What Does an Engineering Manager Do?
An engineering manager leads a group of engineers and answers for the technical quality, schedule, and budget of their work. At a consulting firm the title usually means a discipline lead or department head who supervises civil, structural, mechanical, or electrical engineers across many projects at once. At a manufacturer it means the head of product or plant engineering. Most employers require a bachelor’s degree in engineering, 8 or more years of experience, and a Professional Engineer (PE) license when the group seals drawings.
Firms often blur this title with three other roles. A project engineer owns the technical delivery of one project and usually has no direct reports. A civil engineer or mechanical engineer is an individual contributor who reports to the engineering manager. An architectural project manager manages the client, fee, and schedule on an architecture project and coordinates with engineers without supervising them. Software companies use the same title for the person who manages a team of developers; we cover that version under software development manager, and the fourth template below is written for it.
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Hiring an Engineering Manager: What to Expect
Most engineering managers were promoted from senior engineer or project engineer inside a consulting firm, and the strongest ones are managing a group at another firm right now and will not answer a posting. Screen for the size of the group and backlog they managed, how they handled a project that went over its hour budget, who they hired and who left under them, and their own utilization target. Ask when they last turned down work because the group had no capacity; a manager who has never done it has probably been burning out staff instead.
Engineering manager postings often go wrong by asking one person to supervise every discipline the firm offers (civil, structural, and MEP in one listing) while also requiring a PE in a specific state. Pick the discipline the group works in, name the state license the work requires, say how many people report in, and say whether the manager seals drawings. A posting with those four facts reaches the people who already do that job.
A posting for this role should state the expected billable percentage and the number of direct reports. Candidates read a vague “player-coach” description as a sign the firm wants a full-time manager at a full-time production workload, so give the split in numbers.
On architecture and engineering searches, 4 Corner Resources typically submits qualified candidates within 2 to 5 days, clients interview an average of 1.4 candidates per hire, and we submit 1.82 candidates per hire.
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Engineering Manager Core Responsibilities
- Supervise a group of engineers and designers, including hiring, performance reviews, pay recommendations, and workload assignments
- Meet a personal billable target on project work while managing the group, at the percentage set with the principal
- Review calculations, drawings, and specifications for code compliance and quality before they leave the group, and seal documents where licensed to do so
- Set hour budgets for each project with the project manager and track hours burned against them in Deltek Vantagepoint, BST, or a similar system
- Forecast staffing needs against the backlog and decide when to hire, subcontract, or decline work
- Establish design standards, Revit and AutoCAD templates, and QA/QC procedures for the discipline
- Mentor engineers through EIT and PE licensure and assign work that builds the skills the group lacks
- Hold career, pay, and workload conversations with each engineer to keep licensed staff in the group
- Meet with clients on technical questions, scope changes, and problems a project engineer cannot resolve alone
- Coordinate with other discipline leads so civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical designs fit together
- Report group utilization, realization, and schedule status to the principal or director of engineering each month
- Keep the group current on code adoptions, software upgrades, and client standards
- Set group rules for AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot in proposals, reports, and design scripts, and require engineer review of any output used in sealed work
Required Skills and Qualifications
Hard skills
- Professional Engineer (PE) license in the discipline the group practices, with the ability to obtain licensure in the firm’s other states by comity
- Design and analysis experience in the discipline, such as roadway and drainage, building structures, or HVAC and plumbing systems
- Working knowledge of the governing codes and standards for the discipline (IBC, ASCE 7, AASHTO, ASHRAE, NEC, or the local DOT design manual)
- Experience with hour budgeting, budget-to-actual tracking, and multiplier math for professional services
- Fluency in the group’s production tools, usually Revit or Civil 3D plus the discipline’s analysis software
