Career profile Engineering Director

Table of Contents

• What does an Engineering Director do?
• What is a typical salary for an Engineering Director?
• What personality traits are common among Engineering Directors?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Engineering Directors need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does an Engineering Director do?

Engineering Directors plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.

What kind of tasks does an Engineering Director perform regularly?

Engineering Directors are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Manage the coordination and overall integration of technical activities in architecture or engineering projects.
• Direct, review, or approve project design changes.
• Consult or negotiate with clients to prepare project specifications.
• Prepare budgets, bids, or contracts.
• Present and explain proposals, reports, or findings to clients.
• Confer with management, production, or marketing staff to discuss project specifications or procedures.
• Assess project feasibility by analyzing technology, resource needs, or market demand.
• Review, recommend, or approve contracts or cost estimates.
• Develop or implement policies, standards, or procedures for the architectural, scientific, or technical work performed to ensure regulatory compliance or operations enhancement.
• Perform administrative functions, such as reviewing or writing reports, approving expenditures, enforcing rules, or purchasing of materials or services.
• Establish scientific or technical goals within broad outlines provided by top management.
• Direct recruitment, placement, and evaluation of architecture or engineering project staff.
• Develop or implement programs to improve sustainability or reduce the environmental impacts of engineering or architecture activities or operations.
• Evaluate the environmental impacts of engineering, architecture, or research and development activities.

The above responsibilities are specific to Engineering Directors. More generally, Engineering Directors are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is an Engineering Director salary?

What personality traits are common among Engineering Directors?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as an Engineering Director are usually higher in their Enterprising, Realistic, and Investigative interests.

Engineering Directors typically have very strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Also, Engineering Directors typically have moderate Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Lastly, Engineering Directors typically have moderate Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Engineering Directors typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as an Engineering Director tend to value Achievement, Working Conditions, and Independence.

Most importantly, Engineering Directors very strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Second, Engineering Directors very strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Lastly, Engineering Directors very strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Engineering Directors must consistently demonstrate qualities such as analytical thinking, integrity, and dependability.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Engineering Directors, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Engineering Directors need?

Many Engineering Directors have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

Engineering Directors may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among Engineering Directors

• 0.4% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 4.3% completed high school or secondary school
• 7.0% completed some college coursework
• 4.8% earned a Associate's degree
• 47.1% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 30.6% earned a Master's degree
• 5.8% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Engineering Directors

Important Abilities needed by Engineering Directors

Engineering Directors must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Engineering Directors need abilities such as written comprehension, oral comprehension, and oral expression in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Engineering Directors, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Engineering Directors

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Engineering Directors frequently use skills like reading comprehension, active listening, and writing to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Engineering Directors, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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