What is an Engineering Manager?

What is an Engineering Manager? 

An engineering manager is a leader who oversees engineering teams of various disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, and software engineers. From supervising the product development process to organizing meetings with stakeholders from different domains, the role of the engineering manager is broad, ensuring that the work of the engineering department aligns with company goals and objectives.

Job Description

As the name suggests, engineering managers manage the daily operation of highly skilled engineering teams. Whether the dev team requires upskilling in a certain domain or the software engineers need to collaborate with the product team on a particular issue, the engineering manager is an emblem of guidance and support. Thus, the engineering manager’s job description is multifaceted, covering a broad range of responsibilities and requiring the use of a variety of skill sets.

Required Skills

• Technical Proficiency

• Team Leadership

• Project Management

• Communication

Technical Proficiency

Managing a team of developers requires engineering managers to have knowledge of technology and the processes involved with it. You need to know what your team is dealing with and how you can optimize their workflow. While hands-on experience is not required, an effective engineering manager should have a solid grasp of the technical domains under their supervision, so that they can use their expertise in the managerial role to help steer their teams in the face of obstacles.

Project Management

There are a significant amount of elements at play when overseeing dev teams engaged in numerous tasks. Juggling, prioritizing, and managing projects is a demanding responsibility for engineering managers. While all projects are important, engineering managers need to make sure that their teams prioritize the most urgent work in order to deliver projects by their set deadlines.

Communication

Engineering managers are the bridge between engineering teams and stakeholders. Consequently, they need to be able to convey technical and non-technical information to respective parties in order to facilitate smooth and effective communication.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning

Effective engineering managers are strategic thinkers who make sure that their engineering team’s work aligns with organizational goals and objectives. They also make efforts to ensure that resources are properly allocated and that their teams have all the required tools for their work.

Team Development

Engineering managers are responsible for the growth and success of their organizations. They do this by working closely with HR and ensuring that new hires not only possess the right tech knowledge but also are the right fit for the company culture.

Team Collaboration

Cross-team collaboration is crucial, as different engineering teams work on different products. Engineering managers are responsible for monitoring each team and establishing a communication channel between all teams involved with a given project. This ensures that engineering managers and their teams are all on the same page.    

Salary 

Engineering Managers are highly sought-after professions. Because of the crucial role they play in the success of an organization, the typical engineering manager's salary ranges from $190k-220k per year. Factors such as skills, education level, and experience significantly impact this salary package.

Differences between Engineering Managers and Project Managers

While both engineering managers and project managers play important leadership roles within engineering teams, they are nevertheless two distinct positions. 

Learn three ways engineering managers and project managers can collaborate to create great products!

Challenges Faced by Engineering Managers

Engineering Managers face numerous challenges every day:

• Balancing Technical and Managerial Responsibilities

• Managing Diverse Teams

• Risk Management

Balancing Multiple Responsibilities

Juggling both the technical and managerial responsibilities is a common challenge for engineering managers. Whether addressing the technical problems faced by the engineering teams or communicating effectively as a middleman between the engineers and stakeholders, engineering managers must manage a plethora of tasks every single day.

Managing Diverse Teams

Engineering managers lead different engineering teams filled with members of diverse backgrounds. While these diverse backgrounds add a wealth of perspectives, experiences, and skills to the individual teams, it can be a challenge to manage them when aligning all team members with a single agenda. Engineering Managers must constantly deal with individual disagreements, so it is imperative that engineering managers guarantee cohesive collaboration between team members.

Risk Management

Addressing risks, from technical bottlenecks to project uncertainties, is a fundamental part of the engineering manager role. You are tasked with anticipating risks, crafting strategies, and then implementing effective solutions to ensure the success of the engineering team.

How to Become an Engineering Manager?

There is no standard path to becoming an Engineering Manager. All EMs will have a unique tale of their experience climbing up the corporate ladders. The general route follows these steps:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, CS, or related field 

• Master’s degree (preferred but not compulsory) 

• At least 5 years of related experience 

• Build both technical and soft skills (communication skills are essential)

• Aptitude for continuous learning  

Are you ready to become an EM? 

The role of an EM covers a range of responsibilities. From overseeing technical projects to working towards cross-team collaboration and team development, engineering managers are pivotal for the success of an organization in the tech world.     

What does it take to become an effective software engineering manager? Read on!