A project engineer (PE) works across the boundaries between engineering and project management, leading technical personnel who contribute to our product.
In some cases, PE also functions as a project manager, but in some cases, both professionals have
Shared responsibility to lead a project is wrong if the PE is assumed to be a pure engineer because a professional engineer requires a separate certification.
Intro To Project Engineer
In short, project engineers are experts whose job is to manage industry efforts to achieve complex targets from start to finish of a project, as Techslang writes.
They are responsible for all business aspects of the project, including strategic planning processes, budgeting, selection of engineering staff, and more.
Project engineers will also spend a lot of time at the site to ensure that all work can be completed safely and efficiently.
If broken down, their primary responsibilities are managing budgets, analyzing requests, communicating with various divisions, and executing effective project planning.
On small projects, the project engineer usually acts as the project leader. Meanwhile, the project engineer works under a project manager on large projects.
They must assist the project manager in supervising and providing input.
In addition, the project engineer also needs to be an intermediary between the project manager and other divisions, such as technicians, designers, and drafters.
With these various jobs, a project engineer is not only required to master engineering. More than that, he must have good management skills as well.
So, engineering and project management can go hand in hand.
Generally, the background of a project engineer is engineering or computer science. However, you can also occupy this profession if you have specific certificates.
According to Freelancermap, the five most popular project engineer certifications are:
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
- PRINCE2 Foundation/PRINCE2 Practitioner
- Master Project Manager (MPM)
- Professional in Project Management (PPM)
Project Engineer Role
A project engineer plays a crucial role in the successful completion of a project by working with project managers and other leaders.
They use their engineering expertise and management skills to act as a liaison between all project stakeholders, understanding their needs and expectations and devising a strategy to achieve goals efficiently.
They are an essential part of the project team and are involved in planning, execution, and review. They are commonly found in the manufacturing industry.
Job Description and Responsibilities
The PE role can be described as a liaison between the project manager and the various technical disciplines involved in the project.
A PE’s responsibilities include preparing schedules, preparing technical resources, and all activities related to technical activities in a project.
The PE may also be responsible for vendor performance management, ensuring the accuracy of financial forecasts integrated with schedules, ensuring projects are completed according to plan, managing project team resources with various pieces of training, and developing project team experience and expertise.
On projects with a good structure, all the particular technical disciplines report to the PE. Still, two essential things that are the PE’s responsibility are as coordinator of various technical disciplines on a project and as project quality control in general.
Project engineer responsibilities can include:
- Monitor all site safety and legal requirements
- Review project proposals and plans to develop project objectives
- Identify project phases and elements
- Establish specifications for projects based on a thorough review of performance standards, client requirements, and product design
- Schedule and monitor engineering tasks
- Establish or design testing methods to monitor the overall quality of the project
- Collect and analyze project information to create status reports and recommend future actions
- Create drawings used in design and construction
- Regulate policies and procedures to maintain a safe and clean working environment for the project team
- Manage the team of engineers working on the project
Skills Required
The reason is several skills are needed for a career in this field. Some of the technical skills required by project engineers are:
1. Project Management
Having prior experience in project management can be beneficial for project engineers as it helps them manage the implementation and execution of a project.
Strong project management skills aid in communication and leadership of their team, organizing and prioritizing tasks and workflows, budget management, and problem-solving.
2. Design
Design process is crucial in finding solutions and improving processes. By going through an iterative design process, project engineers can make changes to a project and discover new ways to finish it.
3. Requirement Analysis
Requirement analysis is a skill that helps project engineers make informed decisions by determining the user’s expectations for a product or project.
Engineers use requirement analysis to keep in regular communication with stakeholders and end-users to ensure that the outcome meets or exceeds the client’s needs.
4. Process Improvement
Project engineers use process improvement to identify, analyze and improve project practices to achieve or surpass objectives. It is an effective technique for identifying where a process has failed, reducing mistakes and increasing efficiency.
5. Problem Solving
Similar to project managers, project engineers are responsible for solving problems that arise during a project. These problems can range from conflicts among team members to complex design challenges.
They are responsible for analyzing all relevant factors, evaluating different solutions, and implementing an effective plan of action.
6. Math
Applied mathematics is an essential skill for solving complex problems. Basic concepts of trigonometry and calculus give project engineers a solid foundation for designing, analyzing, and troubleshooting.
7.Attention to Detail
Managing a project’s technical requirements requires paying close attention to detail. This ensures that all aspects of the project are completed to the technical specifications.
When working on complex, high-stakes projects, strong attention to detail can help project engineers avoid costly mistakes.
Project Engineer Careerpath
The Project Engineer is responsible for planning, working, and solving problems on matters of a technical nature in a project work but considering the large number and complexity of project work and seeing the reality that there are individual limitations in mastering work, the Project Engineer is divided into several Specializations, among others :
1. Electrical Engineer
The role includes installation and maintenance of air conditioners, elevators, and other electrical systems, distribution of electricity, and provision of lighting and heating
2. Mechanical Engineer
The role includes procurement, maintenance, and repair of machinery, heavy equipment, and other mechanical systems.
3. Civil Engineer
The role includes physical activities such as concrete work, walls, floors, roofs, ventilation systems, and plumbing (plumbing)
4. Chemical Engineer
Roles include planning, procurement, supervision, and research on active chemical substances and agricultural products; Chemical Engineers play many roles in EPC companies or Oil Companies
5. Geo Technician
The role includes field surveys, measuring and analyzing environmental impacts
6. IT Engineer (Computer and Network Expert Technician)
roles include procurement, installation, and maintenance of computer networks