- Proposal and fee estimating experience, including writing the scope and assumptions
- Comfort with ERP and project accounting systems such as Deltek Vantagepoint, BST Global, or Unanet
- Experience with shared model and document platforms such as Autodesk Construction Cloud or Bentley ProjectWise
Soft skills
- Willingness to give engineers direct feedback on their calculations and drawings
- Judgment about when a schedule problem needs more people and when it needs a scope conversation with the client
- Patience for mentoring engineers who are 2 to 3 years from licensure
- Ability to say no to a client or a principal when the group is at capacity
- Steady under the dual pressure of production deadlines and management duties
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in civil, mechanical, electrical, or a related engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited program
- Master’s degree in engineering or an MBA is a plus for larger groups
Certifications
- Professional Engineer (PE) license is required at most consulting firms and preferred elsewhere
- Project Management Professional (PMP) is useful for managers who also own client delivery
- Structural Engineer (SE) license where the group designs buildings in a state that requires it
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior supervision of 5 or more engineers with responsibility for reviews and hiring
- A history of taking a group from under-booked to profitable, with the numbers to show it
- Client relationships that could bring work to the firm
- Experience with design-build or alternative delivery projects
- LEED AP, Envision, or similar sustainability credential when the firm markets it
- Experience standing up Revit or BIM standards for a discipline
- Experience introducing design automation or AI tools to a group, such as Dynamo, Python scripts, or Microsoft Copilot, with review steps for quality
How Much Does an Engineering Manager Make?
Typical national range: $118,550 to $210,377, with a national average of $163,668. Salary data reviewed October 2026 by 4 Corner Resources.
Engineering manager salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. Click below to explore salaries by local market.
The average national salary for an Engineering Manager is:
$163,668
Sample Job Description Templates for Engineering Managers
Engineering Manager (Civil and Infrastructure Consulting)
Position Overview
We are hiring an Engineering Manager to lead our civil engineering group of 12 engineers and designers working on municipal roadway, utility, and site development projects. You will own staffing, quality, and budget performance for the group, seal drawings as the engineer of record, and stay about 40 percent billable on your own projects. The role reports to the Regional Vice President and works closely with our project managers and the survey group.
Responsibilities
- Supervise engineers, EITs, and CAD designers, including hiring, reviews, and workload planning
- Review and seal plans, reports, and specifications for roadway, drainage, water, and sewer projects
- Set and track hour budgets by project and report utilization and realization monthly
- Write scopes and fee estimates for proposals and negotiate scope changes with municipal clients
- Maintain Civil 3D standards and QA/QC checklists for the group
- Mentor EITs through the PE exam and assign work that broadens their experience
- Set group rules for AI writing tools and design scripts, and review their output before it goes into sealed documents
Requirements
Hard skills
- 10 or more years of civil engineering experience with 3 or more years supervising engineers
- Active PE license in our state or the ability to obtain it by comity within 6 months
- Design experience with roadway, stormwater, and utility projects under state DOT and local standards
- Proficiency in Civil 3D, a project accounting system such as Deltek Vantagepoint, and a shared document platform such as Autodesk Construction Cloud or ProjectWise
Soft skills
- Gives direct, specific review comments without delaying deliverables
- Manages client expectations on schedule and scope
- Balances production work with management duties week to week
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from an ABET-accredited program
Certifications
- Professional Engineer (PE) license required
Preferred qualifications
- Existing relationships with municipal or county public works clients
- Experience with design-build delivery
Engineering Manager (Manufacturing Product Engineering)
Position Overview
We are seeking an Engineering Manager to lead product engineering at our 300-person manufacturing plant. You will manage a team of 8 mechanical and electrical engineers and designers responsible for new product development, engineering change orders, and production support, and you will own the engineering budget and the product development schedule. The role reports to the Vice President of Operations and works daily with manufacturing, quality, and supply chain.
