in the SharePoint, .Net, EMC Documentum environments and best practices.
    • Design and manage a quality management system for the company's dealer franchise network so dealers can become ISO certify.
    • Lead development of PC software design to enhance dealer sales effectiveness and ability to demonstrate superior product value for the customer.
    • Design and manage retrofits for HVAC system and fire protection program for nuclear pharmaceutical manufacturing facility.
  5. Get senior project engineer experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior project engineer. The most common roles before becoming a senior project engineer include project engineer, internship team lead and project manager.
  6. Prepare your senior project engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior project engineer 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 project engineer 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 project engineer resume templates

    Build a professional senior project engineer 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 project engineer resume.
    Senior Project Engineer Resume
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    Senior Project Engineer Resume
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    Senior Project Engineer Resume
    Senior Project Engineer Resume
    Senior Project Engineer Resume
    Senior Project Engineer Resume
    Senior Project Engineer Resume
    Senior Project Engineer Resume
    Senior Project Engineer Resume
  7. Apply for senior project engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior project engineer 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 project engineer job

Zippi

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Average senior project engineer salary

The average senior project engineer salary in the United States is $97,803 per year or $47 per hour. Senior project engineer salaries range between $77,000 and $124,000 per year.

Average senior project engineer salary
$97,803 Yearly
$47.02 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do senior project engineers rate their job?

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Senior project engineer reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2023
Pros

It can gurantee you a good salary and if you are creative you can do many things.

Cons

you have to be creative.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2023
Pros

I like to work with a team. Satisfaction of seeing the successful completion of a project


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

The diversity of tasks, interaction with all stakeholders, continuous learning process, communication. Allows great progression in many technical skills


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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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