Why Engineers Are Ideal Candidates for Project Management

Ireland has an estimated 60,000 engineers working across MedTech, Biopharma, Advanced Manufacturing, and related sectors. Many of these jobs are evolving from "pure engineer" into hybrid technical-leadership positions.

Engineers already bring:

• Strong problem-solving skills
• Process discipline and attention to detail
• Comfort with data, risk, and complex systems

Project management sits on top of this foundation. The core added skills are:

• Leadership and influence
• Communication and stakeholder management
• Business awareness (cost, timelines, risk vs reward)

In industries like MedTech, Biopharma and advanced manufacturing, the most valuable people are those who can bridge technical depth with business execution.

What Employers Look for In First-Time Project Managers

Project management in STEM is not just scheduling meetings and writing reports. It is about aligning diverse teams around a shared outcome and moving work forward, often without formal authority over everyone involved.

Employers consistently look for engineers who can:

• Translate complex technical information into clear, actionable plans
• Manage budgets, risks, and timelines in a structured way
• Lead through influence, especially across multidisciplinary teams
• Communicate clearly with stakeholders from design to production
• Use persuasive communication and negotiation to gain buy-in

According to HERO’s Tech & Engineering Salary Guide 2025, there is strong demand for project professionals who combine engineering with quality, regulatory, or compliance experience. That mix is particularly attractive in FDA and EMA regulated environments.

Salary Outlook: What Project Managers Earn In STEM

Project management offers a clear step up in responsibility and earning potential. Typical salary ranges in Ireland (HERO 2025 data):

Do You Need A PMP, PRINCE2 Or a Master’s?

Not necessarily, especially for your first move into project leadership. For entry-level or first-time PM jobs, employers often value:

• Evidence that you have delivered real projects or workstreams
• Clear examples of planning, coordination, and stakeholder management
• The ability to talk through your approach to risk, change, and communication

A good sequence is:

1. Start by managing internal projects or improvements
2. Then add structure with a qualification such as PMP, PRINCE2 or Lean Six Sigma
3. Consider a master's in project management or engineering management later if you aim for senior, multi-site, or strategic jobs

The winning combination is practical delivery experience plus a recognised methodology.

Use Your Current Job as Your Training Ground

You do not need a new job title to start acting like a project manager. You can begin where you are.

Step 1: Volunteer For Coordination Work- Look for chances to say:

• "I can pull together the plan for this"
• "I can run the weekly progress meeting"
• "I will own the action tracker and follow up"

Practical examples:

• Create a simple schedule for a line upgrade or validation run
• Maintain a risk log for a change control or equipment installation
• Summarise meetings into actions, owners, and deadlines and share them

These are small steps that build a very strong case for a PM job later.

Step 2: Make Your Manager an Ally- Have a direct conversation:

"I am interested in moving towards project management. Could I start taking on more planning and coordination tasks on our projects and get feedback on how I am doing?"

You are not asking for an instant promotion. You are asking for opportunities, visibility, and feedback.

Soft Skills: Leveraging Relationships and Influence

Your technical skills got you in the door. Your soft skills will move you into leadership. Key areas to develop:

• Relationship leverage Use the people who already trust you (technicians, QA, senior engineers) to understand where projects really get stuck and how things get done. Treat people fairly, share credit, and never blame publicly. This makes others want to help you succeed.
• Influence without authority You will often need support from people who do not report to you. That means understanding their pressures and framing your requests in terms of shared goals, not demands. Bad example: "I need this by Friday or my project slips."  Better example: "If we can get this by Friday, we can keep validation on track and avoid a 2-week delay. What would you need from me or my team to make that realistic?"
• Business-focused communication Move from technical detail to project impact. Example structure for an update: Where we are, What the risk is, Options with pros and cons, Your recommendation. Short, clear, and decision focused.

The Less Glamorous Side: Disillusion and Realities

It is important to go into project management with open eyes.

• You will be less hands-on technically and spend more time in meetings and planning tools
• You sit between senior management and the team, often absorbing pressure from both sides
• You will sometimes be blamed for issues that are not fully in your control
• You will deal with conflict, late tasks, shifting priorities, and stakeholder frustration

If you enjoy problem-solving, collaboration, and guiding people through complexity, this can still be highly rewarding. But it is a different type of satisfaction from designing a system yourself.

Concrete Actions You Can Take This Month

To keep it practical, here is a simple roadmap.

This week

• Tell your manager you are interested in project management
• Volunteer to coordinate a small piece of work or an improvement task

This month

• Enrol in a short project management or Lean course
• Start using simple PM tools: timeline, action tracker, risk log
• Ask a project manager or project engineer in your company for a 30-minute coffee chat about their career path

Next 3-6 months

• Lead a small project end-to-end (scope, plan, execute, report)
• Capture results: timelines, savings, quality improvements
• Update your CV and LinkedIn to highlight planning, coordination, and stakeholder work, not just technical tasks

You are not abandoning engineering. You are scaling it through people, decisions, and delivery.

If you are ready to explore project management job in Ireland’s STEM sector or want tailored career advice, you can contact Regina Carroll, Principal Recruitment Consultant at HERO Recruitment, at jobs@hero.ie or 086 0100903.