How to become an engineering project manager or project engineer

Official title: Engineering project managers and project engineers

Also called: Project lead, Project leader, Project manager, Project engineer, Contract manager, Projects engineer, Contracts manager, Project controller, Electrical project engineer, Mechanical project engineer, Project engineering manager, Engineering project manager

Engineering project managers and project engineers schedule, manage and oversee engineering projects for quality of work, timeliness and completion within budget, plan, design and specify materials and equipment for the project and create necessary technical drawings.

Main tasks

• Draws up budgets and timescales for new engineering projects based on clients’ requirements
• Briefs project team, contractors and suppliers
• Assembles information for invoicing at the end of projects
• Plans work schedules for engineering projects based on prior discussion with client and contractors
• Regularly inspects and monitors progress and quality of work, ensures legal requirements are met
• Identifies defects in work and proposes corrections
• Records, monitors and reports progress
• Ensures that equipment, operation and maintenance comply with design specifications and safety standards

How to become one

Engineering project managers and project engineers usually possess an accredited university degree. After qualifying, periods of appropriate training and experience are required before membership of a chartered engineering institution is attainable. Incorporated engineers possess an accredited university degree, BTEC/SQA award or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 4. All routes are followed by periods of appropriate training and relevant experience.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Project controls professional (level 6). England. Typically 48 months. Skills England standard ST0845.
• University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 25 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £53,064 a year The middle half earn £43,175 to £67,463.
• About 52,900 people work in this job now, and about 58,800 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)

Related jobs

• Civil engineers
• Mechanical engineers (professional)
• Electrical engineers
• Electronics engineers (professional)
• Production and process engineers
• Aerospace engineers

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Questions people ask

How do I become an engineering project manager or project engineer?

Engineering project managers and project engineers usually possess an accredited university degree. After qualifying, periods of appropriate training and experience are required before membership of a chartered engineering institution is attainable. Incorporated engineers possess an accredited university degree, BTEC/SQA award or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 4. All routes are followed by periods of appropriate training and relevant experience.

How much does an engineering project manager or project engineer earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £53,064 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £43,175 to £67,463.

Is an engineering project manager or project engineer a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 52,900 to about 58,800 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become an engineering project manager or project engineer?

Usually. 76% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.