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Top engineering jobs for the year ahead
7 min read | Paul Gibbens | Article | | Industry insights
86% of organisations are planning on recruiting engineering professionals in the year ahead, according to our latest salary guide. Engineering specialists are in high demand, especially in areas like mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) trades, design engineering and defence.
Multi-skilled maintenance engineers and engineering project managers are two roles that feature in our Top Jobs 2024 Report, meaning they are among the most in-demand roles at the moment. But what exactly are multi-skilled maintenance engineers and engineering project managers and how could you pursue a career in one of these areas?
Multi-skilled maintenance engineers play a vital role in improving the productivity of engineering functions. Typical responsibilities for these maintenance engineers include finding and fixing mechanical and electrical faults in machinery, as well as proactively carrying out maintenance to mitigate disruptions before they happen.
There isn’t just one route into becoming a multi-skilled maintenance engineer. While having a degree isn’t essential for this role, if you’ve studied a subject area like electrical engineering or mechanical engineering then this could help your application stand out to a potential employer.
If you have technical knowledge of relevant systems or experience in mechanical maintenance, gained through an apprenticeship for example, then be sure to highlight this on your CV and applications for multi-skilled maintenance engineering roles.
The value of your core skills, developed in previous roles or elsewhere, should not be underestimated when applying for multi-skilled maintenance engineering roles. The top five in-demand soft skills for engineering roles are:
Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential for multi-skilled maintenance engineers to have, since record keeping is important and maintenance engineers must be able to communicate effectively with members of their team, as well as equipment manufacturers, to resolve maintenance issues.
Problem-solving skills are also key. Multi-skilled maintenance engineers must be able to work well under pressure to fix issues and minimise financial losses.
It’s important for multi-skilled maintenance engineers to have an understanding of the equipment and systems they’re responsible for maintaining, as well as the maintenance techniques and strategies used to ensure their optimal performance.
If you don’t have all the technical skills required for a maintenance engineering role, don’t let this stop you from applying. Nearly every engineering organisation (97%) has been subject to a shortage of key skills in the last 12 months, our salary guide shows. In light of these prevalent skills shortages, 85% of employers are willing to take on engineering professionals who don’t have all the necessary skills, with the intention of upskilling them.
Salaries for multi-skilled maintenance engineers have increased by an average of 4.3% over the last year, which is higher than the 3.6% average salary increase across the engineering sector. As a maintenance engineer, our salary guide shows that you can expect to earn between £37,000 and £58,000, depending on your location.
Engineering project managers are responsible for delivering engineering projects on time and within the allocated budget. They look after projects from end-to-end, including planning, purchasing materials, managing processes, assessing risks and monitoring their overall progress.
The broad nature of the role means that engineering project managers could be working in a number of different industries, including aerospace, energy and renewables, manufacturing, defence, electric vehicles (EVs) and emerging technologies. As an engineering project manager, you could be involved with a project that’s helping to tackle climate change through the development of new biofuels or you could be designing and producing the next electric vehicle.
An engineering degree is very beneficial for engineering project managers to have, however it’s not always essential and there are other possible career paths. You should highlight any professional certifications or qualifications you have related to engineering or project management on your CV, as well as any previous experience you have with project management tools.
To be a successful engineering project manager, organisation and numerical skills are a must. Problem-solving skills and adaptability are also essential, as projects rarely run entirely to plan, and modifications are usually needed. Since you’ll be dealing with a range of stakeholders during projects, strong communication skills can be extremely beneficial.
Salaries for engineering project managers are on the rise, increasing by an average of 4.8% over the last year. Two specific project manager roles feature in our list of engineering jobs with the top pay increases: EC&I project manager and M&P project manager. According to our salary guide, you could earn between £54,000 and £70,000 as an engineering project manager, depending on which area you work in.
To learn more about the roles of multi-skilled maintenance engineers and engineering project managers, take a look at our Top Jobs 2024 Report. Visit our New Year, New Career hub for market-leading insights, tips and tools to help you in your engineering job search, or get in touch with one of our expert engineering consultants today.
Paul Gibbens, National Specialism Director, Engineering, Hays
Paul began his recruitment career in 2005 before joining Hays in November 2019. Paul is an experienced customer-focused director with extensive knowledge of the nuclear, MOD & defence, oil & gas, rail, power generation, petrochemical, chemical, renewable energy, and manufacturing industries.
