As an engineer, you will have earned in-depth technical expertise, which helps you detect solutions to correct problems. Many engineers decide to embark on an MBA (Master of Business Administration) that complements their technical expertise, teaches transferable skills like leadership skills and communication, and opens more doors for employment.
Once you have obtained your MBA engineering degree, it’s important that you have an idea of what kind of profession you would like to go into. Job security and a healthy salary are key factors to take into account, so here is an in-depth look at the job opportunities at your disposal for engineers with an MBA degree.
Program Manager of Engineering
A program manager of engineering is responsible for coordinating all technical activities of assigned programs. Engineering program managers are also responsible for planning, scheduling, and managing engineering and personnel work to make sure projects have effective coordination. An engineering project manager must also monitor engineering work for compliance to industry standards, customer specifications, and company practices.
Most of your time as a program manager of engineering will be spent in meetings with contractors, clients, and staff. This role can be stressful due to the difficulties in overseeing several moving parts of various projects. Most engineering program managers tend to be employed in professional and technical services and the manufacturing industry. There are numerous key skills that a program manager of engineering must possess, such as understanding the importance of time management, being able to manage several deadlines and priorities, as well as knowing how to problem solve.
Senior Project Manager of Engineering
A senior engineering project manager is in charge of supervising staff, evaluating project deadlines, offering leadership and overseeing financial expenditure for big-scale engineering assignments and projects. Senior engineering project managers also monitor project productivity, progress, and quality. They must also make sure that the project is run safely and is in line with the project’s cost constraints. Senior engineering project managers also support and manage project managers, assistants and project engineers throughout the development, planning and execution of testing and design.
This role requires you to adhere to strict safety guidelines and regulations. To flourish as a senior engineering project manager, you must possess excellent technical writing skills that are used to write project plans and reports and adhere to time-sensitive deadlines. Senior engineering project managers must also have sound knowledge in computer applications like Microsoft Office. If you’re interested in this position, you will need extensive experience in the engineering industry, and have credentials behind you like an MBA engineering degree from Kettering University Online, which can open more career doors and an increase in salary.
Chief Engineer
A chief engineer supervises a whole engineering unit, helping to steer a team as they handle a variety of projects. Chief engineers operate with other technicians and engineers, authorize designs, determine costs, discuss contracts, and implement plans effectively and safely. Some of the key responsibilities required of a chief engineer include communicating objectives and goals of the business to all professionals and engineers in the team, supervising every aspect of the project from beginning to end, delegating roles to engineering teams, quickly resolving problems between staff, as well as performing quality control checks on all products and systems.
Alongside your MBA engineering degree, you must have a bachelor’s degree, four years of experience in supervising or leading others, a solid understanding of engineering practices and principles, as well as the ability to remain positive throughout projects and tasks, and restore morale within the team. Chief engineers must also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and have the ability to take negative feedback on board and remain professional. This role requires you to have excellent leadership skills, meaning you must know how to motivate and inspire others to work at their best.
Technical Consultant
A technical consultant is a professional who provides technical support and performs troubleshooting functions to sort customer issues. If this profession sounds right for you, your sole goal is to help companies solve complex business issues. If you are passionate about the business side of a company and want to use your specialized skill set to solve real-world business problems, working as a technical consultant may be the perfect route.
To flourish in technical consulting, it’s vital that you’re a great communicator and can present complex information and data with confidence to decision-makers and leaders within a business. Your day to day duties will consist of using your technical analysis and knowledge to validify your opinions, as well as working with analytics and data and advise on technical implementations. Technical consultants need to have excellent attention to detail, capable of meeting high standards, a meticulous approach to work, as well as effective time management skills.
Technical Sales Engineer
Technical sales engineers tend to be the key point of contact for stakeholders and clients. Technical sales engineers are responsible for answering questions, providing technical advice, and identifying and establishing new business regulations. After completing an MBA engineering degree, you will have a solid grasp of how the business works and what the client needs. Many engineers thrive in this position because it requires you to fully comprehend technical challenges that your clients may be facing and come up with the best solutions to help them. In this profession, you will need to learn the importance of self-discipline and retain a positive attitude.
Technical sales engineers can work for a variety of businesses, including telecommunications, manufacturing, chemical companies, and biomedical suppliers. Technical sales engineers must have excellent technical skills, organizational skills, analytical skills and know how to work well as part of a team. In addition to possessing an MBA degree, a technical sales engineer must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field.
Solutions Architect
As a solutions architect, you will be in charge of the design of one or multiple services or applications within a business. Solutions architects typically work as part of a solution department team and must have a mixture of business and technical skills to flourish in this position. Solutions architects develop and integrate computer systems and data that meet the particular needs of the client. They must also recognize and assess the current systems architecture, and work with technical and business staff to determine solutions that generate more efficient systems.
Solutions architects tend to focus on how technology can be used to fix business problems, decide on which frameworks, platforms or tech-stacks that can be implemented to create solutions, as well as how things will scale for the future. Many solution architects have distinct personalities that set them apart from other individuals. To flourish in this role, you will need to have excellent communication skills, know how to think critically, and be able to work well under pressure.
Facilities Engineering Manager
The primary duty of a facilities engineering manager is to oversee all aspects of a company’s physical infrastructure needs, such as heating, air conditioning and ventilation. These managers make educated decisions and recommendations to senior management with a focus on improving and prioritizing the overall working function of each aspect of the physical plant.
Facilities engineering managers usually work with other engineers, designers, and architects to make sure that the design criteria have been met. Facilities engineering managers are also heavily involved in the planning phase of new facilities. They must also engage with engineers to discuss specific infrastructure needs, like work areas and office space. Some of the key skills that a facilities engineering manager needs are sharp analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. Risk analysis is another considerable aspect of a facility’s engineering manager’s duties, as well as knowledge of regulations and codes.
Electrical Engineer
The role of an electrical engineer will see you in charge of designing, testing, developing, and supervising how electrical equipment is created and manufactured, including things like navigation and radar systems and electric motors. Many electrical engineers work for private companies, however, there are others who work for the federal government as they conduct research into developing and evaluating electronic devices that are used in numerous fields, such as computing, aviation, and transportation.
Some of the key attributes that an electrical engineer needs include enthusiasm for the role, excellent technical abilities, teamwork skills, and innovation. There will be numerous obstacles that you will come up against, so it’s vital that you can work well under pressure and know how to keep your cool. You may also be required to work extra hours as and when needed, so being flexible and having the motivation to work additional hours is crucial.
If you like the idea of an engineering management career, one of the best paths to take is to obtain an MBA in engineering. Combining engineering with business management skills, there are numerous job opportunities that you can seek once you have obtained your degree.
With more career paths to choose from, it’s important that you thoroughly research into job specifications and salary outlooks so that you can find a profession that matches your needs.
Photo by Science in HD
