Project engineer

As a project engineer, you will provide the link between a project manager, and the technical, engineering team. You will use your engineering knowledge and experience, to help the project managers make decisions.

Also known as:

• Planning engineer

Work activities

As a project engineer, you will provide the link between a project manager, and the technical, engineering team. You will use your engineering knowledge and experience, to help the project managers make decisions. You will be responsible for keeping engineering projects on time and on budget, as well as making sure everything is going according to plan. Project engineers can work in any branch of engineering.

Your day-to day duties could include:

• Establishing the requirements of a project. What will be needed to complete the project? How much time, and how much will it cost?
• Working with other management teams, such as the business development team, to plan projects.
• Provide weekly progress reports to management.
• Running regular team meetings, to make sure everyone is aware of the current situation.
• Making sure that health and safety standards are being maintained in the project.
• Making sure that any legal requirements are being met.
• Negotiating with third parties (people from outside of your organisation).
• Managing training requirements. People may need specialist training in order for a project to run smoothly. It will be your job to make sure that people receive this training.

Personal qualities and skills

As a Project Engineer, you’ll need:

• IT skills.
• Engineering experience in the industry you choose to specialise in.
• Project management skills.
• To be aware of health and safety regulations, regarding your industry.
• Personal skills – you will need to be creative and able to solve problems.
• Good communications skills, including the ability to explain technical and complex ideas clearly, so that non-technical people can understand.

You might have responsibility for a team of engineers, so the ability to motivate and encourage others will be an advantage. You will need to be well-organised because may be asked to plan and carry-out several different tasks at the same time, and so you will need to prioritise.

You will need to work carefully with other staff, bringing together people from different departments.

Pay and opportunities

According to jobs site Payscale, project managers earn between £25,000 and £50,000, averaging around £36,000.

You will most likely work around 35-40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Occasional late finishes and weekend work may be required.

Employers include manufacturing firms in the following industries:

• Aerospace.
• Automotive.
• Building services.
• Construction.
• Electrical.
• Manufacturing.
• Renewable energies.

Being a project engineer can lead to you working anywhere in the world.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised in local/national newspapers, trade industry publications, and on the Government’s Find a Job service.

Entry routes and training   

Most employers require you to have an HND, HNC or a degree before you become a project engineer. HNDs, HNCs and degrees in relevant subjects are available at many universities. In order to get onto one of these courses, you will usually need at least two A-levels.

Depending on their qualification, project engineers can progress by taking on more responsibility for the management of engineering projects and teams of engineers. Some engineers choose to become self-employed or take contract work on a freelance basis.

Qualifications

To enter a relevant degree course, the usual requirements are:

• Two to three A-levels.
• GCSEs in your A-level subjects at grades 9-4.
• A further two to three GCSEs at grades 9-4.
• English, maths and a science subject are usually required at GCSE at grades 9-4.

Other qualifications, such as a relevant Edexcel (BTEC) level 3 National or the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma are often accepted. Check prospectuses carefully.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Experience within the industry you intend to specialise in is essential for this career for example in one of the following industries:

• Aerospace.
• Automotive.
• Construction.
• Electrical.
• Building services.
• Manufacturing.

If you don’t have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or HND course, a college or university Access course (e.g. Access to Engineering) could be the way in. These courses are designed for people who have not followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

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