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Engineering job titles
4

Engineering job titles

Engineering job titles

(OP)
Hope this is the right forum for this...

What is the difference between the following engineering job titles:

1.  Lead Engineer
2.  Head Engineer
3.  Senior Engineer

Is there any difference at all?

We're trying to establish some job titles and having a bit of difficulty.

-Plasmech

Mechanical Engineer, Plastics Industry

RE: Engineering job titles

We've discussed titles here before - with the general consensus that they don't mean much, or can mean whatever you want them to mean.

My opinion on the three that you listed:

Lead Engineer = The engineer responsible for a specific project or product.

Head Engineer = The engineer in charge of the engineering department.

Senior Engineer = An engineer with more than some years of experience.

RE: Engineering job titles

I second MintJulep.

RE: Engineering job titles

They all mean more work for the same money.  But, hey, at least you've got a cooler title.

RE: Engineering job titles

(OP)
Thanks guys.  LOL so "Senior Engineer" doesn't really mean much of anything other than you've been there the longest which again means...nothing in some (not all of course) cases.  "Head Engineer" really seems obe the only title that means much of anything.    

-Plasmech

Mechanical Engineer, Plastics Industry

RE: Engineering job titles

Just think about the guys that think it is cool to call the trash collector a "Sanitary Engineer", so the guy that drives the hydraulics would be the "Lead Engineer", the guy that drives the truck must be the "Head Engineer", and the dispactcher is the "Senior Engineer".  None of it means very much in an absolute sense.

Within a company, the different titles can have a big impact on scope of control and delegation of authority--a couple of areas that can have a huge impact on job satisfaction.

David

RE: Engineering job titles

I thought "Head Engineer" was referring either to a Psychologist or Brain Surgeon...

"Senior Engineer" just means everyopone knows you are over the hill and soon out the door.

"Lead Engineer"?  I always thought that was the metalurgist.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

RE: Engineering job titles

2
This discussion reminds me of the joke about the two buddies who get laid off and go down to the unemployement office.  The first one says that he sews the elastic on the womens underwear.  The clerk looks up the job description, declares it unskilled labor, and offers him $200/wk.  The clerk then asks the next guy what he does and he responds that he is a diesel fitter.  The clerk looks up the job description and says that is a skilled job and offers him $1000/wk.

At this, his buddy, asks the clerk, "how is it that we work on the same production line, right next to each other and he gets 5x more money?"

The clerk responds that it is because as a diesel fitter his job is a skilled trade and that pays more.

The guys then jumps out of his chair and says, "Are you kidding?  I sew the elastic on, he holds em up and says, 'Yep, des' will fit her'!"

The moral is, in some cases title can make a huge difference in salary for the same job.
 

RE: Engineering job titles

Job titles normally mean something only in the comany in which they are assigned.

There are some slightly more standardized titles, the engineer 1, 2, 3 etc titles as used on I think it's Salary.com.

These do correspond to some kind of job categorization which in turn are linked to pay scales. The name of the organization that come up with these categories escapes me right now.  These are typically used by HR/management to justify not giving raises.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Engineering job titles

When I hired on, I was Engineer/Scientist - Polymers/Composites Technology.

I'm mechanical by schooling, aero by career field, and composites by specialty. So I pretty much choose my own title, depending on the day.  

RE: Engineering job titles

A little story - at a place I used to work, a colleague applied for a management position. He missed out on it and was upset. He was made a senior engineer as a result.

We never had one before then. He was neither the engineer with the most experience nor the most knowledgeable. There was no responsibilities for his new position. So it was merely a political title.

I have never put too much credence on a position title (but maybe that might change if I ever get a nice one !!)

RE: Engineering job titles

As the Principal Head Senior Lead Engineer I think I can speak with some authority here... Job titles mean nothing. What really counts is who owns the stapler... for he who hath sratcheth his name on the office stapler doth rule the minnions. Well, that's my claim to power anyway.

corus

RE: Engineering job titles

If your the only engineer in an office, could you be considard the Sr. or Head engineer?

 

RE: Engineering job titles

Be the Principle Engineer... heck, you could even abbreviate it as "PE".  I doubt anyone in the office would care.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Engineering job titles

I dont think anyone would know the difference!

RE: Engineering job titles

I'm getting new business cards printed.  The admin asked me what P.E. stood for at the end of my name.  Project Engineer?  Which happens to be my title.

Funny thing is, I sign my documents and forms with P.E. after my name.  I was looking at other documents written by other project engineers here, and they started doing the same - thinking that P.E. stood for project engineer.  These are fellow engineers who don't even know what P.E. means, or the benefits of licensure even in an industry exempt world.

Worst of all, the quick crash course in the meaning of P.E. and the legal liabilities you take by falsely representing yourself as one fell on deaf ears.

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

RE: Engineering job titles

That is a good one. Can you stop other people from doing it?

RE: Engineering job titles

Would it make more sense to have it as Proj Engr instead of P.E.?

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."  

RE: Engineering job titles

P.E. is, unfortunately, not a protected designation in many states.  

Technically, it is in this one, as the law says that any title or designation meant to imply that one is a professional engineer is illegal and punishable.  However, the law's pretty vague as written, and it doesn't explicitly list "P.E.".  So, a good lawyer could claim that "P.E." was not meant to mean "professional engineer" and maybe get someone cleared... or killed.

