Engineering managers, thanks to the combination of technical expertise and management skills, play a key role in the success and growth of today's organisations. But what exactly does an engineering manager do? Jülide Tunali, senior manager at international recruitment agency Robert Walters, explains what makes this job so exciting and what salary you can expect as an engineering manager.
What does the position of engineering manager entail?
As an engineering manager, you develop and manage various engineering projects within the organisation. You put together a team of engineers that you coach and supervise throughout the projects. In doing so, you ensure that the development of each individual and the team as a whole is in line with the organisation's objectives. In addition, you closely monitor that your team of engineers delivers projects on time and correctly. Specifically, you answer technical questions on a daily basis, draw up schedules, and occasionally resolve disputes between team members.
Jülide: "Furthermore, you consult with the management team and key stakeholders to determine the technical feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of different products or projects. This often includes managing budgets or estimates, for which you are responsible. Besides managing a team, you will also solve technical issues yourself, make key decisions around production and budgets, and present completed projects to the management team or clients."
Which training and skills are essential for a good engineering manager?
A technical education is surely necessary for an engineering manager, and there are several graduate degrees that offer job prospects within engineering management. "However, we find that mainly engineers with a degree or background in electromechanics advance to the engineering manager position," says Jülide. "After all, with an engineering degree under your belt, you have the right technical skills to understand and execute complex projects. In addition, it is essential that you have a good financial acumen."
"Besides technical and management skills, there are also several soft skills - also called human skills - that are crucial for an engineering manager," Jülide knows. "The top three most requested soft skills for this role are coordination skills, communication competencies and leadership qualities. Together, these attributes form the basis for successful engineering management. They ensure that projects are executed efficiently, team members work together effectively, and that there is strong, inspiring leadership to lead the team to success."
What is the current demand for engineering managers in the Belgian labour market?
The demand for engineering managers is growing steadily. According to figures from Jobs Data, there was a 14% increase in the number of vacancies for this position in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. Most opportunities can be found in the provinces of West Flanders, Antwerp and East Flanders, with 31%, 23% and 19% of all published vacancies for engineering managers, respectively.
In terms of sectors, demand for these profiles is rising fastest in chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage manufacturing, mining and ecological services.
"The combination of technological innovation, globalisation and increasingly stringent sustainability goals is making many organisations realise that their future success will largely depend on the technical knowledge of their engineers. The need for strong leaders within engineering is growing along with this. In fact, demand is currently so high that a true battle for candidates is raging, with more and more unusual salary increases being seen. To attract talent, organisations often feel compelled to raise the salary offered to the point where it is on par with employees who have been with the company for years. This can lead to dissatisfaction in the workplace," Jülide warns.
What are the career opportunities for an engineering manager?
An engineering manager can make great steps within the organisation in different ways. "For example, you can advance to a role as engineering director or plant manager, whereby you are the person to whom engineering managers report. There are also great external opportunities: the skills you acquire as an engineering manager come in handy regardless, even if you end up in another organisation or sector. Not only do you optimise your technical knowledge, but you also learn to deal with people in this position. And that is very valuable in today's job market," says Jülide.
How much does an engineering manager earn?
An engineering manager with 3 to 6 years of experience can expect an annual gross salary between EUR 85,000 and EUR 95,000, according to the annual Robert Walters Salary Survey. For professionals with 6 to 10 years of experience in engineering, the gross annual salary is between EUR 95,000 and EUR 140,000. Those with more than 10 years' experience within engineering management can even earn up to EUR 170,000 gross per year.
"That is obviously a very attractive salary, and in most organisations it is also further complemented by numerous fringe benefits such as a company car with fuel card, meal vouchers, hospitalisation and/or group insurance, bonus.... In addition, most organisations also offer training opportunities. If you take advantage of these, it only increases your chances of moving up the career ladder faster", concludes Jülide.
Find out more?
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