Choice between Chief Engineer or Project Manager (non Technical) 1

[lonecrusader]

I apologize for a long winded post, but I wanted to provide as much information, I could. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

All,

I have personally benefited a lot from this forum in last 9-10 years of my engineering career. However, now I am at a cross road in my career. Your advice based on your experiences will help me a lot between Chief Engineer / Systems Engineer role and a NON-technical Project Manager role.

A little background on me

BS - Mechanical Engineering 2001
MS - Mechanical Engineering 2003
MBA - Finance and Marketing 2012
Current Job Title - Staff Mechanical Engineer (Medical Device Industry)
Aspirations: Leading a Product Development Company in 20-25 years from now.

I have had a decent career with increasing roles and responsibilities in mechanical engineering (new product Development) for last 9 years, of which last 6 years in Medical Devices. After 9 years, I personally feel I should diversify my skill set and move beyond just Mechanical Design.

My current company is going through major reogranization with significant changes in departments and overall work culture. My current department Head (Lets call him Mr. X) personally asked for my interest in a new role in new organization. He offered two choices, a chief engineer/systems engineer role (purely technical but with mechanical, electrical and Software exposure) and a Project Manager role (more commercial and no technical). Given my background and interest in Project Management, Mr. X was more inclined in me picking chief engineer/systems engineer role and then get into Technical Project Manager role (different from what is currently offered). He presented all the good points of the Chief Engineer's / systems engineer's role and why current open PM role may not be appropriate for me. Towards the end of discussion, he mentioned that should I consider Chief Engineer role, I should stay in that role for maximum 2-3 years and then move into Techanical Project Manager role. As I was about to leave, he did also mention that I should not loose on an opportunity just waiting for a perfect opening.

Given my background, inkling to utilize my skill set learnt in B-school and long term goal, I am confused as to what I should be doing. Yes money is a big factor, but I do not anticipate too much variation (+/- $5-10K) between a Chief Engineer role or current PM role opening. One option leads me deep in technical role and other option opens up my skill set. I am not afraid of challenge but it appears my department head thinks that I might face too many challenges. At the same time, I dont want to take a path without having your input based on your experiences and regret later.

Your insight will greatly help.

Lonecrusader

 

[MiketheEngineer]

I am inclined to stick with the Engineer role. They will ALWAYS be needed - while sales type people come and go or forced to go more often. I have done both. If you are really an engineer putting up with the sales BS will drive you crazy.....

Just my $.02 worth

 

[lonecrusader]

Thanks Mike for your insight. It does appear that engineering roles are always needed. However, at the same time, it looks like engineers reach a certain level in career but find it difficult to reach the corner office. I may be completely wrong in that.

Hence my dilemma. Stay with stability of engineering role or take risk for presumably a shot to faster career advance.

 

[MikeHalloran]

The way you report it, Mr. X is drawing you a diagram of your best career path.

The way I read what's not there, he knows for a fact that you will regret taking the Project Management role, possibly because you're not prepared for it, or more likely IMHO, he knows it will blow up in your face for reasons that are external to you.

As a member of Management, he absolutely cannot reveal those reasons, or anything else that you aren't supposed to know.

That was the worst part of my own short stint as a manager; all the shit that I had to conceal from my team. Do they teach you how to deal with that in business school?





Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[msquared48]

Mike:

They did give us bathroom breaks in business school! Does that count?

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

http://mmcengineering.tripod.com

 

[MikeHalloran]

Maybe they didn't give you enough bathroom breaks. Did you learn anything from that?



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[lonecrusader]

It is quite possible that Mr X knows something more than what meets my eyes. He is pretty high in corporate ladder. Between his position and my position there are 2 more layers. And thats why when he said something like chief engineer role, it got me thinking. Ofcourse he knows way more about the organization that i dont. Question however becomes, is he thinking in my best interest or is he looking to fill roles within his organization and does not want me to go to other department.

The more I am thinking the more I am getting confused.

PS: In B-School they taught me every thing that can be analyzed along with little bit corporate politics. More confusion.

 

[MikeHalloran]

From three layers up, your presence or absence is not Mr. X's problem.

Be grateful for his mentoring.


Oh.
Be very wary, but respectful, of the intervening layers.
If they think you are in regular contact with Mr. X, they will resent it.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[KENAT]

Didn't you already make the decision by getting your MBA?

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[truckandbus]

Reminds me of a quote from the episode "Relics" from ST:TNG

" Oh, enjoy these times, Geordi. You're the Chief Engineer of a starship; and that's a time of your life that'll never come again. When it's gone - it's gone. "

Program Managers come and go, but a good engineer is difficult to replace. If you step away from a technical role it doesn't take long to fall behind the curve and you'll be limited to program manager roles along with 100s of others...

 

[vc66]

It's important to get experience in a lot of different areas, especially if you're looking to run a Product development company some day. I was a mechanical engineer for (5) years, before I took a project management position. This change gave me a different perspective on how the business runs, and what other people think of as important. I'm now in an engineering program management position. I would have never gotten this position (which I'm extremely happy in) if I hadn't taken the leap from ME to PM.

Just my .02, but if you're looking to run a company some day, you need as much diversified experience as possible.

V

 

[lonecrusader]

Mike and TruckandBus,

These are some really good insights. Thanks a lot for your suggestions. It appears, its better to stick with engineering role for now rather than jump to PM role right away. I will be careful of intervening layers. It is rarely that I talk to Mr. X. So when he called me to discuss next career move I was surprised myself. But I will be cautious in future of such discussions.

 

[lonecrusader]

vc66,

Did you always remain in a technical role in some way or form as a Project Manager? Did you have a stint away from PM role before coming back to engineering?

