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What is a project engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Experts
Dr. Angela Rasmussen,
Brian Denton Ph.D.
introduction image

A project engineer manages and oversees the technical aspects of a project from conception to completion. They are responsible for developing project plans, creating budgets, coordinating resources, tracking progress, and ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget. Project engineers work across various industries, including construction, manufacturing, and software development. They need to have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work well in a team.

What general advice would you give to a Project Engineer?

Dr. Angela RasmussenDr. Angela Rasmussen LinkedIn Profile

Professor (Lecturer) Director of Mentoring and Advising Director of Electrical Engineering Senior Projects, University of Utah

Take heart that while Electrical Engineering jobs have been impacted by COVID19, it's impact is minimal in comparison to most other areas. While many areas have been hit hard by layoffs, Electrical Engineering has only slightly been affected in comparison. Many companies have declared hiring freezes and many others are still hiring. Therefore, don't get discouraged. There are Electrical Engineerings jobs needing to be filled! Make sure to be professional in all your interactions and work on improving your online presence.
ScoreProject EngineerUS Average
Salary
5.9

Avg. Salary $75,050

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 14.53%

Black or African American 3.26%

Hispanic or Latino 8.66%

Unknown 4.56%

White 68.89%

Gender

female 12.95%

male 87.05%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a Project Engineer?

Pros

  • Chance to develop technical and managerial skills

  • Good salary and benefits

  • Career advancement opportunities

  • Exposure to various industries and technologies

  • Job stability

Cons

  • High stress levels due to tight deadlines

  • Long hours and overtime may be required

  • High degree of accountability for project success or failure

  • May require frequent travel or relocation for project work

  • May require working in hazardous or uncomfortable environments

Project Engineer career paths

Key steps to become a project engineer

  1. Explore project engineer education requirements

    Most common project engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    77.0 %

    Master's

    12.3 %

    Associate

    7.6 %

  2. Start to develop specific project engineer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    		Percentages
    ascdesc
    Project Management12.27%
    Autocad7.31%
    Construction Management5.92%
    CAD4.27%
    UL3.97%
    Show more

  3. Complete relevant project engineer training and internships

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

  4. Research project engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage TCP/IP LAN environment for the time during implementation.
    • Support and manage the development of a CNC base electron beam drill.
    • Lead a MGPP six sigma project to improve the accuracy of 3D clutch cooling analysis
    • Manage the BHP enterprise wide migration from e-rooms to SharePoint for document management and team collaboration.

  5. Prepare your project engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your 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 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 Project Engineer Resume templates

    Build a professional 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 Project Engineer resume.
    Project Engineer Resume
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    Project Engineer Resume

  6. Apply for project engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a 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 Project Engineer Job

Zippi

Are you a Project Engineer?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average project engineer salary

The average Project Engineer salary in the United States is $75,050 per year or $36 per hour. Project engineer salaries range between $55,000 and $100,000 per year.

Average Project Engineer Salary
$75,050 Yearly
$36.08 hourly
More project engineer salary info

What Am I Worth?

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How do project engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Project Engineer reviews

profile
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.

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2020
Cons

Can be stressful at times

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

The Different employees i work with and what all i learn from them

Cons

very little

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Project Engineer FAQs

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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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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