Careers in Technical Engineering
Want to find out about the different careers in Technical Engineering? Look no further!
This blog covers various careers, their responsibilities, potential salary ranges, and progression opportunities.
First, let’s look at what the general role of a Technical Engineer is…
A Technical Engineers role is to support Engineers with projects like:
Design
Construction
Maintenance
Installation
Troubleshooting
Report writing
Essentially, they must analyse projects to find technical issues, and then solve them.
Keep reading to find out the responsibilities of different technical roles. As well as the requirements, potential salary range, and importantly, how to progress! To keep things simple, it’s bullet pointed.
Use the links below if you want to navigate to a particular career you’re interested in:
Careers in Applications Engineering
Responsibilities:
- Train employees on correct machinery use.
- Oversee installation of machinery.
- Establish and maintain machinery functions.
Quals & Skills Needed:
- Time-served with potential NVQ Level 2 or 3.
- CNC certification for machine tooling.
And what do you get in return?
How much do Applications Engineers earn?
How to progress as an Applications Engineer?
Now, this is what’s juicy when it comes to careers in technical engineering.
Working as an Applications Engineer can lead you down a number of different paths. The most common being the Sales Engineering or Project Management route due to the frequent face-to-face contact with customers. It takes around 5 years working as an Applications Engineer to go down either of those paths.
Another common progression is into Sales Engineering. Scroll to the next section to read about this in more detail.
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Careers in Technical Sales Engineering
As mentioned, sales engineering is one of the common progression routes for applications engineers. And one of the popular careers in Technical Engineering. Let’s go into detail:
Responsibilities:
- Provide technical support
- Be the go-to person for additional advice
- Sell products range to existing AND new clients
- Use own hands-on experience to relate to customers requirements and needs
Quals & Skills Needed:
- HND, NVQ or degree in Mechanical Engineering qualifications,
- Preferably apprentice trained
- Have CNC Machine hands on experience
The industry is changing a bit. With hands on experience trumping qualifications. But the above quals are still needed to be compliant.
How much do Technical Sales Engineers earn?
We’re going to divide this into Cutting Tools and Machine Tools Sales Engineers as there is salary discrepancy between the two. Do note though that the below are location dependent!
The commissions are often uncapped so for senior roles, this can take earnings over £60k for Cutting Tools Sales Engineers.
Again, with uncapped commissions, on target earnings for Senior Machine Tools Sales Engineers is £90k+.
How to progress as a Technical Sales Engineer?
Technical Sales Engineers tend to progress from the shop floor as a CNC Machinist to a client facing role like Project or Applications Engineer (as mentioned above).
Some clients are bypassing Project or Application Engineer. Employing directly from the shop floor if the candidate shows potential, enthusiasm and passion for progression.
Next steps up the ladder would be to Regional Sales Manager. In this role you’d be managing a team of sales engineers And the typical timeline is 5-7 years, but you need the experience under your belt.
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Careers in Design Engineering
Also known as ‘CAD engineers’, ‘Consulting Engineers’, & ‘Product Design Engineers’.
Responsibilities:
- Conceptualise, design, and develop projects.
- Use CAD software for designs.
- Ensure component functionality and improve project designs.
Quals & Skills Needed:
- Strong understanding of CAD software.
- NVQ Level 3 or Bachelors degree in Engineering.
How much do Design Engineers earn?
How to progress as an Design Engineer?
It’s worth noting that you’ll typically start your Design Engineering career as a CAD Engineer. But in terms of progression, you’ll first work with 2D design. Only when you start using 3D design you’ll qualify as a Design Engineer.
With common career paths, you may want to investigate becoming a Design Manager or a Senior Design Engineer. It will take you around 7-10 years working as a Design Engineer to progress into either of these roles.
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Careers in Production Engineering
Responsibilities:
- Optimise production processes.
- Train employees to operate machinery.
- Troubleshoot and maximise production efficiencies.
Quals & Skills Needed:
- Experience-based entry.
- Essential skills: Teamwork, communication, decision-making.
How much do Production Engineers earn?
Similar to design engineers…
How to progress as a Production Engineer?
This is one of the simpler careers in Technical Engineering to get onto the ladder for because you typically only need experience. Something you can gain by starting off in an entry role and working your way up.
For those who enjoy the production side, your main career path would be working towards becoming Production Manager. This would take about 10 to 15 years.
Or you could progress to Operations Manager who manages broader operational aspects including production, quality, and logistics.
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Careers in Health and Safety
There are many roles available in Health and Safety, all of which place a strong emphasis on safeguarding employees and their well-being.
Responsibilities:
- Devise safety policies.
- Train staff on H&S procedures.
- Monitor compliance and respond to accidents.
- Place a strong emphasis on safeguarding employees and their well-being.
- More recent responsibility = minimising company’s environmental impact
Quals & Skills Needed:
- Engineering degree, NEBOSH, or IOSH certification.
- Skills: Communication, negotiating, collaboration.
How much do Health and Safety Engineers earn?
How to progress as a Health and Safety Engineer?
You will need to have a Health and Safety qualification before joining a company as a Health and Safety Engineer.
In terms of the career path, you would then progress to become a Health and Safety Manager. This role will require further qualifications and would take around 10 years to advance to.
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Careers in Quality Engineering
It’s important for businesses to listen to customers and ensure they are providing high-quality products and services.
Responsibilities:
- Ensure products meet customer standards.
- Identify improvement areas.
Quals & Skills Needed:
- HNC/HND or Engineering degree.
- Skills: Communication, analytical, computer literacy.
How much do Quality Engineers earn?
How to progress as a Quality Engineer?
If you enjoy an office-based role, you can advance to a Supply and Development Quality Engineer position. Where you will liaise with suppliers to understand the quality they require. It takes around 5 to 7 years of progression to get to this level.
Alternatively, if you enjoy being on the shop floor, you can progress to a Quality Manager, where you’ll manage all Quality Engineers. This role requires a few more years of progression, generally 10 years.
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Careers in Service and Installation Engineering
Responsibilities:
- Install, maintain, and upgrade machinery e.g., Lifts & Escalators
- Product assembly and maintenance.
- Solve mechanical and electrical issues.
Quals & Skills Needed:
- GCSEs, NVQ Level 3, CSCS, or IPAF qualification.
- Skills: Detail-oriented, organised, physically fit.
How much do Service and Installation Engineers earn?
How to progress as a Service and Installation Engineer?
As a Service or Installation Engineer, there are a few career progression routes you can take, such as a Service Manager, where you manage the Service Engineers and Installation Engineers.
You can advance to a Project Manager position after gaining around 15 years of hands-on experience installing machines on shop floors. In this role, you will oversee projects where machinery is installed and ensure that the machinery is installed correctly by understanding the project’s requirements.
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How are careers in Technical Engineering going to change in the future?
We’re going to see a lot of change in the next 10 to 15 years. Many manufacturing and engineering businesses are going to go toward the automation side of things. There will be a lot of robots installed, so less people on shop floors, especially on the production side.
In Summary
Whether you have lots of prior engineering experience or have recently graduated from university, there are various careers in Technical Engineering to choose from.
Many of the careers we have spoken about will require either an NVQ or a degree. But there are also positions we’ve mentioned which you can start completely at entry-level and work your way up. And the engineers that stand out from the crowd in this sector will often possess a certification specific to the role. So be sure to take note of the qualifications we’ve mentioned so you can be in the know of all these things.
What Next?
Now you know your options of careers in Technical Engineering, it’s time to get applying for some roles. You can check out the current vacancies on our website. There’s an array of technical roles available. Good luck in your job search!