And yes I do want to run a company some day and I have been requesting (almost begging) my managers to provide me opportunities to work with different departments such as finance, marketing, legal so that I can get a broader perspective of medical device industry.

 

[kirrer]

To me it seems the Chief Engineer role is the way to go. Being in the Chief Engineer position typically involves many facets of business administration by default, letting you stretch your MBA muscle. Additionally, you'll learn about other aspects of engineering that your current role hasn't seen (electrical, software, mechanical integration that you mentioned). A chief engineer also has to work with the other departments - finance for getting money to make products, marketing to sell products and connect with the customer, legal for patent and other reasons - there is no reason that you cannot interact much more strongly with those other departments in a chief engineer role. Lastly, when a chief engineer is managing who has a great deep technical understanding of what the workers are doing, it improves the relationship on both sides.

On the other hand, project manager or program manager roles can sometimes be doled out to those who have great managing skills, but without an adequate technical understanding of what they are managing, can lead quickly to miscommunications within the team or externally to the customer, causing both delays and budget overruns. In my experience, Project Managers who treat engineers as only assets required to get the job done, without fully understanding the job itself or the problems the engineers will run into, can be difficult to work with. The more you start on the PM-only role right now, the more you'll be stuck there later on.

If I was in your shoes and I had to choose between the two positions, I would certainly choose the chief engineer position. You'll improve your project management skills considerably while retaining the technical edge - this also lets you interface between the company leaders and the engineer workers better. In the long run, I see that as being more important to the success of the company than purely project managing. But, I have to add a disclaimer - I've got less experience than you, and all in a relatively small company. I have, however, worked for both chief engineers and project managers, and much prefer the former than the latter.

 

[vc66]

lonecrusader -

As a PM, I was as far away from an engineer as I've ever been in my career. I was chasing down parts, running status meetings, badgering engineering to finish designs. That being said, I believe my engineering background gave me a better understanding of how to tackle schedules, deliverables, etc.

After being a PM for a few years, I went directly back into engineering as a program manager.

I had a boss (whom I respect very much) that said it to me this way, "If you want to run your own company some day, you need to have held (important) jobs in engineering, operations and marketing/sales. This way, no matter what problems may arise, you have a background in solving them."



V

 

[SNORGY]

The more you understand the product you are making, the better you will be able to manage how it is made.

I think your boss gave you spot-on advice.

 

[lonecrusader]

Great Advice Vc66.

Your boss gave a very good advice. Yes I do intend to run a company in future. I believe, this advice will go a long way.

 

[Jboggs]

A few rods from an old fart that has been ther done that - all of it. Started out in detailed mechanical design. At one point I thought I might want an MBA and signed up for some night courses at the local university. After two weeks of the basic level business accounting course, I knew I was absolutely in the wrong place. Dropped it immediately. I knew then that design is what gets my blood going. Almost anything else involved in running a profitable business is just "stuff you have go through." I rose through the ranks and have held various management positions, including running my own consulting business for several years.

In the marketing roles I have served in, I always am more drawn to the particulars of the design questions than to the details of scheduling, costing, contract language, etc. Somebody has to handle that stuff, and its best if they enjoy doing it. I noticed something interesting a few years back. I have worked for a lot of managers, many of them ex-engineers. It has amazed me how they have been able to divorce themselves from the design details of projects, and freely just turn that part over to me. I know if I were in their shoes I could not do that. I would be thinking over some interesting design problem on the way home. They weren't doing that. To me, that the difference.

I have had several positions where my major responsibilities were things other than engineering. Without fail, every time I have moved back into a more detailed engineering position, I have figuratively breathed a deep sigh of relief - "Ahh, home at last." I simply cannot understand how someone who supposedly loves engineering can divorce themselves from it forever. But I am definitely glad that some can. And I would much rather work for an ex-engineer than a marketing or accounting type. If you think you can happily give the design details of a project no more attention than all the other details a manager has responsibility for, then maybe you are built for management.

Also, don't forget - nothing is forever. You will probably have to spend a few years working in different arenas to know for sure where you are happiest. After all, the only reason I can state with such certainty which areas I am happiest in is that I have actually worked in those other areas. If I had not done that, I would not know. Keep a long term view, but don't be afraid to try new things.

 

[pmover]

self evaluate yourself . . . are you more technically-orientated or more multi-role orientated? what does your heart and passion want to do? i would not get too worried or concerned about the peripheral matters. lastly, change in business and life is an evolving process, get accustomed to it.

regardless, good luck!
-pmover

 

[lonecrusader]

Thanks all for valuable advice,

An update in my situatuion. Yesterday my manager (reports to Mr. X) called me to his office to pitch the Chief Engineer /Systems Engineer role. He said that there is shortage of such people in the company and due to hiring freeze we will try to fill internally. He also mentioned that there is no pressure and I can continue in my current role should I choose to do so.

I did ask about PM role and his exact words were

"I will say it once and not repeat again. That PM role with business needs and the way company is going is not the right choice now. This particular position may or may not last long. systems engineer role should be there but dont think it to be a short term gig. If you decide, You will be transferred into that group. Choice is yours. You can continue as Mechanical Engineer and we will be fine"

After hearing this and all the advices above, I think one thing is clear, I have to broaden my scope and move beyond just ME roles. Which I anyway wanted. With systems role the negative I see is my limited chance of getting business exposure and non utilization of MBA degree. However the advantage with Systems Engineer Role will be more exposure to medical devices and subject matter, such as regulatory, some marketing, customers, and above all processes in this FDA regulated environment for devices.