RE: Engineering job titles

Job titles don't mean a thing.  It's the salary and the benefits package.

I've noticed a general trend of self-promotion in the industry of AEC.  There are just too many fancy titles.

RE: Engineering job titles

I thought the custodian was the Head Engineer.

RE: Engineering job titles

Only on Naval bases and Dockyards etc.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Engineering job titles

I'm in AZ and it specifically reserves
"P.E."
"PE"
and I think a third derivation to designation Professional Engineer.  Thus the reason I had a quick memo to educate my coworkers to stop using it.  Apparently, I'm going to have to expand that to a corporate memo and include class training as well.

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

RE: Engineering job titles

(OP)
I thought the techs and service guys were the head engineers...

-Plasmech

Mechanical Engineer, Plastics Industry

RE: Engineering job titles

Swertel, don't forget the trouble shooting guide and help desk number as wellwinky smile.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Engineering job titles

I'll get write on those.

Perhaps a guest speaker from the AZ Board of Technical Registration would also help - along with sponsored legal counsel.

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

RE: Engineering job titles

Hmm.  If you taught a class on it, swertel, I bet it would count for your professional ethics PDH requirements, wouldn't it?  

SCORE!

RE: Engineering job titles

'head engineer' sounds like what we called some of our classmates back in the day....but we won't go there on a family channel.

RE: Engineering job titles

I gotta stop this side thread.  Starting to get a little too funny I nearly messed my keyboard.  PD ethics hours, too funny.

All companies should be full of license ignorance.  I could make a career out of it.

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

RE: Engineering job titles

I disagree with the consensus regarding Sr. Engineer.  They get paid a lot more than someone without the title.  This is all classified under Radford and other position classification systems.  It is part of a highly structured list of career path positions.

Matt Lorono
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group
and Mechnical.Engineering Yahoo! Group

RE: Engineering job titles

Radford, that's the organization I was talking about above, I always forget the name.

If you play by the Radford rules then yeah, 'Senior Engineer' means something.

However, a lot, perhaps most' places don't play by those rules.  In this case the title only has meaning at that company, if even then.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Engineering job titles

(OP)
Where can I find information on this Radford system?  Sounds interesting.

 

-Plasmech

Mechanical Engineer, Plastics Industry

RE: Engineering job titles

I once found something with Google but can't see it now.

Like I said the job categories on salary.com seem to follow the Radford system.

Ask HR, although they may not want you to know!

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Engineering job titles

If you're in a big enough company, HR should have their equivalent of salary.com's job categories and rankings.  Boeing, for example, had something like 6 levels of engineering ranks, each with its own generic job descriptions and experience requirements.

TTFN

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RE: Engineering job titles

(OP)
We ain't big :)

70 people, "thereabouts".

-Plasmech

Mechanical Engineer, Plastics Industry

RE: Engineering job titles

Even so, HR people tend to be quite collusive and tehy trade such information around.

At 70 people, there are enough bodies that HR will need to keep stuff straight, about salary ranges, and the job categories that go with that.

TTFN

FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Engineering job titles

Sorry, but I didn't have time to read the whole thread.  I will offer a list of job titles I am accostomed to using in my area.

Assistent Engineer I - with BS but <2 yrs exp and/or no EIT
Assistent Engineer II - With 2+ yrs and EIT
Engineer - with PE
Senior Engineer - PE with 8+ years
Project Engineer - usually 12+ years, & most senior engineer doing calcs on project
Project manager - usually 12+ years & senior most engineer on project
Department Manager - Boss of all projects in his discipline
Office Manager - Boss of the profit center (may also be a VP)
Vice President, ...

RE: Engineering job titles

Since there is not consensus on engineering titles, they only mean what your company wants them to mean.  They usually designate a pecking order within a company or (preferably) some internal quality assurance process.

Be careful with titles where the licensing laws prohibit the use of some titles by non-licensed individuals.

RE: Engineering job titles

In my experience, a 'project engineer' is a simply an engineer in the project engineering dept, as opposed to, say, maintenance engineering dept, or production engineering dept.

'Office Manager' is usually the person responsible for the day to day running of the office - ie, supervising the clerical staff, looking after the photocopiers, stationery, mail, etc.  Nothing to do with engineering whatsoever.
 

RE: Engineering job titles

Then what is an engineer? What does it mean to say your an engineer? In the United Kingdom, the title of "engineer" is unregulated and is increasingly used to describe trades such as electricians, motor mechanics, gas fitters etc in addition to those engaged in professional engineering.If I never went to college to get a degree in "Engineering" can I still be an Engineer? What about the fact That I'm a member of ASHRAE or AEE or a certified CEM or a CM with RSES etc. How about the fact that I have worked over 35 years in HVACR and teach at a community college. Does any of this qualify me as an Engineer or do I need a degree. I guess the bottom line is that there are Engineers .. Then there are those others you know steam fitters, Refer fitters, pipe fitters etc. I kid you not when I tell you that working with your hands as a journeyman you can make as much or more then many Engineers. So the bottom line I believe is to do the type of work that makes you a happy person.

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