Responsibilities
- Manage the product engineering team, including hiring, reviews, and development plans
- Own the stage-gate new product development process from concept through production release
- Prioritize and approve engineering change orders and manage the ECO backlog in the PLM system
- Lead design for manufacturability and cost reduction projects with production and purchasing
- Direct root cause analysis and corrective action on field failures and warranty claims
- Maintain drawing standards, GD&T practice, and the engineering document control system
- Review results from simulation and generative design tools in Creo or Autodesk Fusion, and confirm them with analysis and testing before release
Requirements
Hard skills
- 8 or more years of product design engineering experience, including 2 or more years managing engineers
- Proficiency in SolidWorks or Creo and a PLM system such as Windchill or Teamcenter
- Experience with DFMEA, tolerance analysis, and design verification testing
- Familiarity with simulation tools such as ANSYS or SolidWorks Simulation
- Working knowledge of UL, CSA, or CE certification for electromechanical products
Soft skills
- Decides quickly when a design change is worth the production disruption
- Communicates tradeoffs plainly to operations and sales leaders
- Holds engineers to release dates without cutting verification
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or electrical engineering
Preferred qualifications
- Lean or Six Sigma Green Belt
- Experience launching a product line in a regulated industry
MEP Engineering Manager
Position Overview
Our firm is hiring an MEP Engineering Manager to lead a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing group of 15 serving healthcare, higher education, and commercial clients. You will supervise the department, serve as engineer of record on larger projects, and coordinate our Revit models with the architects we work for. The role reports to the Managing Principal and sits on the firm’s leadership team.
Responsibilities
- Supervise mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers and designers across concurrent projects
- Review and seal construction documents and respond to plan review comments
- Coordinate MEP models with architectural and structural models in Revit and resolve clashes
- Estimate fees and staffing for proposals and track hour budgets through construction administration
- Set energy code compliance and commissioning practices for the group, including ASHRAE 90.1 and IECC compliance documentation
- Develop junior engineers toward PE licensure and lead continuing education on code changes
- Keep designs current with building electrification requirements and the move to A2L refrigerants in new HVAC equipment
Requirements
Hard skills
- 12 or more years of MEP design experience with 4 or more years leading a group
- Active PE license in mechanical or electrical engineering
- Deep knowledge of ASHRAE standards, the International Mechanical Code, NFPA 70 and 99, and state energy codes
- Proficiency in Revit plus load calculation software such as Trane TRACE 3D Plus or Carrier HAP
Soft skills
- Works well inside an architect-led project team
- Gives engineers clear review markups and reasons for them
- Keeps a calm, factual tone with contractors during construction administration
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, electrical, or architectural engineering
Certifications
- PE license required; LEED AP or CxA preferred
Preferred qualifications
- Healthcare design experience under FGI guidelines
- Experience setting up Revit MEP standards and content for a firm, including Dynamo scripts for repetitive tasks
Software Engineering Manager
Position Overview
We are hiring a Software Engineering Manager to lead a team of 7 engineers building our customer-facing web platform. You will own hiring, performance, and career development for the team, plan and deliver the quarterly roadmap with the product manager, and stay close enough to the code to review designs and unblock the team. The role reports to the Director of Engineering.
Responsibilities
- Manage, coach, and grow a team of software engineers, including hiring and performance reviews
- Plan sprints and quarterly deliverables with product management and report progress to leadership
- Review system designs and pull requests for quality, security, and maintainability
- Own production reliability for the team’s services, including on-call rotation and incident reviews
- Remove blockers, negotiate scope, and protect the team’s focus
- Set engineering standards for testing, code review, and deployment
- Set team practices for AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot, including code review and security checks for generated code
Requirements
Hard skills
- 7 or more years of software engineering experience with 2 or more years managing engineers
- Hands-on background in a modern web stack such as TypeScript, React, and a cloud backend
- Experience with agile delivery, CI/CD pipelines, and observability tooling
- Familiarity with cloud infrastructure on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Experience with AI coding assistants and the review and testing practices they require
Soft skills
- Gives frequent, specific feedback and has hard conversations early
- Translates business priorities into technical plans the team believes in
- Stays calm during incidents and leads blameless postmortems afterward
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent experience
Preferred qualifications
- Experience scaling a team from 5 to 15 engineers
- Background in the company’s industry, such as fintech or healthcare