How to Become an Engineering Manager

Not every engineer becomes an engineering manager. The role isn’t necessarily a reward for seniority, but a pivot in your career.

If you’re reaching the top of the technical ladder and find that colleagues are coming to you for guidance, it may be time to explore the role of an engineering manager.

What Does an Engineering Manager Do?

Think about the work you and your colleagues do as engineers. An engineering manager is often involved in planning, directing and coordinating that work, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Generally, they ensure that projects stay on track. There are schedules to stick to and budgets to manage — plus staffing needs and all that people management entails.

“A manager also is responsible for building the capabilities of the engineering organization through hiring and skills development,” said Scott Butler, the executive director of graduate and professional studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), an innovative research institution and a pioneer in engineering and technology.

For the last decade, WPI has partnered with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) to offer management courses for engineers.

Butler said an engineering manager ensures that their team has:

• Access to reliable tools
• Clear, well-defined objectives and requirements
• Ongoing engagement across all disciplines or specialties

Butler has held a variety of engineering management roles in research and development (R&D) and quality, overseeing regional, national and global teams.

What Do You Need to Become an Engineering Manager?

If you want to become an engineering manager, you can take many paths, according to Butler. But, he said, all good engineering managers: 

Build a Background in Engineering

As an engineering manager, you need to truly understand the mindset of engineers and how their role impacts the business.

Understand and Communicate Impact

You also have to communicate that impact to your team, so they understand how their work fits into the greater picture.

The need for effective communication doesn’t stop there. Engineering managers "must be able to communicate financial, operational and technology aspects of projects and programs,” Butler said.

Uphold Ethical and Safety Standards

There are many types of engineers, and their work vastly ranges. The common ground is the need to prioritize safety and reliability by always using an ethical approach to solving each problem. Engineering managers should reinforce that commitment.

How Long Does It Take to Become an Engineering Manager?

The time it takes to become an engineering manager varies.

According to BLS, engineering managers typically have years of experience in engineering roles to support their title. Take a look at job descriptions that interest you to see exactly how many years of experience they call for, and use that for guidance.

Earning an advanced degree can help expedite the path to management, Butler noted.

You may also need to obtain a professional engineering (PE) license, depending on the state you live in, according to BLS, or you may wish to pursue a relevant certification to pick up additional skills and stand out as a candidate.

After completing two electrical engineering degrees at WPI, Butler has participated in business programs at a variety of other higher education institutions.

“The business skills I developed in these programs, combined with education and experience as (a) line engineer, provided me with the ability to lead and coach teams and to develop future engineering managers,” Butler said.

If you’re an engineer who wants to start preparing for a role in management, Butler suggests growing your skills and knowledge in areas such as:

• Finance
• Innovation management
• Operations
• Strategy

Should an Engineer Get an MBA?

One way to build the business skills necessary for engineering management is by earning an MBA. This could be a good option for engineers with a bachelor’s degree, looking for their next career in the industry.

Some schools offer concentrations in engineering management, meaning you can gain a quintessential graduate business degree while also spending several classes immersed in engineering management case studies, problem-solving and decision-making practices.

“The successful student will be prepared to apply management knowledge and management best practices in an engineering environment, to better lead engineering teams and to grow the effectiveness of the individual engineers and the organization,” Butler said.

The online MBA in Engineering Management offered at SNHU was developed by academic partner WPI, one of the most prestigious private technical universities in the U.S. Faculty from WPI teach the courses associated with it, too.

“The faculty members all have significant experience in management roles and a firm knowledge of engineering,” Butler said. “Within the partnership, we try to embed aspects of WPI’s tradition of combining theory and practice in the courses. We work to give knowledge and tools to the students that they can apply on day one.”

Such is the case for Kellsie Goodhart-Jones ’25MBA. While earning her MBA in Engineering Management online, she found she could apply what she was learning in class to her work with the U.S. Air Force.

One particular course allowed her to explore leadership versus mentorship.

“My deputy director read my paper about what it meant to be a mentor, and he loved it,” Goodhart-Jones said. “He started implementing it into our own flight at work.”

Her goal of earning an MBA in Engineering Management was to further her career in the military. And now that she’s done? She said she has communication, time management and business skills she can use moving forward.

“I'm able to show that I can do hard things, that I can manage tasks well, manage my time well,” she said.

Read more: The 9 Best Reasons for Getting an MBA Degree

How Hard is an MBA After Engineering?

MBA programs are rigorous — but they can also be predictable. At SNHU, for instance, you’ll become familiar with the way online courses work and know what to expect as you progress each week.

“The courses are challenging, but a dedicated student will be able to handle the classes and may find that they can apply what (they) learn right away,” Butler said.

Some schools also have built-in support systems to help you throughout your program. Goodhart-Jones had her academic advisor, Katlyn Scott, to lean on when times were tough.

“She got me through it, and I ended up graduating with a 4.0 without taking any time off," Goodhart-Jones said.

As a military spouse, she had an added layer of complexity when it came to earning her MBA, with moves and deployments to consider. She said her advisors and instructors understood the military experience, though, and worked with her.

She encouraged anyone going back to school to talk to their advisor, as they can point you to all kinds of resources — from tutors to instructors.

“I loved talking with my professors one-on-one,” Goodhart-Jones said. “When I had a question about an assignment, or even if I was just struggling with something that I didn't understand, everyone that I connected with was able to help me in a timely manner.”

After considering the experiences she had throughout her program, which were, at times, challenging, she had this to say about her MBA: “This degree was definitely worth it.”

Rebecca LeBoeuf Blanchette '18 '22G is a writer at Southern New Hampshire University, where she fulfills her love of learning daily through conversations with professionals across a range of fields. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing at SNHU’s campus in Manchester, New Hampshire, and followed her love of storytelling into the online Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing at SNHU. Connect with her on LinkedIn.