Demographics and Statistics
The average age of engineering managers is 40+ years old. 81% of engineering managers are over 40 years old. The average software engineering manager age is 39 years old. Most software engineering managers are White, Asian, or Hispanic/Latino. Software engineering managers earn the highest average wage in San Francisco, CA. In 2022, women software engineering managers earned 93% of what men earned. Washington is the best state for software engineering managers. 60% of software engineering managers work at public companies rather than private.
Roles and Responsibilities
An engineering director oversees managers. A manager oversees employees. Senior engineering managers lead teams and ensure projects meet deadlines and budgets. They have extensive knowledge and years of experience. Systems engineering focuses on designing and managing complex systems over their lifetimes. Studying human factors and safety culture helps prevent catastrophes in complex engineering systems. Good engineering managers solve problems and provide resources for teams.
Path to Becoming an Engineering Manager
The typical path involves staff-level engineering experience combined with strong people skills. Some engineering managers have little coding experience but excel at working with teams.
Engineering Managers:
- Oversee design, development, and implementation of engineering projects and solutions – ensure delivered on time, budget, and to specification.
- Manage day-to-day engineering team operations plus hire, train, and mentor team members.
Requirements for Engineering Managers
To be an engineering manager, 5 years experience in a related area as an individual contributor is typically required. 1 to 3 years supervisory experience may also be needed along with extensive knowledge of function and processes. They oversee projects for products like computer hardware, medical equipment, and electrical devices, new development, and problem-solving.
Becoming an Engineering Manager
Engineering managers are crucial to the success of engineering projects. Degrees can include engineering jobs with training or management/administration positions in other industries since it is an engineering and management degree. Engineering managers must balance technical challenges with interpersonal interactions within their teams.
Essential Skills for Engineering Managers
Effective engineering managers need skills including:
- Managing engineering teams and overseeing project design, development, and implementation
- Mentoring and developing team members
- Collaborating cross-departmentally to align engineering teamwork with organizational goals and objectives
Building an Impressive Resume
Include quantitative data throughout your software engineering manager resume to impress. Showcase real numbers and use action verbs to demonstrate competency and strengths.
Engineering Project Management
Engineering project managers lead entire construction project scopes, communicate with stakeholders, and distribute team tasks. They estimate project stages, manage risks, and may implement new technology projects.
Each engineering sub-discipline has its own requirements, coursework, certifications, and professional resources. It’s important to read and learn the necessary steps to become a professional in the specific field of engineering.